Lëkurësi Castle, Sarandë, Albania

Lëkurësi Castle is on a strategic hill point overlooking the town of Saranda, southeast of the town centre. From here one can control the whole town as well as the islands of Ksamil. The castle was built in 1537 by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent who had attacked Corfu and needed to control the harbor of Saranda and the road that connected it with Butrint.

The region traditionally belonged to the southern part of the region of Himara. At the end of the 18th century the castle was attacked by Ali Pasha of Ioannina and the surrounding habitation raided.

The castle used to withhold the old Lëkurës village. It has a square shape with two round towers on its north-western and south-eastern corners. To climb up to the castle, visitors need to leave the main road on Qafë Gjashtë and go up the town hill from the other side of the town.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Albania

User Reviews

Ian van Alphen (3 months ago)
A bit double, because we were there for the castle, not the restaurant. The view was great. Don't go there for the castle or any of its history. Also, there was a monkey there in a very small cage... it should not be there in those circumstances, please give him/her a proper stay or replace her to someone who can or will...

Hanru Redelinghuys (3 months ago)
Pretty well maintained. Recommend going with a guide. Did the trip on our own and was still great, but would have preferred to learn more about this ancient city.

Андрій Коцеловський (3 months ago)
Nice atmosphere. Especially place is magnificent during sunset. A lot of clients, it is better to reserve a table in advance. The prices are little bite over an average in town. Huge metal chairs corresponds to overall design, but too heavy.

Sanja Nikolic (4 months ago)
Amazing view, you should definitely see, the only thing is that there are three restaurants, in one you can order pizza, in the other only drinks, and in the third various dishes, but not such a large selection of drinks, and it looks like they are all connected, and now who is with kids and let’s say they want pizza and you some steak or salad, you have todecide which restaurant to sit in, because there is no mixing, but all in all an amazing view and good fun?

Sam Edwards (4 months ago)
Big castle. Amazing and commanding views of the surrounding area. A small mosaic has survived outside of the castle, which is neat to see. A must see if you like panoramic views or castles! Go there!

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