Flag Fact Friday: Albania

Albanian flag consists of a red leaf where a black double-headed eagle is depicted. The flag was adopted in 1912 when Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. The origin of the flag is associated with a national hero Skanderbeger (formerly George Kastrioti), who lived in the fifteenth century and who was a general of the Turkish army. However, Skanderbeger left the army so that he can return to Albania and erect the flag with a double-headed eagle above the castle of his father in Kruje with words: "I did not bring you freedom. I found it here, among you." After his return to Albania, Skanderbeger managed to unify Albania and defend it against the Turkish attacks.