Veli Këlcyra, usually referred as Veli Bey Këlcyra, was an Albanian influential ''bey'' and one of the delegates during the

Albanian Declaration of Independence The Albanian Declaration of Independence ( Albanian: ''Deklarata e Pavarësisë'') was the declaration of independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Six days later the Ass ...

. Veli Këlcyra came from the well known bey family of

Këlcyrë Këlcyrë ( sq-definite, Këlcyra) is a town and a municipality in southern Albania, located on the bank of the river Vjosë. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Ballaban, Dishnicë, Këlcyr ...

, the same family of

Ali Këlcyra Ali Bey Këlcyra (May 28, 1891 – September 24, 1963) born Ali Klissura, was an Albanian lord and a member of the Albanian parliament in the 1920s. He was co-founder with Mid'hat Frashëri of the Balli Kombëtar organization in 1942, and t ...

, future leader of

Balli Kombëtar The Balli Kombëtar (literally ''National Front''), known as Balli, was an Albanian nationalist, collaborationist and anti-communist resistance movement during the Second World War. It was led by Ali Këlcyra and by Midhat Frashëri. The move ...

. Këlcyra family was deported and interned near Arta during the reign of Ali Pashe Tepelena, and returned only after his death. They were known as local bey and a powerful family of the area after that. His name appears within the Albanian Colony of

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

, as one of the founders of the "Committee of Albanians for the Freedom of Albania" ( sq, Komitet i shqipëtarëve për lirin e Shqipërisë) on 5 May 1907 together with

Kristo Meksi Kristo Meksi (1849–1931) was an Albanians, Albanian politician of the early 20th century. He was one of the delegates of Albanian Declaration of Independence and also one of the first Albanian diplomats. Early life Born in Labovë in 1849, he ...

Pandeli Evangjeli Pandeli Evangjeli (6 January 1859 – 14 September 1949) was an Albanian politician who served two terms as the 7th Prime Minister of Albania. He was the first Orthodox Christian to head the Albanian government. Early life and career Born in ...

, Bajo Topulli, and Vasil Zografi as a branch of the Secret Committee for the Liberation of Albania of Bajo Topulli (1905) which headquarters were in Monastir. Veli Këlcyra was a delegate of the

Përmet Përmet (; sq-definite, Permeti) is a city and municipality in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. The municipality of Përmet consists of the administrative units of Çarçovë, Frashër, Petran, Qendër Piskovë and Përmet. The total popul ...

region at the Declaration of Independence in Vlora, 28 November 1912. After the Independence he was not very active in the Albanian politics. The residence of the family located up in the hills near the

Këlcyrë Gorge Këlcyrë ( sq-definite, Këlcyra) is a town and a municipality in southern Albania, located on the bank of the river Vjosë. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Ballaban, Dishnicë, Këlcyr� ...

was bombarded by the Greek armies led by Zografos in 1914, because of the strong opposition to the annexation of south Albania by Greece, and later the

Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus The Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus ( el, Αὐτόνομος Δημοκρατία τῆς Βορείου Ἠπείρου, translit=Aftónomos Dimokratía tis Voreíou Ipeírou) was a short-lived, self-governing entity founded in the aft ...

. His family left for Switzerland in 1914, and after that returned to the home town in 1918, including a short stay in Italy. Meanwhile, Veli Këlcyra remained in Switzerland because of serious health issues. He died from an incurable disease in 1924, and was buried in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

. His name and figure remains mostly unknown among Albanians, even due to the persecution the family during the

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

in Albania after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In 2012, the municipality sent an official request to the Albanian Presidency to decorate Veli Këlcyra for his contribute to the national cause.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelcyra, Veli Bej Albanians from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Albanian politicians 20th-century Albanian politicians People from Këlcyrë 1924 deaths All-Albanian Congress delegates 1862 births

See also

References