Kruja Castle

Kruja Castle (Kalaja e Krujës) is, together with the Old Bazaar, the biggest tourist attraction of Krujë. Due to its strategic location under Kruja Mountain, the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg chose it as his residence. The castle rises high on a rock that forms a natural defensive barrier and offers excellent views of the city, the plain far below and the Adriatic Sea. Inside you will find two museums, a Bektashi shrine and a clock tower.

The Skanderbeg Museum is the main magnet for tourists visiting the castle. The sturdy-looking building opened in 1982 and resembles a kind of fortress within a fortress. Designed by the daughter of communist dictator Enver Hoxha, Pranvera Hoxha, it represents the pinnacle of the socialist adulation of this national hero.

Right at the entrance, a concrete statue of Skanderbeg and his entourage catches your attention. Inside there are several rooms chronologically describing the life of this historical figure. The highlight of the tour is Skanderbeg’s sword and helmet (both items are copies as the originals are in Vienna), which are displayed against the backdrop of a monumental fresco depicting one of his victorious battles.

In the southern tip of the castle is the Dollma Tekke (Teqja e Dollmës) built in 1789 by the prominent Dollma family, whose members were adherents of Bektashism, an influential Sufi order combining Islamic and Christian religious elements.

Inside are frescoes and inscriptions in Arabic and Persian. There is an olive tree growing in the grounds, which is said to have been planted on the day of Skanderbeg’s wedding. During communism the tekke was used as a warehouse and was heavily damaged, returning to the original owners in 1990. A small fee is charged for entry.

Opposite the tekke is the historic hammam (Turkish steam bath), which in the past served the local nobility. It is one of the oldest buildings of its kind in Albania. A few years ago it was thoroughly renovated, but you can’t take a bath here.

In the northern part of the castle is the Clock Tower, one of the few preserved medieval buildings of the castle. It also served as an observation point because all the surroundings could be seen from it. The foundations of a medieval church are visible below the tower.

In one of the original buildings, the castle houses the ethnographic museum. It is the seat of one of Albania’s leading families, the Toptani, whose origins date back to 1764. The museum gives an idea of how a typical dwelling was designed in the Ottoman era. Various costumes are on display in the rooms, and agricultural and craft tools are also on display on the ground floor. A wealthy family even set up their own hammam in the house.

The entrance to the castle is free, but you will be charged at the individual tourist attractions. As in other castles and fortresses in Albania, several permanently inhabited houses have been preserved in Krujë Castle. Some of them are nowadays hotels or restaurants.

TIP: I highly recommend the guesthouse Rooms Emiliano in the northernmost part of the castle. It is run by two brothers whose family has lived in this old house for many generations. Rooms are clean and prices are more than reasonable. The main asset of the accommodation is the spectacular view from the terrace of the house – I guarantee that dinner at sunset will be a memory that will last a long time. In addition, the mother of both brothers is an excellent cook.

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