List of castles in Albania

Template:Short description 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.

Main castles

#	Name	Location	Status	Elevation	Built	Description	Image
1	Krujë Fortress	Krujë	preserved		5th–6th century	The fortress served as the center of Skanderbeg's rebellion against the Ottoman Empire.	File:Kalaja e Krujes 8.jpg
2	Gjirokastër Fortress	Gjirokastër	preserved		12th century	The fortress dominates the town of Gjirokastër and overlooks the strategically important route along the river valley.	File:Kalaja e Gjirokastrës 15.jpg
3	Berat Castle	Berat	preserved		13th century	The castle is built on a rocky hill on the left bank of the river Osum overlooking the town of Berat.	File:Berat - Festung 2a Haupttor.jpg
4	Rozafa Castle	Shkodër	ruin		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.	File:Rozafa Castle in July 2013 (5).JPG
5	Ali Pasha Castle	Butrint	preserved		15th–16th century	The castle lies some due west at the mouth of the Vivari Channel. It was built to prevent the advancement of French forces from Corfu.	File:Kalaja e Ali Pashes ne Butrint.jpg
6	Bashtovë Fortress	Vilë-Ballaj	ruin		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.	File:Castle of Bashtovë.jpg
7	Porto Palermo Castle	Himarë	preserved		15th century	The triangular shaped castle is situated in the closed bay of Porto Palermo, a few kilometers south of Himarë.	File:Kalaja e Porto Palermos nga droni 3 - Shqipëri.jpg
8	Rodon Castle	Cape of Rodon	ruin		1452, 1500	According to Marin Barleti the castle was destroyed by the Ottomans in 1467. In 1500, the castle was rebuilt by the Republic of Venice.	File:Rodoni Castle 2016-07-15 03.jpg
9	Elbasan Castle	Elbasan	ruin		1466	This rectangular shaped fortress houses 12 monuments of cultural heritage within its walls.	File:Elbasan Castle, Elbasan, Albania October 2022.jpg
10	Tepelenë Castle	Tepelenë	ruin		1819	The walls of this castle do not form a normal geometric pattern. It once served as the second residence of Ali Pashë Tepelena.	File:Kalaja e Tepelenës1.jpg
11	Lezhë Castle	Lezhë	ruin		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.	File:Bregdeti Shengjin-Kune-Vain. Laguna Kune - Vain, fotografuar nga kalaja e Lezhes.jpg
12	Durrës Castle	Durrës	preserved		5th century	The castle was built by the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518), who was born in Durrës.	File:Torra ne Durres.jpg
13	Petrelë Castle	Petrelë	preserved		6th century	Perched on a rocky hill, above the village with the same name, the castle has a triangular shape with two observation towers.	File:Castillo de Petrela, Petrela, Albania, 2014-04-17, DD 07.JPG
14	Prezë Castle	Prezë	preserved		550s	Located on a hilltop in the village of Prezë, the castle once belonged to the feudal Thopia family which ruled the region.	File:Prezë, Albania – Castle 2017 01.jpg
15	Lëkurësi Castle	Sarandë	ruin		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.	File:Lëkurësi Castle, Saranda, Albania 2015-09-25 01.jpg
16	Libohovë Castle	Libohovë	preserved		1798	The castle was a present by Ali Pasha to his sister Shanisha, who was born in Libohovë.	File:Libohova Castle, Albania 2017-08 01.jpg
17	Ishëm Castle	Ishëm	ruin		1574	Located near the river Ishëm, the castle was built by the Ottomans to stop the peasant rebellions.	File:Ishëm Castle, Albania 2019 02.jpg
18	Delvinë Castle	Delvinë	ruin		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.	File:Kalaja e Delvinës.jpg
19	Borsh Castle	Borsh	ruin		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.	File:Himara, Borsh, Kalaja e Sopotit, 2024-10 CN-02.jpg
20	Kaninë Castle	Kaninë	ruin		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.	File:Kalaja e Kaninës.jpg
21	Venetian Acropolis Castle	Butrint	Preserved		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.	File:Venetian Castle. Tower.jpg

Other castles

• Dajti Castle
• Dorëzi Fortress
• Drisht Castle
• Gjon Boçari Castle
• Himarë Castle
• Kardhiq Castle
• Këlcyrë Castle
• Kratul Fortification
• Margëlliç Castle
• Paleokastra Castle
• Peca Castle
• Peqin Castle
• Persqopi Castle
• Pogradec Castle
• Tirana Fortress
• Tujani Castle
• Venetian Triangular Castle
• Vlora Castle
• Vokopolë Castle
• Sati Castle
• Grazhdan Castle

See also

• List of castles
• Tourism in Albania