Castle Durrës is an ancient fortress town in Durrës, Albania.The castle dates back to the 400s, during the rule of Anastasius I, the Byzantine Emperor who was raised in this region. he made Durrës one of the most fortified cities in the Adriatic.

In a 1273 earthquake damaged the ancient walls and they had to be extensively repaired. At this time the Venetian Tower was built, standing on top of the previous Byzantine Tower, at a height of 9 meters. The tower was named as such because Durrës was part of the Venetian Republic when it was built. The Venetians also added other guard towers and the wall was also improved by the Ottoman Empire during their time ruling Albania. The medieval walls currently stand at a height of almost 4.6 meters and roughly one-third of the original length of the city walls remain standing.

In 1939 the castle was the base for a collection of Albanian patriots attempting to delay the Italian army’s advance. Approximately 360 locals effectively held their ground before reinforced Italian forces arrived at the port and took the city.

Currently the Castle is a bar with a rooftop terrace – if it is open well worth the visit.

The Durrës Castle appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Durrës!

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Nearby Attractions

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• Durrës Archaeological Museum (0.6) km
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• Durrës Byzantine Forum (0.6) km
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• Well of Tophane, Durrës (0.7) km
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• Royal Villa of Durrës (0.8) km
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• Durrës Beach (5.2) km
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• Golen Beach (9.6) km
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