Bashtovë Castle

Bashtovë Castle (Albanian:Kalaja e Bashtovës) is a castle situated in the locality of Vilë-Bashtovë, an administrative part of Gosë Commune, Kavajë District, Albania. It is geographically situated near the right banks of Shkumbin River, about 6 km upstream from its outflow into the Adriatic Sea.

History
Historian Gjerak Karaiskaj has dated the building during the 15th century, as constructed by the Republic of Venice, however historian Alain Ducellier has asserted that the Venetians have built over an existing former castle, which dates back to the 6th century, when the area was under the Byzantine Empire, during the Justinian dynasty.

In the past, the Vilë-Bashtovë region was known as a trade harbor and as a centre for the export of grains. The castle has a rectangular shape, 60 x 90 metres. The western part of the castle was rebuilt in the 18th century. Its walls are 9 metres high.