TIRANA, June 5 /ATA/ – Culture and heritage tourism continues to grow rapidly in Albania, as an increasing number of local and international tourists are visiting museums, historic monuments, cultural heritage sites and archaeological parks across the country.
Historic monuments and cultural heritage sites across Albania are increasingly becoming popular tourist attractions as the country has been diversifying its tourism offer and the map of tourist arrivals.
The ancient Rozafa Castle in Shkodra, northwestern Albania, has attracted as many as 16,156 visitors in May, registering a threefold increase compared to the same period of the previous year, the Regional Cultural Heritage Directorate said.
More than 51, 000 local and international tourists visited the site in 2021.
The fortress is Shkodra’s main tourist attraction. Rising majestically upon a rocky hill west of the city, the outcroppings and battlements paint a blazing picture against the setting sun. The castle blends history, architecture and stunning landscape.
The castle rises upon a rocky hill west of the city of Shkodra and is surrounded by the waters of three rivers; the Drini, Buna, and Kiri. Much like the town it protected, the castle has Illyrian origins.
Rozafa Castle is associated with a famous legend about a woman who was buried in the foundation of the castle.
On the surrounding wall of the castle, which includes about 9 hectares of land, there are clearly distinctive constructions of four periods: Balsha (XIV century), Venetian rule (XV century), Ottoman occupation (XVI-XVII century), and Bushatli rule (XVIII-XIX century).
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