Fortress of Justinian () or simply known as Tirana Castle (Albanian: ''Kalaja e Tiranës'') is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Its history dates back before 1300 and is a remnant from the Byzantine-era. The fortress is the place where the main east–west and north–south roads crossed, and formed the heart of Tirana. The current fortification has three known towers and it is undergoing a process of restoration, for touristic purposes. Inside the fortified walls of the former fortress, there are many buildings that can be visited, including restaurants, hotels, and cultural institutions. About all that is left of the fortress above ground is a high Ottoman-era wall, covered in vines. The recently uncovered wall foundations were incorporated into the pedestrianised Murat Toptani Street, while a

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Albania's Independence was unveiled near the Albanian Parliament. The Castle of Tirana was declared a monument of culture of first category on 10 June 1973 and the new tracks of walls of Tirana Castle were declared a cultural monument on 15 May 2008.

Traditional bazaar

In December 2018, a new traditional bazaar was opened inside Tirana Castle with various traditional hand crafts stores and traditional cuisine restaurants. Kalaja_e_tiranes_Shqiperi.jpg, Tirana Castle Toptani%27s_Castle_(The_castle_of_Tirana).jpg, Inside the castle Fortress Walls, Tirana.JPG, Fortress walls Gjurm%C3%AB_T%C3%AB_reja_T%C3%AB_kalas%C3%AB_S%C3%AB_Tiran%C3%ABs.jpg, Part of the castle's fortification Pedonalja_2.jpg, Pedestrian Murat Toptani St nearby fortress TiranaFu%C3%9Fg%C3%A4ngerZone.JPG, Pedestrian Murat Toptani St nearby fortress KAlaja_ne_Qytetin_e_Tiranes.jpg, Explanatory plaque

References

Castles in Albania Cultural Monuments of Albania Tourist attractions in Tirana Byzantine forts Buildings and structures in Tirana {{Albania-castle-stub