Berat Castle

Berat Castle, also known as the Citadel of Berat and the Castle Quarter, is a stronghold that overlooks the town of Berat in Albania. It was built mostly in the 13th century and has several Byzantine churches as well as Ottoman mosques. It is located on a rocky hill on the left side of the Osum River and is only accessible from the south. It is located at a height of 214 meters (702 ft).

After being burned down by the Romans in 200 B.C., the fortifications were reinforced in the 5th century by Roman Emperor Theodosius II to safeguard the Balkans from Barbarian assaults. They were later renovated in the sixth century by Emperor Justinian I and again in the thirteenth century by the Despot of Epirus, Michael I Komnenos Doukas, a cousin of the Byzantine Emperor. This last phase is represented by a Monogram created of red bricks put in a castle wall. In the mid-14th century, the fortress was ruled by John Komnenos Asen. A walled courtyard protects the main entrance on the north side, and there are three lesser entrances.

The stronghold of Berat in its current form, while being severely destroyed, is a wonderful sight. Its large surface area allowed it to house a sizable amount of the city's population. The structures within the stronghold were constructed in the 13th century and have been conserved as cultural monuments due to their distinctive architecture. The fortress's population was Christian, and it possessed around 20 churches (most of which were erected in the 13th century) and just one mosque, which was used by the Turkish garrison (of which there survives only a few ruins and the base of the minaret). The fortress's churches were destroyed throughout time, and just a few survive.

Location: Berat, Albania