Krujë Castle

About Krujë Castle

By the ULTIMATE Tirana Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Krujë Castle stands on a rocky spur above the plain, about 600 metres up, and was the centre of Skanderbeg’s revolt against the Ottomans, resisting Ottoman sieges in 1450, 1466 and 1467 before finally falling in the 1470s. Wander its lanes to the old houses, the Dollma tekke, the ruined Fatih mosque, a hammam, the Ethnographic Museum and the viewpoints over the plain to the sea. On a clear day you can see Durrës. It is an easy, rewarding half day from Tirana.

Skanderbeg’s fortress

Krujë Castle stands on a rocky spur high above the coastal plain, about an hour north of Tirana. In the 15th century it was the centre of the rebellion of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg against the Ottoman Empire, and it is the reason he is Albania’s national hero. Ottoman armies attacked it in 1450, 1466 and 1467 and failed each time; it fell only after his death.

Inside the walls

Today the castle is a small, lived-in quarter. Within its walls are the National Skanderbeg Museum, opened in 1982 in a building styled like a medieval tower, an outstanding Ethnographic Museum in an 18th-century house, the Dollma Tekke of the Bektashi order, the ruins of the Fatih Sultan Mehmed mosque with its minaret, and a hammam. The viewpoints look out over the plain to the Adriatic.

The Ottomans besieged it three times in Skanderbeg’s lifetime, and three times they went home.

The bazaar

Below the gate, the restored old bazaar climbs a cobbled street lined with wooden shops selling carpets, kilims, felt caps, embroidery, copper and antiques. It is the best-known craft bazaar in the country.

Our advice: arrive early, before the tour buses, visit both museums, then shop in the bazaar and have lunch on a terrace with a view; stop at Preza Castle on the way back for sunset.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Krujë Castle before you go.