Oral History Archive
Preserving voices, documenting experiences, and honoring memories through systematic collection and analysis of personal testimonies and historical narratives.
Latest Content
Featured Content
Latest documentaries, interviews, and research
Religion and Atheism in Albania - Part 2
Albania has long been marked by religious variety: Christianity predominates in the north, while Islam shapes the south. This mix makes the country’s history unique and explains why the break of 1967 was so profound. In the northern city of Shkodra, a stronghold of Catholicism, stands the impressive St. Stephen’s Cathedral, built under Ottoman rule and consecrated in 1867. It remains Albania’s largest Catholic church but suffered greatly under communism.
Religion and Atheism in Albania - Part 1
The Albanian communist dictatorship under Enver Hoxha (1944–1991) was one of the harshest regimes in Europe. It suppressed nearly every aspect of political, social, and cultural life.
35 Years of the 2+4 Treaty
The 2+4 Treaty, signed in 1990 by the two German states and the four Allied powers, marked the final chapter of the Cold War. This documentary retraces the crucial negotiations that led to German reunification and restored full sovereignty to a once-divided nation.
Consequences of Love
Consequences of Love is a documentary that unveils a little-known story—the fate of many Russian women who married Albanian men, leaving their homeland for love, only to find themselves imprisoned, persecuted, and oppressed by Albania’s communist regime.
Communism in Albania: Bunkers vs. the World
Between 1944 and 1991, Albania was ruled by Enver Hoxha, who established one of the most repressive communist regimes in Europe. Inspired first by Stalin and later by Mao, Hoxha pursued an isolated form of “national communism” that cut Albania off from both East and West. Fear, censorship, and political persecution became part of daily life.
Search the Archive
Explore our archive of contemporary witness interviews
Popular Tags
Discover personal stories and first-hand historical memories. Use keywords, names, or time periods to find relevant interviews.
Scientific Research Platform
Advanced tools and methodologies for oral history documentation
Searchable Database
Advanced full-text search across all interviews with filters for date, location, topics, and keywords to quickly find relevant testimonies.
- Boolean search operators
- Metadata filtering
- Time-stamped results
Digital Preservation
Professional archiving with rich metadata, high-quality audio/video, complete transcriptions, and contextual materials for each interview.
- Full transcripts with timestamps
- Biographical information
- Historical context documents
Research Tools
Comprehensive analytical dashboard with citation management, export functions, and collaborative features for academic research.
- Statistical analysis tools
- Citation generator
- Export in multiple formats