The Royal Palace of Durrës, sometimes known as the '' Konak'' of Durrës (), was a royal palace of the

Principality of Albania The Principality of Albania ( al, Principata e Shqipërisë or ) refers to the short-lived monarchy in Albania, headed by Wilhelm, Prince of Albania, that lasted from the Treaty of London of 1913 which ended the First Balkan War, through ...

situated in

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. It previously served as the chief

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

Wilhelm, Prince of Albania Prince Wilhelm of Wied (German: ''Wilhelm Friedrich Heinrich Prinz zu Wied'', 26 March 1876 – 18 April 1945), reigned briefly as sovereign of the Principality of Albania as Vilhelm I from 7 March to 3 September 1914, when he left for exile. Hi ...

, and his wife,

Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg Sophie Helene Cecilie of Schönburg-Waldenburg (21 May 1885 – 3 February 1936) was Princess of Albania from 7 March to 3 September 1914 as the wife of Prince Wilhelm. In 1906 she married Wilhelm, second son of the Prince of Wied. When her hu ...

. It has been used by different Albanian governments for various purposes.

History

This royal residence had been the seat of the Ottoman prefect ('' mutasarriflik'') of Durrës. The three floors of the building with an interior courtyard contained thirty-five rooms. Its facade was ca. 50 metres wide. Prince Wilhelm of Wied arrived in Albania at his capital of Durrës on March 7, 1914, along with the Royal Family. Wilhelm, who reigned as 'Vilhelm, Prince of Albania', moved into the building five months later and used it as his palace for his six month reign, when furnishing and a modest bevy of servants were brought from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The palace was raided after the departure of Prince Wilhelm by Muslim rebels and

Haxhi Qamili Haxhi Qamili, born Qamil Zyber Xhameta, (1876 – 16 August 1915) was the leader of the 1914–15 revolt in Albania. He was popularly known by his religious name Haxhi Qamili, though he was also known as ''Baba Qamili'' (''Father Qamil''). Biogr ...

. On October 2, 1918, the palace, along with the entire city of

, was bombarded on the orders

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Dominique-Marie Gauchet Dominique-Marie Gauchet (14 August 1853 in Vains – 4 February 1931 in Vains) was a French admiral during World War I. Life After a career of almost 40 years in the French Navy, Gauchet was appointed commander of the French Dardanelles squadr ...

of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

during the Battle of Durrës. The order was executed by

The Marchese di Revel of the ''

Regia Marina The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the Italian constitutional referendum, 1946, birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' ch ...

'' aboard the ''

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

''. Admiral Gauchet had followed the instructions of

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Louis Franchet d'Espèrey Louis Félix Marie François Franchet d'Espèrey (25 May 1856 – 8 July 1942) was a French general during World War I. As commander of the large Allied army based at Salonika, he conducted the successful Macedonian campaign, which caused t ...

, who was serving the

Macedonian front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...

on account of the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

, and according to whom, the Port of Durres, if not destroyed, would have served the evacuation of the Bulgarian and German armies involved in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The earthquake of 1926 further destroyed the palace and, by 1930, there were no longer any remains.

References

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Palace Of Albania Buildings and structures in Durrës 1914 in Albania Modern history of Albania Palaces in Albania Royal residences in Albania

History

See also

References

External link