Explore Bashtova Castle, One of the Rarest Fortresses in the Balkans

TIRANA, October 6

The castle of Bashtova is an impressing fortress located near Vile Bashtova village, Kavaja area, some 76 km away from Tirana. The castle is found in a very strategic point near the mouth of Shkumbini River and a few km away from the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historians say that it was built by the Venetians in the 15th century and according to Turkish traveler Evlija Celebi it was conquered by the Turks in 1478. It was built on a Greenfield site and has a rectangular plan. It is believed that it was a two-story structure and that the first floor is underground. The walls are nine meters high and one meter wide. Three towers, two circular and one rectangular are still preserved as well as the castle entrances. The objects found in the castle are preserved at the premises of the National History Museum in Tirana.The castle is on the tentative list for inscribing it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The special feature about Bashtova castle, it that it the only Castle in the Balkans built on a field.
The castle is visited by numerous Albanian and international visitors. The area near the castle is surrounded by a picturesque bay laurel forest. The green fields, the river, and the sea make the castle appealing to visitors.
Getting to the monument is easy. It is found between Kavaja and Rrogozhina and can be reached by following this itinerary, take Gose exit on the SH4 highway and continue west to Vila village some 12 km away from Gose. Alternative routes from Spille, Divjaka, or Grethi beach take to the castle. The best time to visit the Castle is during the warm seasons, as in winter the field and the road can get covered by water.
The castle is located a few km away from Divjaka-Karavasta National Park, thus visitors to the park can include Bashtova castle in their plans.

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Photo via Visit Albania, Wikimedia