Lezha
Lezha is 47 kilometers south of Shkodra
the city of Lezha is to be found.
Another of Albania’s ancient
cities, it was first mentioned
in historical documents by the
name Lissus. In 1398, after the
construction of its castle, the
city was under direct control
of the feudal family of Lekë
Dukagjini, but was eventually
conquered by soldiers from
Venice. One of the most im-
portant historical events for
Lezha, and indeed for all of Al-
bania, was the famed “Assem-
bly of Lezha” on March 2nd,
1444 where under the leader-
ship of national hero Skander-
beg the Albanian princedoms
united against the Ottomans.
The Memorial Grave of Skan-
derbeg is here, the ex-Cathe-
dral of Shën Kolli, where he
was buried in 1468. The Castle
of Lezha, another Illyrian mon-
ument, sits on a hilltop over-
looking the city below. Inside
the castle, ruins of an Ottoman
mosque, a Roman Arch, and an
Illyrian Tower all rest together
for the ages.
Only a few minutes from the
city there is the sandy beach of
Shëngjini at the foot of Mount
Renci. The sunny beach com-
munity of Shëngjini boasts
a long and colorful history,
known as both “Cesarean” and
“Nympheum” in past centuries.
It was here that the Roman
general Marcus Aurelius em-
barked with his fleet in order
to chase Pompey, during the
civil war he and Julius Cesarius
engaged in. The mouth of the
Drini River is located nearby,
providing an amazing Ecosys-
tem becoming more and more
of a key attraction for interna-
tional Ecco-tourism.
