Gjirokastër Fortress




For the castle in Greece, see Argyrokastro Castle.



Panoramic view of Gjirokastër Castle




Gjirokastër Castle


Gjirokastër Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Gjirokastrës or Kalaja e Argjirosë) is a fortress in Gjirokastër, Albania (during Ottoman rule it was historically known as Ergiri while local Greeks referred to it as Argyrokastro, a name applied also to the castle). Gjirokastër Castle is situated at a height of 336 metres (1,102 ft).[1]


The castle dominates the town and overlooks the strategically important route along the river valley. It is open to visitors and contains a military museum featuring captured artillery and memorabilia of the Communist resistance against German occupation, as well as a captured United States Air Force plane to commemorate the Communist regime's struggle against the "imperialist" western powers.




Contents






  • 1 History


  • 2 Tourism Opportunities


    • 2.1 Visitor Numbers




  • 3 References





History


The citadel has existed in various forms since before the 12th century. Extensive renovations and a westward addition was added by Ali Pasha of Tepelene after 1812. The government of King Zog expanded the castle prison in 1932.


Today it possesses five towers and houses, the new Gjirokastër Museum, a clock tower, a church, a cistern, the stage of the National Folk Festival, and many other points of interest.


The castle's prison was used extensively by Zog's government and housed political prisoners during the Communist regime.


The castle is under protection from UNESCO.[2]



Tourism Opportunities


The Gjirokastër Castle has also been a special destination for tourists in the recent years. The castle was visited by over 10,000 Albanian and foreign tourists during January – May 2018. This was over the double of visitors from the same period the year before with 4,700 visitors.[3]



Visitor Numbers


















Total Visitors

Period
Visitors
January – May 2017
 4700[3]
January – May 2018
 over 10,000[3]


References





  1. ^ Gjirokastër Castle Altitude and Location


  2. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2018-06-12..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  3. ^ abc "Kalaja e Gjirokastrës atraksioni më i veçantë turistik, mirëpret 10 mijë vizitorë - ATSH -". Agjencia Telegrafike Shqiptare (in Albanian). 2018-06-09. Retrieved 2018-06-12.









Coordinates: 40°04′26″N 20°08′28″E / 40.074°N 20.141°E / 40.074; 20.141










-

Popular posts from this blog

Shashamane

Image
city in Oromia, Ethiopia Shashamane ሻሸመኔ (in Amharic) , Shashemane (in Oromo) Shashe city Main Street Shashamane Shashamane Location within Ethiopia Coordinates: 7°12′N 38°36′E  /  7.200°N 38.600°E  / 7.200; 38.600 Country Ethiopia Region Oromia Zone Mirab Arsi Population (2012)  • Total 122,046 Time zone UTC+3 (EAT) Climate Cwb Shashamane (or Shashemene , Oromo) is a town and a separate woreda in West Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The town lies on the Trans-African Highway 4 Cairo-Cape Town, about 150 miles (240 km) from the capital of Addis Ababa. It has a latitude of 7° 12' north and a longitude of 38° 36' east. The 2007 national census reported a total population for this town of 100,454, of whom 50,654 were men and 49,800 were women. A plurality of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 43.44% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 31.15% of the population said
Read more

Carrot

Image
Root vegetable, usually orange in color This article is about the cultivated vegetable. For other uses, see Carrot (disambiguation). Carrot Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade : Angiosperms Clade : Eudicots Clade : Asterids Order: Apiales Family: Apiaceae Genus: Daucus Species: D. carota Subspecies: D. c. subsp. sativus Trinomial name Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Schübl. & G. Martens The carrot ( Daucus carota subsp. sativus ) is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist. [1] Carrots are a domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota , native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The plant probably originated in Persia and was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds. The most commonly eaten part of the plant is the taproot, although the stems and leaves are eaten as well. The domestic carrot ha
Read more

Deprivation index

Image
Deprivation indices are a measure of the level of deprivation in an area. Examples include: Indices of deprivation 2004 (ID2004) Indices of deprivation 2007 (ID2007) Underprivileged area score Carstairs index Department of Environment Index v t e Indices of Deprivation National (general deprivation) Carstairs index Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000 (IMD2000) Indices of deprivation 2004 (ID2004) Indices of deprivation 2007 (ID2007) Indices of deprivation 2010 (ID2010) National (subject specific deprivation) Underprivileged area score Department of Environment Index This economics-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e This sociology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e This page is only for reference, If you need detailed information, please check here
Read more