Buragajet Castle, or Castle Burgajet, ( or ''Kështjella e Burgajetit'', also known as the ''Kështjella e Zogollëve'' or ''Kështjella e Zogut'') was a large fortified house, located in

Burgajet Burgajet is a village in the former Lis, Albania, Municipality of Lis, central Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Mat, Albania, Mat. Burgajet is notable for the House of Zogu, Albanian royal family, whi ...

in northern

Mat A mat is a hard or soft floor covering that generally is placed on a floor or other flat surface. Mats serve a range of purposes including: * serving to clean items passed over it, such as a doormat, which removes dirt from the soles of shoe ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

History

It was built before 1860 and it was the birthplace, and family seat, of King Zog I of the Albanians and also

Xhemal Pasha Zogu Xhemal Pasha Zogu (; 1860–1911), also known as Jamal Pasha or Jamal Pasha Zogolli, was the Hereditary Governor of Mati, Albania (at the time part of the Ottoman Empire). He was the father of King Zog I of Albania. Born at Burgajet Castle, Mati ...

. Jason Tomes described it thus:

"A solid rectangular building with two small wings facing into a courtyard. This was Castle Burgajet, citadel of the chieftain of Mati...the biggest house for miles and the only one with glazed windows. The interior was even more distinctive...Fancy furnishings, imported from Austria, had recently become the hallmark of wealth. Salon chairs, draperies, table-lamps, and bric-a-brac...""King Zog; Self-Made Monarch of Albania, Jason Tomes P. 8,

His family were the traditional

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

rulers of the

Mat District Mat District () was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created counties. It had a population of 61,906 in 2001, and an area of . It was named after the river Mat, which flows through ...

of Albania and were large landowners. On ascending the throne, Zog took up residence in a palace in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

(with a

Summer Palace The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden during the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quar ...

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...

- see

image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...

). This (along with it being looted and set alight by the Yugoslav Army in 1920) was a factor leading to Castle Burgajet falling into ruin. Before King Zog was forced to flee Albania, he had an ambitious plan to rebuild the Castle but this never transpired; during his reign, however, a plaque commemorated his birth there. When asked why he did not rebuild Burgajet, Zog replied "I was too busy rebuilding my country." The castle was demolished in 1945 and the site of the castle is now marked by several marble stones from the demolished castle.

Gallery

File:Burgajet castle stairs.jpg File:Burgajet castle field.jpg File:Burgajet castle tree.jpg File:Burgajet castle other entrance.jpg

References

1945 disestablishments in Albania Buildings and structures demolished in 1945 Castles in Albania Buildings and structures in Mat (municipality) Zog I {{Albania-castle-stub sq:Burgajeti