Lëkurësi Castle

Sarandë, Albania, Albania

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Lëkurësi Castle (Kalaja e Lëkurësit) is a ruined 16th‑century Ottoman fortress on a strategic hill about 1 km southeast of Sarandë, southern Albania, overlooking the town, the Ionian Sea, and the islands of Ksamil and Corfu. It was built in 1537 by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to control the harbor of Sarandë and the road connecting the town with the ancient site of Butrint, and originally held a garrison of around 220 Ottoman soldiers. The castle is almost square in shape, with two round towers on opposite corners and loopholes in those towers, and its southern and eastern sides are the best preserved, while the western slope of the hill was once the site of the village of Lëkurës, which inhabited the castle area until the 19th century. Over time it was attacked and its surroundings raided by Ali Pasha of Ioannina in the late 18th century, and after an Albanian‑Greek conflict in 1878 that ended with a siege of the castle and a Greek defeat, the site was abandoned and has remained largely in ruins. Today Lëkurësi Castle is a protected cultural monument and a popular tourist destination, accessible by a 10–15 minute taxi ride or a 45–60 minute uphill walk along a paved road, offering panoramic views especially at sunset and hosting a restaurant within its walls where visitors can enjoy Albanian and Mediterranean cuisine in the open setting of the historic ruins.