Fortress of Bashtovë

Bashtovë Fortress was built during the 15th century.

Bashtovë Fortress (Albanian:Kalaja e Bashtovës) is a fortress near the village of Vilë-Ballaj, today an administrative part of Rrogozhinë, west-central Albania. It is geographically situated near the right banks of Shkumbin River, about 6 km upstream from its outflow into the Adriatic Sea.

History

Historian Gjerak Karaiskaj has dated the building during the 15th century, as constructed by the Republic of Venice. However Alain Ducellier has asserted that the Venetians have built over an existing former structure which dates back to the 6th century, when the area was under the Byzantine Empire, during the Justinian dynasty.

In the past, the Boshtovë region was known as a trade harbor and as a centre for the export of grains. The fortress has a rectangular shape, 60 x 90 metres. The western part of the fortress was rebuilt in the 18th century. Its walls are 9 metres high.