Relating to creation of the new Greek state, Albanians or Arvanites have contributed in all directions to Greece's progress. The Arvanites were the first professors to set up the Athens Academy. Since the early years of the 1821 Revolution, freedom fighters wanted to establish the Academy because they believed that the most powerful weapon in all was brain lightening.
Much effort was made to open the Academy, but failed. Only in 1926 the then Minister of Education Dhimitar Egjiniti, Arvanitas from Egjina, reported and published the Main Orders on March 18, 1925, and became the reality of the Athens Academy with its inner view and today's mission.The academy building has an interesting history.
In 1856, the rich merchant from Voskopoja of Korca in Vienna, Austria, Simon Sina, wanted to make a great gift to Greece, in Athens. Simon Sina was the son of Gjergj Sina, former General Consul in 1834 of the Greek government in Austria. The Sina family originated from Bithkuqi (today Vithkuq) of Korça, but from there they settled in Voskopoja and later settled in Vienna.
So Simon Sina about the gift he wanted to make in Athens talks to Greece's ambassador to Austria, Mr. Skina, and he immediately dictated to build the Academy's palace. Sina admitted and presented plans to engineer Theophil Hanse, who gave us the masterpiece that is still the building of the Academy today.
Naturally, many artists, construction masters, painters and painters worked, but the key was Teofil Hansen.
In 1859 the first works began. In 1863, Sina interrupted the work because, as it was stated, King Othon came in front. The boredom passed after several years, and in 1868, this charity decided to resume the work.
On April 15, 1876, Simon Sina dies leaving only two daughters, and on the basis of his will his wife Ifigjenia Sina continued and finished the work he started in 1885.
When the Academy's gates were opened in 1885, Ifigjen Sina gave Prime Minister Deljani 800,000 drachmas, but he did not accepted the gift. Next year, Harrilla Trikupi was interested in that high sum for the time, but then Sina's descendants were depleted.
Thus the opening of the Academy of Athens is dedicated to two true Arvanites, Teodor Pangallo, who was then inside the works, and the other Arvanitas Dhimitri Egjiniti, who was then Minister of Education.
Is this a coincidence, that the new Greece is made with the Albanian arms?
Maybe! Is a coincidence that Albanian intelligence formed and developed the brain of the Athens Academy?
Maybe! It is more pleasing than to keep in silent and this true fact of Albanian contribution to the creation and progress of the Athens Academy, the heart of the development of Greek science.
(Based on the materials of the Albanian historian Arben Llalla)