Venetian Triangle Fortress, Sarandë, Albania

The dogal Republic of Venice purchased the area of Butrint including Corfu from the Angevins in 1386; however, the Venetian merchants were principally interested in Corfu and Buthrotum once again declined. The Venetians began to invest in Butrint in the late 15th century, which seems a likely date for the Triangular Fortress construction. Musket ports opened at both ground level and along the parapet walk. Vaulted storerooms inside the fort carried artillery platforms above to train cannon on the approach to Butrint up the Vivari Channel. In 1798, however, the fortress was slighted by General Chabot, the commander of the garrison of the French dependency of Corfu.

Triangular Fortress takes the form of an irregular triangle with a tower at each point. Originally, it stood on an island in a pre-canalised river mouth, protected by an outer siege work or ravelin (a crescent-shaped defensive wall).The keystone of one the interior buildings bears a relief of the Lion of St. Mark, the symbol of the Republic of Venice.

References:

world-archaeology.com

Castles and fortifications in Albania

User Reviews

Leena Griinari (2 years ago)
Very bad service: "We have closed the bar!" There were many thirsty tourists and no water. Sun set was beautiful.

Jacek Szter (2 years ago)
Amazing place Magic view. Good food. Service just ok.

SHAHBAZ SHAIKH (2 years ago)
City looks just amazing from here, beautiful castle and nice city better to go by car if you dont like walking as it is really very tiring but worth to visit

Katerina & Dale Fixter (2 years ago)
We hiked up to the castle which takes about 1 hour but steep, so if you not feeling like you can do it better take a taxi. We started early morning and by 10:30 we were on the top! Free entrance. The view from the castle absolutely stunning, we travel a lot and have seen many castle but Lekuresi castle is one of my favourite. Highly recommended to visit.

Martin Breuss (2 years ago)
The views from the top of the hill are amazing! The castle has some sort of cafe included, however that was closed during the time I was there. The panorama is worth the climb in any case, just beware that there's no easily discernible hiking path to get there (I went more or less cross-country...).

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

Historic Site of the week

Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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