Mustafa Merlika-Kruja

Mustafa Merlika Kruja was an important figure in modern Albanian history. His political career began with the declaration of independence in 1912 and ended with his resignation as Prime Minister in 1943. After leaving Albania in September 1944, he lived in exile until he died in the United States in 1958, devoting himself primarily to historical and Albanological studies.

During the communist period, he was described as a quisling prime minister. At the same time, he is also remembered as the prime minister who sought to keep the Albanian-inhabited territories united and who refused to hand over Jews to the German forces. He left behind an important body of scholarly work, correspondence, and a lost dictionary; his works were republished posthumously.

He was awarded an honorary doctorate (Honoris Causa) by the University of Padua in 1942, named an honorary citizen of the city of Prizren in 1942, and awarded the title “Honour of the Nation” by the President of the Republic in 2012, on the occasion of the centenary of Albania’s independence. A bust has been erected in his honour in the city of Krujë.

Two files concerning Mustafa Kruja are held in the archives of the former State Security, comprising a total of 811 pages.