Drisht Castle

Drisht Castle Kalaja e Drishtit
Drisht, Albania
Drishti Castle museum
Drisht Castle Kalaja e Drishtit
Coordinates	42.126724°N 19.612139°E / 42.126724; 19.612139
Site information
Owner	Albania
Controlled by	Byzantine Empire Engjëlli family Spani family Principality of Zeta Zaharia family Republic of Venice League of Lezhë Ottoman Empire Albania

Drisht Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Drishtit) is a ruined castle above the modern Albanian village of Drisht, medieval Drivastum, in the municipal unit Postribë, Shkodër County, Albania.

The earliest traces of fortifications date to the late Neolithic era. In the 9th century, it was part of the defences of the Zeta principality.

View of Shkodër in the distance and Drisht to the right - 17th century

Part of castle was built in the 13th century during the Byzantine rule. The current walls and towers date to 1396–1478 during the Venetian era. In the 14th century the castle became independent of Shkodra. In 1442 the castle was taken from Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković by the Venetian forces. It finally fell to the Ottomans during the massive siege of Shkodra in 1478.

There are the remains of 11 houses inside the castle walls.

Sources

• Shala-Peli, Teuta (2014). Drishti në Mesjetë [Drisht in the Middle Ages] (Thesis). Academy of Sciences of Albania-Center of Albanological Studies.

Further reading

• Ippen, Theodor (1900), "Stari spomenici u Albaniji", Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja u Bosni i Hercegovini, Zbirka povjesti, vol. 12, Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary: Zemaljska štamparija, pp. 511–531