The Prezë Castle () is a medieval castle in

Prezë Prezë is a village and a former municipality in the Tirana County, central Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. Preza Castle was built by the

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...

Justinian the Great Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renova ...

in the 550s. The castle overlooks the village with the same name and is located on a hilltop. The castle was enlarged by a construction which started in the 14th century and was completed in the early 15th century and belonged to the Thopias, a local Albanian feudal family. During 1443-1468 it was one of the core strongholds of the Albanian resistance against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

led by

Skanderbeg , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

. The castle has been declared a 'monument of culture'. It has four towers, one in each corner. The clock tower was erected around 1800–50. It is known for its beautiful location, overlooking the

Tirana plain The Tirana plain is a plain in Central Albania, part of the Western Lowlands, where its main populated center is the capital city of Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of t ...

. The castle is quite close to the Mother Teresa International Airport. A restaurant named Kalaja E Prezës and other service facilities are found inside the castle.

See also