It’s time for Albanian 2021 stamps, and its is one of those countries that is a delight to research. One of the best things about the Internet is the ability to virtually visit a country and read articles written by people from that county. As someone who grew up pre-internet, it’s pure joy finding current articles about countries that were previously out of reach.
For reasons that are not entirely clear to me, I did the 2022 stamps before completing the 2021 program, so the intro to Albania’s rich history and culture can be found over here -> A trip to see the Albanian 2022 stamp program | Bitter Grounds Magazine. I’ll occasionally revisit this page as I find more details about the topics and designers. So far, I’ve been pretty successful, but there’s room for improvement.
A quick note on dates: The Albanian post office website is a bit odd in how it categorises stamps by year. I’m using the official release date from Posta Shqiptare for each issue.
February
EUROPA 2020 – Ancient Postal Routes
Series: Europa
1 stamp, souvenir sheet, 2 FDCs, cancel
This was released for the 2020 competition and was issued too late for the competition
Designer: Artion Baboçi
Of all the Albanian designs, this one stands at the top of my “Best Design” list. This stamp captures the spirit of the 2020 Europa competition and captures a great deal of history in the design.
Release date: February 20, 2021
March
250th Anniversary of the Birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827
1 stamp, souvenir sheet, 2 FDCs, cancel
Designer: Gentian Gjikopulli
Gentian attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana. He has worked, as a painter and graphic designer, for the National Historical Museum of Tirana and R&T Advertising. For the past 24 years he has taught at the Artistic High School “Jordan Misja”. Among his art exhibitions were Tunel ‘95 , The Heat and Musique de chambre at the National Gallery of Arts in Tirana, a show of his collected works in Lausanne, Switzerland and Montalto di Castro, Italy.
Gentian Gjikopulli | EJAlbum
Release date: March 5, 2021
Albanian Flowers
Series: Albanian flora
2 stamp, FDC, cancel
- Horse chestnut (aesculus hippocastanum) Aesculus parviflora (Bottlebrush Buckeye) – BBC Gardeners World Magazine
- Bay laurel (laurus nobilis) Laurus nobilis – BBC Gardeners World Magazine
Designer: Artion Baboçi
Release date: March 5, 2021
EUROMED Issue – Traditional Gastronomy
Series: Euromed
4 stamps, FDC, cancel
- I can’t make out what the first item is. If any of my Albanian readers could help, I’d appreciate it.
- Tavë kosi – national Albanian dish Albanian baked lamb with rice
- Tave Krapi – carp casserole Carp Casserole (Tave Krapi Shkodrane) | Votramagazine
- Fasule të kuqe – red kidney beans
If you’d like to learn more about Albanian cuisine, try Traditional Albanian Food: The Best Albanian Cuisine And Drinks To Try | Chasing the Donkey. The article is in English and treats the food and history with a great deal of respect.
Designer: Petraq Papa
Release date: March 30, 2021
April
Tourism – Bazaars
4 stamps, FDC, cancel
- pazari i Korçë – Old Bazaar of Korçë dates back to the Ottoman era.
- pazari i Krujës – one of Albanians oldest bazaars Kruja Bazaar – Into Albania
- pazari i Shkodrës – Grand Bazaar in the city of Shkodrës
- pazari i Tiranes – bazaar in capital city Tiranes
Designer: Petraq Papa
Release date: April 12, 2021
Robotics
2 stamps, FDC, cancel
Designer: Gentian Gjikopulli
Release date: April 19, 2021
Bank Buildings
Series: architecture
4 stamps, FDC, cancel
Designer: Laert Kraja
Release date: April 28, 2021
May
Distinguished National Personalities
5 stamps, sheet of 5, FDC, cancel
- Vexhi Buharaji (1920-1987) – writer, translator & historian. Called the “Teacher of the People”. BUHARAJA Vexhi – Albanian Encyclopedia (shqipopedia.org) (in Albanian, translates very well)
- Ramadan Sokoli (1920-2008) – musician, writer, composer of Albanian and Balkan music. This article Ramadan Sokoli, an Albanian ethnomusicologist, musician, composer and writer | RTSH RTI has a good write up of him and his contributions to music. In English.
- Kristo Frashëri (1920-2016) – historian. I’d appreciate a little help on sourcing a good page on Frashëri
- Shaban Demiraj (1920-2014) – linguist, professor University of Tirana, & chairman of Academy of Sciences of Albania. Some sources date his birth 1921. ” He is one of the teachers who has lectured on a number of Albanian and Albanian subjects, as well as for the morphology of today’s Albanian language, for the historical grammar of the Albanian language, for the history of Albanian written language (17th-19th centuries), as well as a special course for Balkan linguistics.” Shaban Demiraj – Wikipedia
- Sandër Prosi (1920-1985) – film maker, theatre actor & musician. Free Word | Shkoder.net… (In Albanian. Translates ok).
Designer: Artion Baboçi
Release date: May 10, 2021
100th Anniversary of Tirana as a Capital City
1 stamp on souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
Tirana was founded in 1614 by Sulejman Pashe Bargjini. However it’s roots date farther to an ancient Illyrian settlement Tërana. Acheological evidence indicates the settlement started around 1 CE.
Tirana Municipality (in Albanian. The English page doesn’t load so use Google translate)
Designer: Artion Baboçi
Release date: May 24,2021
June
Ancient Albanian Coins
4 stamps, FDC, cancel
Designer: Gentian Gjikopulli
Release date: June 2, 2021
UEFA EURO-2020 European Football Championships
2 stamps, FDC, cancel
Designer: Petraq Papa
Release date: June 11, 2021
December
Ecotourism – Joint Issue with Slovenia
2 stamps on souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
Designer: Matjaž Učakar
Photographer: GREGA ŽORŽ and the National Tourism Agency
Release date: December 22, 2021
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