Fortress of Bashtovë

Bashtova Castle stands as a rectangular ruin on the Shkumbin floodplain south of Kavaja - a rare lowland fortress in Albania. Likely built in the late 15th century under Venetian administration, it secured river trade and the nearby Adriatic coast; Ottomans and Venetians traded control repeatedly. Three of the four curtain walls and nine towers still rise above olive groves and farmland. Listed on UNESCO's tentative roster, the site is free to enter - caretakers appear sporadically, and visitors walk straight through the main gate.