Former German ambassador to Albania, Werner Daum, has passed away at the age of 82. He was found lifeless in his hotel room in Kavajë, where he had been staying for several days.
According to a statement from the Albanian police, Daum was discovered around 12:30 PM, and initial indications suggest his death was due to natural causes.
“At around 12:30 PM, in Golem, in a hotel room, the citizen W.D., 82 years old (former German ambassador), was found without signs of life.
Preliminary examination found no signs of violence. Death is suspected to be of natural causes.
The investigative team is at the scene and continues work to clarify the full circumstances,” the police statement said.
Just a few days before his death, Daum participated in the unveiling of a statue dedicated to democracy martyr Josif Budo in Kavajë.
During the ceremony, Daum gave a heartfelt speech recalling his service as German ambassador in Tirana from 1987 to 1990, and the pivotal years leading to the fall of Albania’s communist regime.
“I was here for three years, from 1987 when I opened the embassy, until July 1990, when my embassy was physically destroyed. But not only the building collapsed — it seemed the relationships I was trying to build with the Albanian people, with society, with intellectuals, were lost. Yet in truth, what happened was the birth of something new and beautiful: the birth of freedom.
It wasn’t immediately democracy, but it was undoubtedly freedom’s beginning. I had a small role in it, but I wasn’t the one who brought change. The ones who brought change were the Albanian people, especially the youth — and many intellectuals, who were as important as those who participated directly in the revolution.
I want to especially mention my dear old friend, Ismail Kadare. Kadare is not only our spiritual brother and one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, but he also had the spirit of freedom.
Even someone as globally renowned as Kadare, as he later told me, was subjected to investigations by the regime whenever he met with me. A regime that distrusts even its greatest minds is doomed to fall — and I’m proud to have played a small role in that process.
I love Albania — its wonderful nature, mountains, sea, its historical sites, Byzantine churches, and cities like Berat, Korça, Shkodra, and Vlora. But above all, I loved the Albanian people,” Daum stated.
Werner Daum is remembered for his courageous role during the collapse of communism in Albania. As ambassador, he opened the doors of the German Embassy to Albanian citizens seeking escape from the regime, defying orders from his own government — a decision that became symbolic in the fall of the dictatorship.
