The hill that is home to Lezha's castle sits 186 meters above the city and forms the western edge of the mountain chain that follows the southern coast of the river Drini. Thanks to its advantageous geographical position this hill has been inhabited since the mid-first millennium BC. To this day there remains significant evidence of walls from the ancient acropolis of Lissus from the 4th-3rd century BC as well as of fortification walls dating to the fifth century BC (change order). Atop the ruins of the ancient acropolis a medieval castle was built in the ninth century, transforming Lezha into a true civic center. Historian Gj. Kedren mentioned the city for the first time with the name 'Ellisoi'. However, a more exact description was first written by Byzantine historian Ana Komnena, who called the castle of 'Elissonit' a 'castle in the air' that sat as the 'right eye' of Durres, a port city to the south. With the unraveling of the Byzantine Empire in the XIV century, a part of which was Lezha, the northern Albanian princes of the families Balshaj, Dukagjinasit, Zahariajt, Thopias etc. began a power struggle, passing Lezha and its fortress back and forth depending on the strength of the current ruling family. However, historical documents predating this period place Lezha's great family dynasty, the Progon and Tanush branches of the Dukagjini clan, as the rulers of the castle. In 1393 the family surrendered the fortress of Lezha to the Venetians, who had obtained a great prominence on the east coast of the Adriatic and Ionian. The Dukagjini family maintained their political, economic and social status as a ruling family in the Albanian middle ages as they profited from an agreement with Venice, keeping 1/3 of the revenue of the city. In The year 1478 the castle was taken by the Ottomans and later rebuilt, in 1521, by Sultan Suleyman I. Today the castle of Lezha remains a wonder of the ages. Amidst a beautiful setting, visitors can clearly see evidence of a multitude of building techniques and construction phases used over centuries. The castle's enclosed 1.5 hectares are now a green carpet of grass, but one studded with the dividing square remnants of facilities that hold great cultural and historical significance to this day. The medieval castle of Lezha is partly built over the ruins of the Acropolis of the ancient city of Lissus. Built between the VIII-IX century, the castle surface is about 2 hectares in size and has an ellipsoidal plan oriented towards the north. The castle consists of fortified walls, three entrances and six defensive towers with lookout windows and portholes for cannons and rifles. It is divided into two parts: the larger external courtyard, and the fortified area inside the castle where the ruler and aristocracy lived. The castle began to be abandoned after the earthquake of 1729. The final inhabitants of the castle, a garrison of soldiers, left in 1913.

Type of Data Point - Publicly Available Information

Castle of Lezhë - Public Info

Visit page of the element - Castle of Lezhë

Inserted: 02-03-2023 17:03:48