National Historical Museum commemorates Aleks Buda, founder of Albania’s Academy of Sciences

On Sunday, the National Historical Museum organized an activity commemorating the life and legacy of Aleks Buda (1910-1993), a distinguished historian, professor, founder and first chairperson of the Albanian Academy of Sciences. He was also granted the title Teacher to the People for his work.

Born into a renowned intellectual family in Elbasan, in 1910, Buda began his education at Lecce, Italy where he completed his primary school, followed by secondary education in Salzburg, Austria. He pursued higher studies at the Faculty of Philosophy and Literature at the University of Vienna from 1929 to 1935.

Between 1939 and 1943, Buda worked as a teacher at the high schools of Tirana and Korçë. He actively participated in the Anti-Fascist National Liberation Movement and in 1944 was elected deputy chairperson of the ANÇ Council in the Elbasan district.

From 1945 to 1946, Buda served as the director of the National Library. With the establishment of the Institute of History and Linguistics in 1955, he played a pivotal role as one of its organizers and senior researchers, founding the sector of medieval history and laying the foundations for Albanian medieval studies.

Buda dedicated himself particularly to training young historians and scholars specializing in medieval Albanian history. As the president of the Albanian Academy of Sciences since its inception in 1972, his comprehensive cultural and historical expertise enriched research and scientific work, particularly in the field of Albanology.

His contributions were recognized with numerous honors, including the First Class Republic Award, the Order of Freedom, and the Order of the Flag of Labor, First Class. In 1990, he was awarded the “Great Gold Medal” by the President of the Republic of Austria.