Petrela Castle

Petrela Castle is located in the southeast of the city of Tirana, built on a rocky hill. The discoveries made show that it is a medieval castle built during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justin I, in the 6th century AD. The castle of Petrela is built on a terrain with very steep and steep slopes, which have made the castle very protected. It also controlled the branch of the Egnatia road, the Durrës-Tirana-Elbasan branch, which was of particular importance at the time.Barleti considered the fortress of Petrela as impregnable, even to take it, Skenderbeu sent an incredibly powerful army. At the beginning of the 14th century, it was under the rule of Topiaj. On one side of the wall, the first emblem of Topiaj is preserved, and on its northern side, brick remains are preserved. It had a very favorable geographical position, since from Petrela you could see Kruja as well as the system of defensive fortifications around Durrës, of which Petrela itself was a part.

The constructions belong to different periods, which, starting from the construction technique and the overlap, are divided into several phases. This fort is triangular in shape and its circumference does not exceed 100 m. In two corners there are circular towers, while in the third, due to the steep rock, no tower has been built. The castle has a double fortification system, the first tower consists of three floors.Two of them have been used for fighting, while the first floor has served as a water cistern with a total height of 18-20 m.
Petrela Castle is very visited by local and foreign tourists, it offers stunning views around it, noticing the green territory, the fields and the river at the foot of the hill where it is built.
On this hill very close to the castle, there are quite popular guesthouses and restaurants, which offer a wonderful culinary tradition of Tirana. It remains very frequented in every season of the year, and it is also a point of reference for sports enthusiasts, hikes and excursions.