Venetian Castle

Shëndëlli, Albania, Albania

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The Venetian Castle of Shëndëlli, more commonly known as the Venetian Triangular Castle, is a small 15th‑century fortress near Butrint in southern Albania, built by the Venetians on a hill overlooking the Vivari Channel, just south of the site of ancient Butrint and close to the villages of Vrinë and Shëndëlli. As its name suggests, the castle has a triangular shape with round towers at each corner, and it was constructed to protect the fishing traps in the Vivari Channel, which were a key source of food and income for the population of the area, and also to serve as a new, smaller fortified settlement after the old acropolis of Butrint was abandoned during the wars between Venice and the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The fortress was seized by the Ottomans in 1655 and again in 1718, then recaptured by the Venetians, and in modern times the castle visible today was largely rebuilt in 1936 by archaeologist Luigi Maria Ugolini, who demolished older structures and reconstructed the fortification to reflect its original Venetian form. Today the Venetian Triangular Castle is part of Butrint National Park, accessible by a short walk from the archaeological site or by a small cable ferry across the Vivari Channel, and offers visitors panoramic views of the channel, the ancient Butrint acropolis, the fishing traps, and the surrounding villages, with free entry though a small fee is charged for the ferry crossing.