Day Trip to Kruje & Shkoder/ By Tirana Day Trips

The Kruja Bazaar is famous for being one of the oldest in Albania. The construction of the beautiful and fascinating marketplace of Krujë dates back over 400 years and was the starting point of free trade among the city’s most established merchants. It is in this particular bazaar that traders first began to officially exchange various kinds of goods with one another. Conveniently located on the main road leading to the Castle of Kruja, space forms part of the museum while also serving its traditional commercial purpose.
Whether you need a traditionally-crafted rug or masterfully-made copper products from the renowned craftsmen who work here, you can find every object of interest you might need! Other items in the fascinating bazaar include genuine handcrafted items and silver jewellery that is known to last a lifetime. The bazaar has steadily grown over the centuries, dictating the spread of housing and urban structures around it, making it the real epicenter of Kruja.

The Skanderbeg museum is a wonderful insight for visitors into the importance of one of Albania’s most celebrated national heroes. The site is a must for history buffs, and anyone with an interest in the nation’s fascinating past!

The ruins of the Kruja Castle can be seen at the base of Kruja’s mountain. The castle holds within it the National Museum of “Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu,” known simply as the Skanderbeg Museum – dedicated to the most celebrated of all Albanian heroes. Skanderbeg’s ability to reunite Albanian families that had been divided for six centuries, made him the important national figure that he is today. It was Skanderbeg’s return to Kruja, following his childhood in Turkey, which eternally bonded the great man’s name to the city, and the city’s to his. He was the leader of the country during one of its most prosperous periods, and created an army that successfully fended off the Ottomans’ advances for 25 years, until his death in 1468.

Among the ruins within the castle walls stands the Old Clock Tower, with the same bell that once rung to announce the death of Skanderbeg. This clock, crafted by artisans of the Old Bazaar of Krujë, once coordinated the city’s time: such as the opening and closing hours of the shops, as well as the times of prayer. Near the clock tower stands the National Museum “Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu”, designed by Pirro Vaso and Pranvera Hoxha, part of the architectural team who designed the Pyramid of Tirana. Built in the early 1980s, crowning the castle walls, this recognisable museum structure has become an icon of this city’s skyline. Inside, the exhibits reveal insights into Skanderbeg’s life, his historical victories and achievements, as well as copies of Skanderbeg’s weapons: his recognisable helmet crowned with a goat’s head, and his sword.

Known as the capital of North Albania -
Visit its castle and enjoy the views of the rivers and vellay
Walk in the famous pedestrian street of Shkoder -
Take some free time to enjoy by your own the atmosphere if this lovel town