From Tirana to Kruja to Skanderbeg Museum
- Written by Portal Editor
About 30 kilometers away from the center of Tirana, the mountain town of Kruja lies on the western escarpment of the massif Mali i Krujës (1,176 meters above sea level), one of the summits of Skanderbeg mountains.
At an altitude between 400 - 640 meters, lying on the coastal plain, the mountain town has become an attractive tourist destination for famous Skanderbeg Museum and the surrounding castle.
Inside the fortress walls you will find the small Tekke of Dollme (Bektashi), an Ethnographic Museum, a Turkish bath and of course several shops hawking souvenirs to tourists.
Kruja and the mountains around it were an effective area of the Albanian Prince Skanderbeg, who is still regarded as a national hero of the Albanians. Finds and building of much older settlement from history are numerously presented, so also this fountain, which dates back to the Illyrians.
During his struggles against the Ottomans in the 15th century, Skanderbeg retreated again into the mountains to invade the Turkish troops from there. Therefore probably the mountains east of Kruja were named after him.
The Fortress Kruja and the Skanderbeg Museum is a historic shrine for the Albanian nation.
The Skanderbeg Museum, located within the fortress walls, remember with artifacts and many paintings to the fight of the Albanians under Skanderbeg and his League of Lezha.
One of the paintings showing life inside the castle.
From the remains of the castle walls, the field of view opens up to Tirana, the nearby coastline and of course on the site itself, Kruja.
Here the views of the guard and lighthouse of the fortress. There are some towers of this type, who signalized the approach of the enemy like a lighthouse.
In the large courtyard of the fortress, there are now numerous restaurants that are located in the restored buildings from the Ottoman period.
Here the views of the monumental museum building, which has an impressive array of exhibits and paintings. Very attractively designed, it provides a deep insight into the long history of Albania and thus in the soul of the Albanians.
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