Lezhë Castle
Kalaja e Lezhës
Lezhë, in northern Albania
Lezhë Castle in 1995
Lezhë Castle is located in Albania
Lezhë Castle
Lezhë Castle
Coordinates41°47′01″N 19°38′59″E / 41.783611°N 19.649722°E / 41.783611; 19.649722
Site information
Owner Albania
Controlled byIllyrian tribes
Roman Empire
 Byzantine Empire
Principality of Dukagjini
 Republic of Venice
 Ottoman Empire
 Albania
Open to
the public		Yes
Site history
BuiltUnknown foundation date, castle rebuilt by Venetians in 1440, and Ottomans 1522

Lezhë Castle (Albanian:Kalaja e Lezhës) is a castle dominating the city of Lezhë, northern Albania. Its highest point is 186 metres (610 ft). Lezhë Castle is at an elevation of 322 metres (1,056 ft).[1] Lezhë Castle began from illyrian fortifiations. It was rebuilt by the Venetians in the 1440s and the Ottomans in 1522. In the late Middle Ages, the castle belonged to the Dukagjini family. The two brothers Tanush Thopia and Progon Dukagjini (sons of Lekë I) through an agreement which preserved their trade rights and estates around the castle placed the city and the castle under Venetian control in 1393 as a means to defend it against Ottoman expansion.[2] The Venetians formally ceded the castle to the Ottomans in 1506.[3] [4]

View on the inside of the castle

See also

References

Sources

  • Malaj, Edmond (2016). "The Noble Dukagjinis during the Middle Ages. Their Territories and some Characteristics". Studime Historike. 1–2: 10.
  • Galaty, Michael; Lafe, Ols; Lee, Wayne; Tafilica, Zamir (2013). Light and Shadow: Isolation and Interaction in the Shala Valley of Northern Albania. The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press. ISBN 978-1931745710.
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41°47′1″N 19°38′59″E / 41.78361°N 19.64972°E / 41.78361; 19.64972


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