Gjirokaster Fortress, Gjirokaster, Albania

Gjirokastër Castle dominates the town and overlooks the strategically important route along the river valley. It is open to visitors and contains a military museum featuring captured artillery and memorabilia of the Communist resistance against German occupation, as well as a captured United States Air Force plane to commemorate the Communist regime's struggle against the 'imperialist' western powers.

The citadel has existed in various forms since before the 12th century. The first of the defenses were put in place by the Despots of Epirus, an off-shoot of the Byzantine government, who established the basic towered structure of the castle. Extensive renovations and a westward addition was added by Ali Pasha of Tepelene after 1812. The government of King Zog expanded the castle prison in 1932.

Today it possesses five towers and houses, the new Gjirokastër Museum, a clock tower, a church, a cistern, the stage of the National Folk Festival, and many other points of interest.

The castle's prison was used extensively by Zog's government and housed political prisoners during the Communist regime.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Mana Bianconi (5 months ago)
Cool place. I don’t usually pay for castles but this seemed worth it. Worth doing on a sunny day for some good views. Go as soon as it opens to enjoy it with fewer people. Beautiful arches and useful signs. Free toilets inside. American plane inside. And British cannons. And more. 400 lekë to enter.

Olga Olga (8 months ago)
I would recommend to come early in the morning and by foot. Otherwise difficult to find a parking spot. The entrance fee is € 4, and from the castle you can enjoy gorgeous panoramic views.

Ze Ren (Zacookie) (8 months ago)
The castle is large, and the entrance fee is only 4 euros—definitely worth a visit! It takes about an hour to explore. You can climb to the top for panoramic views of the town, and even go underground to explore the dark dungeons, which is very exciting. The layout is well-designed, so take your time to explore every corner and discover hidden surprises!

Vineta Luse (9 months ago)
Nice authentic place to visit. Easy to find parking on the way down from castle which leads to souvenirs selling streets. Or parking exactly at the palace doors. Parked cars change fast. Visiting castle took not more than hour. Nice view from the top. Interesting army stuff exhibition. Free WC inside castle. 7 min. walking distance to touristic area with traditional tourist stuff, restaurants - best place to buy ceramic, carpets.

Stephen McCann (10 months ago)
A beautifully maintained and enormous Byzantine 12th century fortress, which also contains a great little museum. I was deeply impressed by the sheer size of the fortress, which is even more impressive on the inside. The site is filled with impressive arches and high ceilings. Another wonderful aspect is that the vast majority of the fortress rooms and areas are fully accessible to the public. We wandered around for about two hours to cover the full building. There's also a decent sized museum on the upper floors. One half covers the history of the valley, and the other half is filled with hundreds of firearms from various periods. It was absolutely worth the small additional entry fee. The fortress also affords many amazing vantage points and views of the beautiful surrounding town. We paid €4 each for the fortress and €2 each for the museum. This was one of the many highlights of my visit to Albania.

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