The Fortress of Bashtovë is a medieval quadrangular fortress built over a 6th-century Byzantine structure, now standing as a well-preserved 15th-century Venetian stronghold near the Shkumbin River in central Albania. With walls reaching 9 meters high and original dimensions of approximately 60 by 90 meters, this strategically positioned fortress once defended the important Adriatic corridor along the Via Egnatia route. Though it fell to Ottoman forces in 1417, the castle remains in excellent condition, declared a National Cultural Monument in 1948 and submitted to UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list in 2017.
