Albania's ancient north — Rozafa Castle above a silver lake
Shkodër is Albania's oldest and most historically layered city, sitting at the confluence of the Drin and Buna rivers where the vast Lake Shkodër mirrors the dramatic silhouette of Rozafa Castle. The old bazaar is lined with coffee bars where men play dominoes under vines, the cycling culture is the most developed in Albania, and the city marks where the rugged Albanian Alps give way to the Mediterranean coast. Montenegro is visible across the lake.
Shkodër has been continuously inhabited for over 2,500 years — it was the capital of the Illyrian Kingdom of Labeates, then Scodra, before Rome absorbed it in 168 BC. The Venetians controlled it for nearly a century before the Ottoman siege of 1478 — one of the most celebrated defensive stands in Balkan history, when the garrison held out for months and was granted the right to depart with full honours. Under communism (1945–1991), Shkodër was one of the most heavily repressed cities in Albania; the Franciscan church on its main boulevard was turned into a sports hall.