Lezhë Castle

Lezhë, Albania, Albania

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Lezhë Castle, or Kalaja e Lezhës, is a hilltop fortress that dominates the small northern Albanian city of Lezhë, sitting on a hill about 322 metres above sea level and 186 metres above the town itself.

The site began as an Illyrian fortification in the first millennium BC, when the city was known as Lissus, and was later modified by Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman builders, so its walls and ruins reflect layers of different empires.

In the 15th century it became part of the defensive network used by Skanderbeg, and today visitors can walk among the largely intact outer walls, medieval towers, and the remains of a later Ottoman‑period mosque and other structures, enjoying sweeping views of the Drin River, the surrounding plain, and the Adriatic Sea.