TIRANA, July 13 /ATA/ – Petrela Castle, one of Albania’s best-known cultural heritage sites, continues to attract growing numbers of visitors, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Monday.
Located about 17 km southeast of Tirana, the hilltop fortress overlooks the Erzen Valley and is one of the country’s most popular destinations for cultural tourism.
Sharing images of the site on social media, Rama said visitor numbers had risen significantly during the summer tourist season.
“A place where history, nature and Albanian hospitality come together in one of the most beautiful destinations in Tirana’s green crown,” Rama wrote.
Visitors to the castle can explore its ancient fortifications, learn about its history and sample traditional Albanian cuisine at nearby restaurants.
Believed to have been originally built during the Late Roman period in the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D., the fortress was rebuilt under Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527–565). It gained strategic importance in the 11th century during conflicts between the Byzantines and the Normans.
In the early 14th century, the castle belonged to the feudal Topia family, which controlled the territory between the Mat and Shkumbin rivers.
During the 15th century, Petrela became one of the key strongholds of Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg.
After Kruja, it was the first fortress to be besieged and subsequently liberated by Skanderbeg’s forces, remaining one of the principal centres of resistance against the Ottoman advance until the final years of his life.
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