Rodoni Castle, Shetaj, Albania

Rodoni Castle is located on the Cape of Rodon. After the victorious First Siege of Krujë the League of Lezhë decided to increase the fortifications for use against the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg chose the cape of Rodon as the location of the castle and construction began in 1450. The walls of the castle that was completed in approximately 1452 had a length of 400 metres. When the Siege of Krujë started in 1466 Skanderbeg retreated to Rodoni Castle from where he and his family, together with many people from Albania, were transported to Brindisi in 14 ships. According to Marin Barleti this castle was destroyed by Ottoman forces in 1467.

In 1500 the castle was rebuilt by the Republic of Venice. As a result of the corrosive action of the sea waves, some of the walls are now under the waters of the Adriatic. Today the visitors can see the outer walls on the right side and the tower at the place they intersect.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Roxana Mateiu - Vescan (2 years ago)
Beautiful place, easy to find and the path to the castle is quite an easy hike. Sadly, there is a lot of garbage around the castle. The views are amazing and worth the drive.

Arif Archie Sulejmani (2 years ago)
It could be beautiful tourist location if have any signs where to go, is goat road trough hills , forest, not a single sign hope they fix that in the future and ofc garbage everywhere is like Albanians doesnt care about their own country Is crazy. It had potential to be very beautiful spot.

Mikkel Korsgaard (2 years ago)
A bit off the beaten path. 20 minutes walk from car park. Not the easiest walk on narrow footpath. Can also be accessed from the beach but only at low tide. Worth the effort

Steven Weber (2 years ago)
Excellent. Must visit. One of the most beautiful trails in Albania. Castle grounds could be a little better maintained. The sign has probably been down a long time considering the condition. Very important place to the National Hero Skanderberg of the 15th century but doesn’t seem well cared for by modern Albania in the 21st century unfortunately.

Beat Müller (2 years ago)
Was there all by myself in April. What a scenery! 300 Lek at the entrance is totally worth it. The only pity was that it closed at 6 pm.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Rodoni Castle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus