In one of the last undulations of the eastern slope of the mountain of Predon, 527 meters above sea level, lies the hidden fortress of Skanderbeg.
The Shkodra Regional Directorate of Cultural Heritage provided information about this location, which is not well known to the public.
The upper flow of the Hurdhasa River (a branch of the Mat River) separates the castle from the Skanderbeg Mountain, while to the north and south of the castle lies the valley of Gallata.
This castle rises on a rocky terrain that is more or less conical in shape. On the southern side, there is a steep gorge about 80 meters, which made fortification unnecessary in this part of the castle.
The surrounding wall constitutes only 96 meters of the perimeter of the castle’s fortification system because the rest of it was protected by the tower and the gorge on the southern side.
The width of this wall varies, as do the walls of many medieval castles in the country.
The discovery, always in the thin cultural layer, of a number of damaged stone cannonballs indicates that the short life of the castle is chronologically linked to their use. These cannonballs cannot be earlier than the 14th century because firearms spread in Southern Europe only around 1350.
Some data indicate that from the end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century, attempts were made by the Balshaj and Topia families to equip their armies with cannons.
In historical sources, this castle is not mentioned in the list of those taken or destroyed by Gjon Kastrioti in 1430 or those taken by Skanderbeg in 1443. These sources clearly show that Skanderbeg conducted extensive reconstruction activities for the rebuilding of castles.
The castle was built after 1451. Its layout was also designed to minimize the potential impact of enemy artillery strikes. Thus, facing the closest undulation of the eastern slope, from where the castle could be more easily hit, the only tower with a thickness about twice that of the surrounding wall was placed. It also defended the northern entrance and the right side of the surrounding wall.
