Albanians in Austria

The Albanians in Austria (German: Albaner in Österreich; Albanian: Shqiptarët në Austri) refers to the Albanian migrants in Austria and their descendants. They mostly trace their origins to Kosovo[lower-alpha 1], North Macedonia and to a lesser extent to Albania and other Albanian-speaking territories in the Balkan Peninsula.[1] In Austria, they number up to 80,000 people.

Albanians in Austria
Total population
ca. 35,000–80,000
Regions with significant populations
Vienna · Salzburg · Innsbruck · Graz · Linz
Languages
Religion
Related ethnic groups
Albanians in Germany and Switzerland

History

The Battle of Kahlenberg (1683) ended the Second Vienna Turkish siege At the end of the 14th century Ottoman troops reached Albanian settlement areas for the first time. On March 2, 1444, the Albanian Prince Gjergj Kastrioti, called Skanderbeg, founded the League of Lezha. This defensive alliance brought the Ottoman Empire to the brink of collapse on several occasions and was able to hold back the further expansion of the Islamic theocracy for 35 years. The military successes of Skanderbeg made him during his lifetime the Athleta Christi, the symbol of the defense of Christianity. After the death of Skanderbeg, the last Albanian fortress fell in 1479 with Shkodra, and Albania fell under Turkish rule for over 400 years. However, the Albanian resistance continued unabated: Until the independence of Albania in 1912, 34 major rebellions of the Albanians took place against the Ottomans, which often supported Austria financially and militarily.

Giorgio Basta came from an Albanian noble family and was commander-in-chief of the Habsburg imperial army during the Long Turk war. Archduke Ferdinand II, son of the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I, saw himself as the successor of Skanderbeg. The Habsburgs had also fought successfully in the Turkish wars against the Ottomans. He also brought the helmet and the sword Skanderbeg, which are still in Vienna today. The Great Turkish War, which included Albanian rebels, ended in defeat for the Ottomans. This victory laid the foundation for the rise of Austria to become a great power and marked the beginning of the period of military decline for the Ottoman Empire.

In Austria, there were 24,445 Kosovar citizens in 2017 and 31,809 Kosovars born in Kosovo. The number of Albanians from Republic of Macedonia is estimated at around 2,000. In Austria, there were 2,378 people of Albanian nationality living in 2017 and 3,861 persons born in Albania.

Since 15 December 2010, Albanian nationals have been able to enter Austria without visa for tourism or business purposes for a period of up to 90 days per half-year. The prerequisite is that they travel with a biometric passport. Border authorities may require Albanian nationals to provide proof of funding for their stay, travel expenses and travel purpose.

Asylum applications from Albanian citizens have varied widely in recent years, falling from 68 (2009) to 17 in one year (2010 and 2011). More than ten positive asylum decisions per year were issued only twice during this period, most recently in 2010. There is a clear increase in negative asylum decisions: From 2008 (23) to 2010 (86), there was almost a fourfold increase in negative asylum decisions. In 2011, there were 76. In the same year, four persons received subsidiary protection.

Demography

Population

The distribution of Albanians with citizenship from Albania and Kosovo in Austria as of 1 January 2019:

State
Bundesland
Albanian nationals
2018[2]
Kosovan nationals
2018[2]
 Burgenland 40 381
 Kärnten 98 850
 Niederösterreich 347 4,002
 Oberösterreich 350 6,785
 Salzburg 107 1,998
 Steiermark 376 3,635
 Tirol 89 606
 Vorarlberg 38 512
 Wien 1,307 6,780
 Austria 2,752 25,549

The distribution of Albanians born in the countries of Albania and Kosovo living in Austria as of 1 January 2019:

State
Bundesland
Albanian nationals
2018[3]
Kosovan nationals
2018[3]
 Burgenland 81 616
 Kärnten 197 1,272
 Niederösterreich 641 5,901
 Oberösterreich 506 8,150
 Salzburg 190 2,026
 Steiermark 650 4,193
 Tirol 153 707
 Vorarlberg 79 697
 Wien 1,911 9,142
 Austria 4,390 32,704

Notable people

Science

Military

  • Giorgio Basta - Italian general, diplomat, and writer of Arbëreshë origin, employed by the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to command Habsburg forces in the Long War of 1591–1606

Arts

  • Carl Ritter von Ghega - Albanian-Austrian nobleman and the designer of the Semmering Railway from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag

Cinema

Sports

See also

Notes

  1. Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 98 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References

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