Josef Szekely and the earliest photographs of Kosovo

Robert Elsie (1950-2017)

The photographs of Jozef Székely (Josef Székely), taken during the Austro-Hungarian expedition to northern Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia in 1863, this trip led by the albanologist Johan Georg von Hahn, seem to be the first photographs of this region of the Balkans. It was an expedition to one of the most unknown corners of Europe.

The German scientist Johan Georg von Hahn (Johann Georg von Hahn, 1811-1869) is considered the father of Albanology. He was born in Frankfurt am Main and studied law in Giessen and Heidelberg. From 1834-1843 he worked for the Ministry of Justice of the new Greek Kingdom. From 1843-1847 he was Prussian consul in Athens and after this period he was appointed Austrian deputy consul in Ioannina, where he came into contact with Albanians and started learning Albanian. Finally, in 1851, he was appointed Austrian consul on the island of Syros.

During the years of his stay in Ioannina, Hani made three trips to Albania and collected data on Albanian history, philology and folklore. This material was published in his fundamental work in three volumes "Albanesische Studien" (Albanian Studies), Jena 1854, which laid the foundations of Albanology. Also noted for the volume "Griechische und albanesische Märchen" (Greek and Albanian Tales), Leipzig 1864, and for the accounts of his expeditions in the Balkans: "Reise von Belgrad nach Salonik" (Journey from Belgrade to Salonika), Vienna 1861, and " Reise durch die Gebiete des Drin und Vardar" (Journey through the areas of Drin and Vardar), Vienna 1867, 1869.

In the last expedition from August to November 1863, Hani and his companions traveled from Durrës and Shkodra across the Drin River to Prizren in Kosovo, in western Macedonia. Then crossing the valley of Vardar they came to Thessaloniki on the Aegean Sea. Han's interests in Albania and the southwestern Balkans were diverse and, during this trip, in addition to Albanianology, he laid, perhaps unknowingly, the foundations of the history of photography in the southwestern Balkans. The 1863 expedition resulted in a collection of fifty photographs – among the earliest in the region.

Han had begun to prepare the Drin River expedition in the early 1860s, when he said: "...it is less known than all the rivers of Europe although it flows into the Adriatic not more than ten miles from the southern border of the imperial territory (of Austria-Hungary). No one before me has made the twenty-day journey between the coast and the point where the tributaries of the river meet.” Archduke Maximilian (1832-1867), who would later become Emperor of Mexico (reigned 1864-1867), was enthusiastic about the project and promised to provide simple means of navigation for it. On June 23, 1863, Han sent a letter to the Academy of Sciences in Vienna, asking for a competent photographer to accompany him and take pictures of cities and mountainous terrain. The Academy proposed the twenty-five-year-old Jozef Székely and made available the necessary funds for the expedition.

The Viennese photographer, Dr. Jozef Sekeli (1838-1901), was born in Shymeg (Sümeg) near Lake Balaton in western Hungary and attended school in Sombateli (Szombathely). He later studied at the University of Vienna, graduating in 1860 with a master's degree in pharmacology and in 1862 with a doctorate in chemistry. He taught at the university for a while and then opened a photography studio in the Heinrichshof across from the opera house in Vienna. He became a famous professional photographer. In 1867 he won the bronze prize at the World Fair in Paris (probably with the pictures of Albania) and in 1878 he won the silver prize in Paris.

Johan von Hahn left his consulate on the island of Syros and arrived in Durrës on August 12, 1863. There he noted: "The city has not changed since my last visit thirteen years ago, not even fifty more inhabitants." He climbed the valley of Erzen, passing Ndroq, and continued through the coastal plain to Shkodër. There on August 31, 1863, he found Sekel and navy lieutenant Hermann von Spaun (Hermann von Spaun, 1833-1919) who had arrived from Tivari. Also in the group were Han's old friend, Doctor Auerbach (Auerbach), who since 1845 had been the family doctor of the Bey of Vlora, as well as the Franciscan priest, Úngell Bardhi.

In Shkodër, Sekeli took eight amazing photographs, undoubtedly the first photographs of the city and its majestic castle. After that, the expedition left in two ships on the Drin River, passing Deja, Vjerdha, Shurdhah, Koman (two photos) and Dukagjin. The river became more and more narrow and near Toplana the crossing became impossible. Sekeli, who had brought heavy photographic equipment with him, was forced to return to Shkodër by ship, while the rest of the expedition continued on foot.

The group reunited in Prizren, which at that time was the largest city in Albania. Prizren had about 46.000 inhabitants, of which 36.000 were Muslims, 8.000 Bulgarians and Vlachs, and 2.000 Catholics. There were no less than twenty-six mosques, as well as two Orthodox churches and one Catholic church. In comparison, Shkodra, Durres and Vlora were villages. Here, in early September 1863, Sekeli took five photographs. After Prizren, the expedition returned to Drin e Zi and continued south to Dibër. This province was completely unknown and enjoyed a dubious reputation. Hani wrote: "It is so unknown that the lower part of the Drin river was also the Black Drin valley between the city of Dibra and the point where the two branches of the river meet. It is said to be a den of thieves and therefore shunned by the neighbours.” However, Hani passed the region without problems, except that he could not understand the Albanian of the inhabitants there. When they arrived in Dibër on September 21, 1863, Sekeli took two photographs. Photography was a tedious job. To use the "photo machine" and the plate wagon he had brought with him, Sekel needed two and a half hours just for a photograph of a large romantic rock. All this showed Hani that "photography is not something that can be done quickly. You can either travel, or you can take pictures.” From Dibra, they continued to Struga on Lake Ohrid.

Hani was fascinated by the lake and noted the presence of thirteen species of fish. They visited the monastery of Kalishta, the town of Ohrid with many beautiful Orthodox churches, and of course the famous sixteenth-century monastery, Saint Naum, south of the lake. Han and his fellow travelers spent ten days in Ohrid so Sekeli had time to photograph. A total of eleven photographs were taken in Ohrid and the region. The picture of Saint Naum appears to be the only picture of the monastery before it was largely burned down in 1875.

From Ohrid, the group traveled to Lake Prespa and continued in heavy rain to Manastir. It was already October. Manastir was a large city and the main headquarters of the Ottoman army for the region. There Han was welcomed by General Faik Pasha, who had studied in Vienna. Sekeli took several photographs of a military formation in front of the large barracks, built in 1839. From Prilep they traveled to Veles on the Vardar River where, after finding new ships, they sailed through the Demir Kapi Strait (Iron Gate) to Thessaloniki in the Aegean Sea. Five pictures were taken there. From Thessalonica Han and Sekel continued to Turkey to see Troy.

Johan Georg von Hahn appreciated Sekel's great help in his expedition. He noted that the photographs "can freely be compared with the best photographs ever taken in this field."

Unfortunately, the publication of the photographs proved too expensive for the Viennese Academy and they were not included in Hahn's report, published in 1876 and 1869. The result was that Sekel's collection, among the earliest photographs of the Balkans, was left in oblivion. In 1889, thirteen photos of Sekel were published in the volume "Makedonien und Alt-Serbien" (Macedonia and Old Serbia) by Spiridion Gopčević (1855-1936), but without date and without the name of the photographer, but after that, the collection disappeared for more than a century. It was rediscovered in the Austrian National Library by Mark Cohen in 2000.

Jozef Sekel's photographs taken in the south of the Balkan peninsula in 1863 are of great historical and artistic importance. They are the earliest photographs of Albania, with the exception of a single portrait of the insurgent Hamzë Kazazi, taken by the Shkodran photographer Pjeter Marubi (Pietro Marubbi, 1834-1903) in Shkodër in 1858. They may also be the earliest photographs of Kosovo and are counted among the oldest photos of Macedonia.

The photographs of the Jozef Sekel Collection were published for the first time in the photo album: "Driteshkronja: early photography from Albania and the southwestern Balkans", Pristina 2007. The collection is now in the Bildarchiv of the Austrian National Library in Vienna (www.bildarchiv.at ), to whom we are grateful for permission to present them HERE. /elsie.de/Telegrafi/