Rozafa Castle Albania Castle Story

Albania 🇦🇱Rozafa Castle🏰 covers an area of ​​9 hectares, and the city wall stretches for 880 meters. The castle🏰 was built in the Illyrian period. The Illyria was one of the most primitive tribes in Albania at that time. The city of Shkoder was built in the ancient Illyrian Kingdom in the 4th century BC. When facing the Roman invasion, Queen Teuta of Illyria used this castle 🏰 to fight against the Roman invasion, so this castle 🏰 is a very important one in history. ⭕️Castle🏰Introduction ✅Historical Origin: Rozafa Castle🏰 is located southwest of Shkoder, a northwestern city in Albania🇦🇱. It was built in the 4th century BC or early 3rd century BC. It was originally a fortification of the ancient Illyrians. It was once ruled by ancient Rome, the Serbian Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, etc., and witnessed many historical events. ✅Architectural features: The castle covers an area of ​​about 9 acres, has three-story courtyards, and a one-kilometer-long wall. It is ingeniously designed and has strong defensive capabilities. There are three towers on the city wall. Although only the foundations are left, their scale can still be seen. The stone walls of the castle are tall and magnificent. Although some of them are dilapidated, they still show the vicissitudes of history. ✅Legend: It is said that when the three brothers were building the castle, they worked hard but the walls collapsed every night. The wise man told them that they needed to offer a living person as a sacrifice. Eventually, the third brother's wife, Rozafa, was buried inside the city wall. She asked to expose the right side of her body so that she could watch the baby, breastfeed, hold the baby and rock the crib. After the castle was built, it was named after her. ⭕️Game guide ✅Transportation Guide: If you live in the center of Shkoder, you can take a bus to the castle🏰; you can also choose to rent a car or take a taxi, which is convenient and fast. ✅Opening hours: usually 9:00-19:00, please check and confirm in advance. ✅Ticket information: Price 400 Lek (about 4 Euros). The Third Courtyard Museum is open irregularly, and the ticket price is 200 Lek (about 2 Euros) ✅ Tour route: After entering the castle🏰, you can first visit the narrow courtyard on the first floor to experience its defensive function; then go to the second courtyard to visit the ruins of the mosque and the well built in the 15th century; finally reach the third courtyard to visit the Venetian-style museum. As soon as you enter the museum, you can see the Rozafa relief that tells the legend of the construction of the castle🏰. At the same time, you can also explore the underground tunnel in the third courtyard. The castle is located at the junction of the Buna and Drin rivers. From the highest point of the castle, you can see Lake Sködar. ⭕️Nearby food: Shkoder has a variety of local food, such as Albanian 🇦🇱 barbecue, meatballs, special bread, etc., which can be tasted before and after the tour. ✅There is the only cafe next to the Third Courtyard Museum at the highest point of the castle, which provides soft drinks, coffee and ice cream. ⭕️Accommodation recommendation: You can choose to stay in the center of Shkodër. There are many hotels and B&Bs to choose from, with prices ranging from tens of euros to hundreds of euros. If you want to be closer to the castle, there are some nearby accommodation options, which are about a 20-minute walk away. ⚠️Notes: ✅There is a canteen and toilet at the bus stop at the foot of the mountain. The toilet costs 0.5 euros. There is only one toilet in the castle on the top of the mountain. It is in the cafe. If you don't consume, you will be charged 1 euro separately. ✅The road up the mountain is narrow, and the bus cannot reach the ticket office halfway up the mountain. You need to walk 🚶 or take a car 🚗 to get there. It takes 10 minutes to walk and 2-3 minutes to take a car ✅The castle is paved with rocks and the roads are difficult to walk on, especially on rainy days when the rocks are slippery, so you need to pay special attention to safety ✅The mountaintop castle🏰 has no safety protection such as fences. Pay special attention to safety when climbing up to see the distance and be careful not to fall. ⭕️The castle🏰 is ancient and time-honored, so it is recommended to wear bright colors to stand out in photos. An indispensable part of traveling to Albania 🇦🇱 is visiting castles 🏰. Rozafa Castle 🏰 is an outstanding example of Albania’s 🇦🇱 castle 🏰 history. Standing on the hilltop where the two rivers meet, you can immediately understand the wisdom of the ancient Illyrians in choosing the site.