Albania

[clio44a]

No: HPFGUIDX 88020

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Caius Marcius" 
<coriolan_cmc at h...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince 
Winston)" 
> <catlady at w...> wrote:
> 
> > << Can anyone think of a good reason why LV would choose Albania 
as
> > his hideout, bot before SS and between then and GoF? >>
> > 
> 


> Rowling may have selected Albania due to a unique circumstance of 
it 
> oppression, [...]
[snip]
>Albania is the first and only 
> nation to attempt to openly expunge all forms of religious 
practice. 
> 

I believe it is not that much the oppression of religion that made 
JKR chose Albania as Voldy's hideout, but the general political and 
geographical situation of the country.

Albania is the only country with few political ties to the rest of 
Post-cold-War Europe. It still is extremely secluded and remains 
geographically and politically isolated. Progress is, even compared 
with its Balkanian, war-ridden neighbors, extremely slow. Few know 
what is really going on there. It is still like a blind spot on the 
European map. It is also extremly poor. Thousands of people every 
year try to get over the Adriatic sea to Italy. 

Albania is part of the Balkan mountains, which means that great parts 
of the county are covered with high peaks, hardly touched by modern 
infrastructure. The proverbial 'wild gorges of the Balkan' would be a 
great obstacle for any search party.

It is a ideal place to hide in the wilderness for someone like 
Voldemort. If the wizard world reflects only a tiny bit of real 
politics no one would look for him there. It is, so to speak, unknown 
territory.

Clio