Once, everyone knew him. Today, only a few people in Korçë and beyond remember him. He was one of the greatest philanthropists the Albanian nation has ever produced—a model that should still be followed today.

By Vangjel Simaku

He was the benefactor who gifted Korça—considered one of the most cultured cities in Albania—with a library, a cinema, a lyceum, a hospital, and an orphanage. A philanthropist who saved dozens of people from certain death, yet could not save himself from it. He helped prepare dowries for many poor families in Korça and earned the love and admiration of thousands.

However, the brutal communist regime treated the Turtulli family harshly. When the cemeteries of Korça were relocated from the Church of St. Mary, the monumental grave of this distinguished family was barbarically destroyed, and the remains of the great philanthropist disappeared without a trace. The deep hostility of Enver Hoxha toward this family resulted in one of the most renowned philanthropists in the Balkans and beyond, Thoma Turtulli, having no known grave today.

Thoma Turtulli originated from Vithkuq, once a large and developed town with many neighborhoods, churches, and schools, rivaling even Voskopoja in prosperity. Like Voskopoja, however, Vithkuq was burned and looted three times by the same attackers.

The Turtulli family later moved to Korça and became one of the most prominent commercial families of the time. Thoma Turtulli and his company conducted trade with Durrës, Shkodër, Tirana, as well as with Thessaloniki, Bitola, and Istanbul.

Soon, he devoted himself to major philanthropic efforts, aiming to turn Korça into a model European city. On December 25, 1927, the “Majestic” cinema opened its doors in Korça—a small “La Scala” in the heart of the city. This beautiful cinema was built by the Albanian joint-stock company “Cinemato,” founded by Thoma Turtulli and his associates.

He donated a library to the education-loving city of Korçë, recognizing the strong thirst for knowledge among its people. In the city and surrounding areas, there were already many books preserved from the old libraries of Voskopoja, Vithkuq, and Korça itself, as well as books brought by the Vatra society from the United States.

As a result, the beautiful Korça library, inaugurated in 1930, held around 30,000 books at that time. The great philanthropist Thoma Turtulli also donated the lyceum—this important center of education known both within and beyond Albania. The city hospital, meanwhile, was inaugurated in 1934.

After its completion, Thoma Turtulli’s wife, Athina Turtulli, donated 40,000 gold francs to the state for the construction of an industrial school. King Zog I awarded her the Order of Skanderbeg in recognition of her contribution.

It is said that Thoma Turtulli personally supervised the construction of the hospital and fell ill there with bronchopneumonia. Despite the extraordinary efforts of King Zog, who brought the best doctors from Thessaloniki, he could not be saved. The works of this great benefactor still shine in Korça today, reflecting the European spirit that Thoma Turtulli and other notable philanthropists instilled in the city.

By Albens Tabaku:

Developments driven by “mediocre, one-sided policies” always lead to failure, especially when based on “personal” initiatives without serious studies involving institutes, experts, or academic departments.

From the very beginning, when it was still presented as something new, the idea of developing Korçë mainly and almost exclusively as a tourist city did not seem normal to me. Even before communism, during communism, and for at least 10 years after its fall, Korça had an industrial, commercial, and agricultural character, supported by fertile fields and hardworking villages that created a relatively stable economic chain for the region.

The Beer Factory dates back to 1929, along with manufacturing industries for agricultural products, an alcohol factory, power plants, and transport links to Greece through automobile companies—even air transport. I recall the German company Adria Aero Lloyd, which operated propeller flights Korça–Tirana, Korça–Shkodër, Korça–Vlorë, and return routes as early as 1925. Later, the Italian company Ala Littoria introduced routes such as Korça–Tirana–Rome and Korça–Thessaloniki.

The bazaar was once a center of craftsmanship and essential local trades. The city also had numerous schools, including the French Lyceum (a national institution), two major high schools opened by Mirash Ivanaj, a boys’ vocational school teaching accounting, finance, trade, and merchandising, and a girls’ school focused on crafts, tailoring, and culinary arts.

During communism, Korça was perhaps the most developed district in the Republic, even rivaling Tirana in industrial diversity (although Tirana had larger numbers and heavy industry like the tractor plant). Heavy industry included mechanical and metal plants, foundries, a glass factory, brick and tile factories, a thermal power plant, a bearing factory, and the Instrument Factory—considered number one in the country.

Light industry included food processing plants (jam, oil, chocolate cream, pickles, wine, and cognac), meat processing, woodworking, and more. There was also the highly regarded knitwear combine, which functioned partly until the 2000s before being demolished for apartment buildings. The carpet factory, leather and footwear factory, and many others suffered the same fate. The only survivor is the former garment production enterprise, which still operates successfully today.

Geological enterprises with dozens of mines were destroyed, as was the silicate industry. Agriculture, historically strong, was also neglected.

Therefore, directing Korça’s development almost entirely toward tourism—without alternatives and without utilizing its historical potential—was a mistake. The city is a key border hub with around five customs points, a strategic transport node that should have focused on logistics, storage, and distribution. It also has exceptional agricultural potential in the Korça and Devoll plains, along with a highly skilled workforce that has now largely disappeared.

There were discussions about building an electric cable factory and an automotive company a few years ago, but these plans were abandoned.

Traditional elements like lakror (pie), raki, sausages, and the Beer Festival are now overused and fragmented, unable to provide sustainable long-term development. Domestic tourism has already “consumed” Korça, and population decline across Albania reduces its impact on the regional economy. Unlike coastal cities such as Durrës and Vlorë, which benefit from at least three stable months of tourism, Korça does not even have that advantage.

The situation becomes absurd when even a maternity hospital is turned into a hotel—especially during the peak of a pandemic, when more hospital beds were needed. At the very least, healthcare infrastructure should have been expanded, but it remains unchanged from 50 years ago.

Focusing the economy solely on tourism—whether in Korça or across Albania—makes sustainable and progressive development impossible. Tourism is influenced by many factors and does not quickly recover the high investments it requires. Not to mention the oversaturation of hotels and guesthouses across Korça.

In conclusion, this was a short-term, mediocre, and misguided vision.

Korçë has been filled this weekend with hundreds of tourists and visitors who have chosen the city to celebrate Orthodox Easter as well as to relax and enjoy their time off. Easter is the holiday that symbolizes the resurrection of Christ, and in Korça it is celebrated on a large scale. Local families have preserved and respected their long-standing traditions and customs.

A well-known tradition is the purchase of souvenirs made of ceramics and clay, as well as the preparation of lamb meat, since the lamb is considered a symbol of goodness, purity, and peace.

The Easter lunch represents togetherness, bringing everyone around the same table to be close to their loved ones.