Burgajet Castle
| Burgajet Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | worn away | |
| Standing position : | Gentry | |
| Construction: | Ashlar | |
| Place: | Burgajet | |
| Geographical location | 41 ° 38 '28.1 " N , 20 ° 3' 37.3" E | |
| Height: | 460 m above sea level A. | |
|
||
The Burgajet Castle ( Albanian Kështjella e Burgajetit even Sarajet e Burgajetit ) was the family home of the noble family Zogolli ( Zogoğlu ) in Albanian village Burgajet , ten kilometers east of Burrel in the municipality Mat . It was a typical, large residential building ( Kulla ) , also called Serail (Alb. Saraj ). The house is the birthplace of King Zogu I.
The Kulla was on a hill above the village, secluded in the mountainous landscape of Mat . The Zogolli were the leaders of the Mat tribe of around 20,000 and ruled the area as feudal rulers . The village and the Kulla were thus the administrative center of the region that did not have a city.
The Zogu family explains that the building - or its predecessor - dates from the 15th century. In addition to the Albanian King Ahmet Zogu, his father Xhemal Pascha Zogu and his half-brother Xhelal Bey Zogu were born at the family seat .
Jason Tomes, Zogu's biographer, described a 19th century building:
“A solid, rectangular building with two small wings that look towards a courtyard. This was Burgajet Castle, Citadel of the Prince of Mati ... the largest house for miles and the only one with glass windows. The interior was even more characteristic ... Unusual furniture, imported from Austria, recently became the hallmark of wealth. Salon chairs, curtains, table lamps and knick-knacks ... "
The building was repeatedly set on fire during the chaos of war at the beginning of the 20th century. The family subsequently lived in Tirana and had several residences across the country. King Zog intended to rebuild the castle but did not implement the plan until he was expelled from the country in 1939. When asked later why he had not rebuilt Burgajet, Zog replied, “I was too busy rebuilding my country.” During his reign, a plaque honored his birth there. The inscription read:
"Në këtë kështjellë lindi me 8 tetuer 1895 naltmadhenija e tij Zog I. Mbret 'i Shqiptareve"
"His Excellency Zog I, King of the Albanians, was born in this castle on October 8, 1895"
In addition, the ruins were the motif of the two highest values in a stamp series issued in 1930.
After the communists came to power in Albania, the ruins of the castle were completely torn down. No sign on the hill was to remind of the king. The marble stones were used to line the sidewalks in Burrel.
After the end of the communist dictatorship, the family rebuilt Xhemal Pasha's grave.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Ben Andoni: Burgajeti, atje ku flitet për Shqipni etnike. In: Revista Mapo. Peshku pa ujë, July 11, 2010, accessed September 11, 2014 (Albanian).
- ↑ a b Mbreti Zog. In: Familja Mbretërore Shqiptare - Siti Zyrtar. Retrieved September 11, 2014 (Albanian).
- ↑ Theodor Ippen: Description of the situation in the landscape Mati . Report of May 30, 1901. In: Fatos Baxhaku, Karl Kaser (Ed.): The Tribal Societies of Northern Albania: Reports and Researches of Austrian Consuls and Scholars (1861-1917) . Böhlau, Vienna 1996, ISBN 3-205-98470-6 , p. 141 f . ( Google Books ).
- ↑ a b c d Royal Residences. In: Albanian Royal Family - Official Website. Retrieved September 11, 2014 .
- ^ A b Jason Tomes: King Zog: Self-Made Monarch of Albania . Sutton, Stroud 2003, ISBN 0-7509-3077-2 , pp. 8 .
- ↑ Jason Tomes: King Zog: Self-Made Monarch of Albania . The History Press, Stroud 2011, ISBN 978-0-7524-7087-0 .
- ↑ Gazmend A. Bakiu (ed.): Zogu I Mbreti i Shqiptarëve . Ilar, Tirana 2004, ISBN 99927-907-7-6 , pp. 9 .
- ↑ Markus WE Peters: Brief knowledge of postage and postage stamps in Albania . In: State Museum of Ethnology (Ed.): Albania. Wealth and diversity of ancient culture . Munich 2001, ISBN 3-9807561-2-2 , pp. 198 .
- ↑ Vaclav Sraut: Albánie 1930. In: Postage Stamps in Albania 1913 - 1945. EXPONET, 2011, accessed on February 23, 2016 (Czech).