Venetian Triangular Castle

Butrint, Albania

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The Venetian Triangular Castle near Butrint, Albania, was built by the Venetians in the 15th century across the Channel of Vivari as a replacement fortress after the original Butrint Acropolis Castle was abandoned in 1572 during Venetian-Ottoman wars.

Its purpose was to defend vital fish traps, a key food and income source for the nearby settlement. The castle has a distinctive triangular shape with three round defensive bastions at each corner, an entrance on the south side, and a courtyard featuring a building added by the Ottomans in the 19th century, likely used as a bathhouse.

It changed hands multiple times between the Venetians and Ottomans before falling under Ottoman rule until Albanian independence in 1912. The castle today stands as a historic monument within Butrint National Park, accessible by a ferry across the channel, and is notable both for its military architecture and its connection to the rich cultural and natural heritage of the Butrint area.​