Marshej Castle, Malësi e Madhe

Marshej Castle is located on a steep rocky hill near the village of Marshej. The castle is a monument of cultural heritage in Shkodër. It is dated to the late bronze period 1500-1200 BC. The castle of Marshej has a construction technique like the castle of Gradishta of Symiza in Korçë, with a line of medium and small stones laid irregularly. From the north, the hill is connected to a range of neighboring hills and on its top there is a small square measuring 50x60 m. This surface is surrounded by a wall with an elliptical plan. The wall is not built on the contours of the hill platform, but a few meters below, on its steep slopes. The wall has a width of 2.70 m, consists of two sides built with rough stones, without any means of connection and from the inside that is filled with smaller stones. This wall belongs to a second construction period. The Marshej Castle was described first by the Austrian archaeologist Camillo Praschniker. Marshej Castle is the only fortification, where two techniques are clearly distinguished: the one with mud walls and the one with stone walls. The technique and the existence of two periods of construction lead to the conclusion that the fortification with the stone must belong to the Bronze Age.