u/Emotional_Mood_6134

Hey guys, I’ve been doing a deep dive into how Albania and Poland rediscovered their cultural friendship after being cut off from one another for three whole decades during the Cold War.

I discovered the Albanian-Polish Friendship Society, which was apparently an organization started by 100 Albanian students that studied in Poland in the 50s and 60s. They acted as a de-facto embassy when diplomatic relations haven’t revived yet between the two countries, translating literature and bridging cultural gap that widened into pretty much a canyon during the war.

However, there seems to be very little mention of them besides articles from Tirana Times and a research paper or two. I was wondering if any Balkan/Eurasian historian knew more about this society and could direct me to some sources that talked about it? Thanks!!

UPDATE: Thank you so much to everyone that helped me dig down this rabbit hole! It's so intriguing that this part of history is virtually unknown despite how much it contributed to bridging Albania and Poland back together. If anyone wants my very long, very informal Google Doc detailing Albanian-Polish relations during and after the Cold War, let me know.

After finding many, many, many names that were a part of the friendship society, I've found their contact information on the internet. Hopefully they respond to my cold emails and maybe I can interview them!

Hi all,

I've recently been fascinated by the effects that the Cold War had on Albanian-Polish relations. Specifically, I'm looking for more information about the Albanian-Polish Friendship Society.

I heard that during the 1950s and 1960s, Albanian-Polish relations were great; in fact, about 100 Albanian students studied in Poland. However, in 1960 and 1961, Albania and the Soviet Union ended relations, which meant that it was also isolated from Poland by extension. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the same 100 students returned and founded the Albanian-Polish Friendship Society. As the only people speaking fluent Polish and Albanian, they translated literature from both countries and acted as informal diplomats before foreign relations were officially reestablished.

I wanted to learn more about this, but the only reliable sources that mentioned the Albanian-Polish Friendship Society were "Tirana Times" and a singular research paper by Leonard Zissi. Even with these websites, there was very minimal information.

I understand that the scope of my research is limited by the fact that I live in the United States, speak only English, and may be blind to some Polish and Albanian websites. As such, I was wondering if anyone here can direct me to anywhere on the internet that may give more insight about this? Thank you!

Hi all,

I've recently been fascinated by the effects that the Cold War had on Albanian-Polish relations. Specifically, I'm looking for more information about the Albanian-Polish Friendship Society.

I heard that during the 1950s and 1960s, Albanian-Polish relations were great; in fact, about 100 Albanian students studied in Poland. However, in 1960 and 1961, Albania and the Soviet Union ended relations, which meant that it was also isolated from Poland by extension. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the same 100 students returned and founded the Albanian-Polish Friendship Society. As the only people speaking fluent Polish and Albanian, they translated literature from both countries and acted as informal diplomats before foreign relations were officially reestablished.

I wanted to learn more about this, but the only reliable sources that mentioned the Albanian-Polish Friendship Society were "Tirana Times" and a singular research paper by Leonard Zissi. Even with these websites, there was very minimal information.

I understand that the scope of my research is limited by the fact that I live in the United States, speak only English, and may be blind to some Polish and Albanian websites. As such, I was wondering if anyone here can direct me to anywhere on the internet that may give more insight about this? Thank you!