Krujë Castle

The fortress of Kruja seen from northwest

The fortress of Kruja (Albanian Kalaja e Krujës and Kështjella e Krujës ) is a fortification ( spur castle ) in the middle of the Albanian town of Kruja. It was the center of the fighting of Skanderbeg and his League of Lezha in the Middle Ages of Albania against the Ottoman Empire.

The castle is situated on a on all sides steep boulder drops off slightly from east to west as the terrain lying around. The area of ​​the plant is 2.25 hectares, the perimeter is 800 meters long.

The castle has been inhabited since the 4th or 5th century and was fortified in the 12th century walls. As a result, they saw various owners, including the Thopia and from 1415 the Ottomans. In 1443 Skanderbeg took over the castle without a fight. The fort was three times - in 1450, 1466 and 1467 - besieged by great Ottoman armies until the fourth time in 1478, ten years after the death of Scanderbeg, fell. The Turks built after several houses in the Ottoman style.

Today is on the castle grounds, the Skanderbeg Museum, a building from the 1980s, Ethnographic museum and some restaurants. In addition to the remains of several houses, a church and mosques and the tower at the top, there is a Turkish bath and a Tekke of the Bektashi visible at the bottom. Some of the houses in the lower part are still inhabited.