Kanina Fortress

Kaninë Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Kaninës) is a castle in the village Kaninë near Vlorë, in southwestern Albania.

Kaninë Castle was built in the village with the same name which is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) from Vlorë. The castle rises on the side of the Shushicë Mountain, about 380 metres (1,250 ft) above sea level. It was built on the site of an ancient settlement, one of the oldest in the Vlora region. The castle is believed to have been erected in the 3rd century B.C. In the 4th century A.D. the castle was transformed into a fortress town. In the 6th century A.D. the castle was reconstructed by Justinian I. The castle was the center of the Principality of Valona in the 14th century. The castle would also play an important role during Hohenstaufen Albania.

Aside from serving as the main fortification in Albania at the time, it was also the seat of the Province of Kaninë, governed by Jacob Blasiniani. During the Morean War in 1690, the fortress, and nearby Vlorë fell under Venetian control in their attempts to aid the uprising of the local Greek minority. Later that same year the city was besieged by the Ottomans and fell on 17 September. The settlement covers an area of 3.6 hectares.

Text adapted from “Kaninë Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Kanina Fortress ranks #2,444 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #9 of the 23 mapped in Albania. Founded c. 250 BC, it is older than 99% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 7 atlas entries founded in the 3rd century BC. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,079 times in the last 60 days, more than 50% of the atlas. The nearest day-trip guide is Vlorë, 3 km away. See how Albania compares in the castle statistics.

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