Witte Otto

Otto Witte’s grave. A peculiar tale lies beneath this stone in Hamburg’s Ohlsdorf Cemetery. Witte Otto, a circus performer with a flair for the dramatic, claimed a royal title. He insisted on being called “King of Albania”. Witte’s story, as he told it, began during the Balkan Wars of 1913. Albania had just declared independence, and there was talk of a Turkish prince, Halim Eddine, becoming king. Witte, bearing a striking resemblance to the prince, seized the opportunity. He orchestrated a charade, sending telegrams announcing his arrival as “Prince Halim Eddine”. He arrived in Durrës, Albania, dressed in a borrowed uniform and was greeted with enthusiasm by the locals. Witte claimed he reigned for five glorious days. He enjoyed a harem, distributed gold, and even declared war on Montenegro. His reign ended abruptly when the real telegrams arrived. Witte fled, but the memory of his five-day kingship lived on. Back in Germany, Witte embraced his fabricated royalty. His official identity card, issued by the Berlin police, even listed his profession as “circus entertainer and onetime King of Albania”. He insisted on being addressed as “King Otto I”. Witte’s story is likely a fabrication, a product of pseudologia fantastica, a condition blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. No historical evidence supports his claim. Yet, the legend of Witte Otto, the five-day king, remains. His tombstone in Ohlsdorf Cemetery even bears the inscription “Former King of Albania”. A fitting epitaph for a man who lived and died a king, at least in his own mind.