LET’S GET TO KNOW SHKODRA TOGETHER .

Shkodër historically known as Scodra, is the fifth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality and county. It is one of the most ancient cities in the Balkans and exerts strong cultural, economic and religious influences in Northern Albania. Its location has been of strategic importance throughout its history. It has often helped the city to its wealth or made it the subject of conflicts between foreign powers. The lake, named after the city of Shkodër, is the largest lake in Southern Europe.

The National Museum of Photography ‘Marubi’ was established as an absolute need to identify and promote the photographic archive created by the Marubi Dynasty and other city of Shkodra photographers, a cultural heritage unique in its kind. At the center of the museum project is the legacy of the ‘Photo-Studio Marubbi’, founded in 1856 by Pietro Marubbi, an Italian painter and photographer who came and settled in Shkodra at the time. The activity of the studio over the years, was directed and enriched by three generations of photographers, until the early 1950s, time when Gegë Marubi was forced to give oneself up to the communist collective anonymity, by joining other photographers in the photography unit of the former Repair-Services Cooperative.

Rozafa Castle

Rozafa Castle is located at the southern entrance of the city, in a strategic position, surrounded by the rivers Buna, Drini and Kiri. The surrounding walls are 880 m long and surround an area of ​​35 000 m 2. It is the largest castle in Albania and the largest in the Balkans. In this 2400-year-old castle we find traces of the classical period, the Middle Ages and the last century. Ancient fortifications and medieval traces of the Bushat period are preserved in fortifications and other construction objects. In the visitable objects besides the fortification system can be mentioned the church of St. Stephen later turned into a mosque, the captaincy, the prison, the porches and the secret exit. From its walls you can see the magnificent and picturesque views of the city, the lake of Shkodra and the rivers Drini, Buna and Kirit.  The castle is a symbol of the city, present among paintings, carvings, etc.

Velipoja Beach.

The Velipoja area is located by the Adriatic Sea, 36 km from the city of Shkodra (about 30 minutes’ drive from the city). It is one of the pearls of Albanian nature, the sea, river, mountain, island, lagoon and forest combine harmoniously, creating numerous potentials for the development of a wide range of tourist activities. Velipoja beach has a length of 14 km and an average width of 150 m. It stretches from the Buna delta to the foot of the Black Peak Mountain. The beach has abundant fine sand that is renewed and cleaned by sea waves and has a high% of iodine thus carrying high curative values.

Thethi

Thethi is the only national park in the Shkodra region and the second largest park in Albania after Dajti National Park, with an area of ​​2630 ha. Thethi is located in the northern part of the municipality of Shala at an altitude of 740-950 above sea level and is surrounded by the mountains of the Albanian Alps with an altitude of up to 2559.4 m. In Theth there are 70 water springs with a quality and purity to be admired. The flora and fauna of the area are quite rich (1100 species of plants that make up 1/3 of the plant species of the country). Thethi is also interesting for its cultural attractions where it occupies a special place in the Isolation Towers, characteristic for the northern enamel areas as well as the clothing of the area. Thethi is located about 65 km from the city of Shkodra and is reached after a journey of 2 hours.

Weapons Museum

The castle museum took place in a setting of Rozafa Castle. In this museum are exhibited the evidence of the settlement of Shkodra in different historical periods. Part of it are various weapons and documents, evidence of the historical wars of Shkodra against different invaders that appear in different periods in Shkodra, evidence and activities of the Bushati feudal lords, etc. in the XVIII century.

The Lead Mosque

The Lead Mosque, also known as the Buşatlı Mehmet Pasha Mosque, is a historical mosque in Shkodër, northwestern Albania. It took the name Lead Mosque, because all of its cupolas were covered with lead.