Porto Palermo Castle was built by Ali Pasha Tepelena in the early 19th century. The island on which the castle is situated used to be isolated from the land. Later the island was connected to the mainland to facilitate communication by a narrow strip of land filled with stones. The bay of Porto Palermo used to be one of the main harbors of the ancient world, known as 'Panorma Bay'. On the plaque above the main gate (which is currently missing), carved in Greek alphabet, among others was written, '...Ali Pasha Tepelena built the castle in 1804 with the help of French military engineers....'. The legend goes that the engineers were killed by the Pasha right after its construction. The Porto Palermo Castle features a triangular shape with three powerful pentagonal towers at the corners. Materials used in the construction of the tower was limestone. The walls were built with regularly set stone blocks. The surrounding walls are 3.2-3.5 meters thick. The only entry located on the southern side leads you through the interior premises covered by a stony archway. The spaces served to shelter the military garrison. On the ground floor is the prison, centrally built and oriented towards the sea. This space is surrounded by a passageway where the guards used to patrol. In the terrace there are five survey towers covered with domes. There are also the gun loopholes. On the eastern part of the island there is the Saint Nicol's Church. During and after World War II, the castle was used as a prison and as shelter for the military units.

Type of Data Point - Publicly Available Information

Porto Palermo Castle - Albania

Visit page of the element - Porto Palermo Castle

Inserted: 11-04-2023 19:04:01