List of castles in Albania

Last updated May 08, 2024

This article lists the castles and fortifications of Albania. There are a total of 158 castles and fortifications in the country that have achieved the status of monument of cultural heritage. The English equivalent for Kala in Albanian is Fortress. The latter is most fit for usage to describe many of the below structures as documented by official travel guides.^[1]^[2]

Main castles

#	Name	Location	Status	Elevation	Built	Description
1	Krujë Castle	Krujë 41°30′25″N19°47′38″E / 41.506944°N 19.793889°E / 41.506944; 19.793889	preserved	557 m (1,827 ft)	1190, 1982	The castle served as the center of Skanderbeg's rebellion against the Ottoman Empire
2	Gjirokastër Fortress	Gjirokastër 40°04′26″N20°08′27″E / 40.073822°N 20.140750°E / 40.073822; 20.140750	preserved	336 m (1,102 ft)	12th century, 1812	The fortress dominates the town of Gjirokastër and overlooks the strategically important route along the river valley.
3	Berat Castle	Berat 40°42′31″N19°56′45″E / 40.708514°N 19.945727°E / 40.708514; 19.945727	preserved	214 m (702 ft)	13th century	The castle is built on a rocky hill on the left bank of the river Osum overlooking the town of Berat.
4	Rozafa Castle	Shkodër 42°02′47″N19°29′37″E / 42.046468°N 19.493669°E / 42.046468; 19.493669	ruin	130 m (430 ft)	4th-3rd century BC	Located on a hilltop and surrounded by the rivers Buna and Drin, the castle has been settled since antiquity. It was an Illyrian stronghold until it was captured by the Romans in 167 BC.
5	Ali Pasha Castle	Butrint 39°44′30″N19°59′33″E / 39.741619°N 19.992480°E / 39.741619; 19.992480	preserved	30 m (98 ft)	1808	The castle lies some 2.4 km (1.5 mi) due west at the mouth of the Vivari Channel. It was built to prevent the advancement of French forces from Corfu.
6	Bashtovë Fortress	Vilë-Ballaj 41°02′49″N19°29′47″E / 41.046900°N 19.496500°E / 41.046900; 19.496500	ruin	0.2 m (7.9 in)	15th century	Located near the outflow of the Shkumbin River into the Adriatic Sea in Central Albania, the fortress is part of the tentative list for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
7	Porto Palermo Castle	Himarë 40°03′44″N19°47′27″E / 40.062248°N 19.790703°E / 40.062248; 19.790703	preserved	113 m (371 ft)	15th century	The triangular shaped castle is situated in the closed bay of Porto Palermo, a few kilometers south of Himarë.
8	Rodoni Castle	Cape of Rodon 41°35′09″N19°26′53″E / 41.585815°N 19.448147°E / 41.585815; 19.448147	ruin	1 m (3 ft 3 in)	1452, 1500	According to Marin Barleti the castle was destroyed by Ottoman forces in 1467. In 1500 the castle was rebuilt by the Republic of Venice.
9	Elbasan Fortress	Elbasan 41°06′47″N20°04′54″E / 41.113188°N 20.081693°E / 41.113188; 20.081693	ruin	133 m (436 ft)	15th century	This rectangular shaped fortress houses 12 monuments of cultural heritage within its walls.
10	Tepelenë Castle	Tepelenë 40°17′57″N20°01′17″E / 40.299167°N 20.021483°E / 40.299167; 20.021483	ruin	190 m (620 ft)	1819	The walls of this castle do not form a normal geometric pattern. It once served as the second residence of Ali Pashë Tepelena.
11	Lezhë Castle	Lezhë 41°47′01″N19°39′00″E / 41.783678°N 19.649914°E / 41.783678; 19.649914	ruin	322 m (1,056 ft)	9th century	This massive fortification was built on the ruins of ancient Akrolis (Lissus). It was burnt twice in 1478 and 1503 from local residents who tried to push the invading Ottoman armies from settling their military base there.
12	Durrës Castle	Durrës 41°18′38″N19°26′46″E / 41.310530°N 19.446060°E / 41.310530; 19.446060	preserved	3.3 m (11 ft)	5th century	The castle was built by the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518), who was born in Durrës.
13	Petrelë Castle	Petrelë 41°15′17″N19°51′15″E / 41.254795°N 19.854176°E / 41.254795; 19.854176	preserved	329 m (1,079 ft)	6th century	Perched on a rocky hill, above the village with the same name, the castle has a triangular shape with two observation towers.
14	Prezë Castle	Prezë 41°25′53″N19°40′20″E / 41.431477°N 19.672327°E / 41.431477; 19.672327	preserved	253 m (830 ft)	550s	Located on a hilltop in the village of Prezë, the castle once belonged to the feudal Thopia family which ruled the region.
15	Lëkurësi Castle	Sarandë 39°51′57″N20°01′33″E / 39.865875°N 20.025714°E / 39.865875; 20.025714	ruin	246 m (807 ft)	1537	The castle of Lëkurës was built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent who had attacked Corfu and needed to control the harbor of Saranda and the road that connected it with Butrint.
16	Libohovë Castle	Libohovë 40°01′53″N20°15′56″E / 40.031393°N 20.265551°E / 40.031393; 20.265551	preserved	455 m (1,493 ft)	1798	The castle was a present by Ali Pasha to his sister Shanisha, who was born in Libohovë.
17	Ishëm Castle	Ishëm 41°32′21″N19°35′44″E / 41.539281°N 19.595598°E / 41.539281; 19.595598	ruin	204 m (669 ft)	1574	Located near the river Ishëm, the castle was built by the Ottomans to stop the peasant rebellions.
18	Delvinë Castle	Delvinë 39°56′49″N20°05′27″E / 39.946833°N 20.090722°E / 39.946833; 20.090722	ruin	221 m (725 ft)	14th century	The castle, in the shape of an ellipse, whose protective walls surround a steep rocky hill about 60 meters long and 30 meters wide, played a strategic role in closing the Delvina basin and the Rëzomë area for passage to the Drinos valley.
19	Borsh Castle	Borsh 40°04′12″N19°51′22″E / 40.069870°N 19.856091°E / 40.069870; 19.856091	ruin	287 m (942 ft)	4th century BCE	Historically known as the Castle of Sopot by the name of the hill on which it is located, the castle was heavily damaged during the barbarian invasions of the fifth and sixth centuries AD, and it was rebuilt in the Middle Ages at which time it took its present name.
20	Kaninë Castle	Kaninë 40°26′40″N19°31′17″E / 40.444566°N 19.521313°E / 40.444566; 19.521313	ruin	325 m (1,066 ft)	6th century	During the 13th and 14th centuries, the castle turned into a first-class military center, serving the Kingdom of Albania. It was later remodeled by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1530 and recently by the Albanian feudalists of Vlorë in the 17th and 19th centuries.
21	Venetian Acropolis Castle	Butrint 39°44′46″N20°01′12″E / 39.746108°N 20.019950°E / 39.746108; 20.019950	Preserved	253 m (830 ft)	14th century	In 1386 the Venetians purchased the land around Butrint from the Angevins. The castle was built in the 14th century on the highest point on the peninsula.

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References

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[1] 12 Kështjella shqiptare mund t’i vizitoni online në 3D

[2] 5000 vjet fortifikime në Shqipëri

[1]

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List of castles in Albania

Contents

Main castles

Other castles

See also

Related Research Articles

References