Rozafa Castle

About

Rozafa Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Rozafës) or Shkodër Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Shkodrës) is a castle in the city of Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. It rises imposingly on a rocky hill, 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level, surrounded by the Buna and Drin rivers. Shkodër is the seat of Shkodër County, and is one of Albania's oldest and most historic towns, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. The hill was settled since the Early Bronze Age. The earliest fortification walls are dated to the 4th-3rd century BCE constituting the citadel of the Illyrian city of Skodra, which together with various sites of the lower city, shows the growing and vibrant nature of the Illyrian capital under the Labeatae, especially during the reign of king Gentius. Nevertheless, the visible walls of the castle are mostly of Venetian construction.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.