Porto Palermo Castle - Kalaja e Porto Palermos

Porto Palermo Castle - Ali Pasha Castle - Kalaja e Porto Palermos, Porto Palermo, Vlore County, Republic of Albania.

   It is claimed that Porto Palermo Castle was built in the 19th century by Ali Pasha of Tepelena. Inscribed on a plague which went missing, it said “Ali Pasha of Tepelena built the castle in 1804 with the help of French military engineers” and a legend goes that says that the engineers were killed right after completion. Historics actually argue whether the castle was actually built by Ali Pasha. Some claim it has been built way earlier by the Venetians, due to its similar triangular shape with round towers, like the Venetian Triangle Castle at Butrint.

   In the ancient world, the bay of Porto Palermo has always been an important harbor which had to protect Himara. In Greek it was named Panormos (Panorama), and later renamed to Porto Palermo in the Byzantine era, similar to what happened to the city of Palermo in Sicily.

   During and after World War II the castle has been used as a prison and a shelter for military units. In 1948 Porto Palermo Castle was declared a ‘Cultural Monument’ and nowadays serves as a museum.

Source: https://www.visitsaranda.net/see/porto-palermo-castle/