Beyond Tirana · Beyond Tirana
Krujë: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Ravi Dwivedi · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Krujë: the back story
Krujë clings to a mountainside north of Tirana. From its castle, Skanderbeg held off Ottoman armies for 25 years, and it remains a place of national pride.
Skanderbeg’s castle
Krujë Castle was Skanderbeg’s base from 1443. Within its walls are houses, a tekke (a Bektashi lodge), the ruins of a hammam and viewpoints over the plain to the Adriatic.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © SualdoDino · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe museum
The Skanderbeg Museum, built inside the castle in the 1980s in the form of a fortress, tells his story with weapons, paintings and replicas. The Ethnographic Museum, in an 18th-century house nearby, shows how a wealthy family lived.
On a clear day you can see the sea from Krujë castle.
The old bazaar
The cobbled bazaar leading up to the castle is the best place in Albania for crafts: carpets, felt caps, embroidery, copper and antiques.
Our advice: go in the morning, see the Skanderbeg Museum and the Ethnographic Museum, walk the castle walls and browse the bazaar on the way down. Combine Krujë with Durrës or the road north to Shkodër.
Why it's on our list
- Skanderbeg’s castle
- The museum
- The old bazaar
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Krujë: the back story before you go.