Butrint: Our time in the ancient town not only provided new insights into the history of the ancient Greeks and Romans, as the Venetians and Ottomans also left their mark here, as did other medieval cultures.

Conversely, these cultures were also shaped by Butrint. Not only does Butrint appear in the works of famous ancient authors, such as Hecataeus of Miletus or Virgil's Aeneid, but Edward Lear, among others, also visited the historic site to draw inspiration from it. Edward Lear was a well-known English writer and painter in his time and remains so today. Along with Lewis Carroll, he is considered one of the great masters of Victorian nonsense literature; his numerous limericks and poems such as "The Owl and the Pussycat" are classics of the genre. Inspired, in part, by his time in Butrint.

Byzantines and Slavs from the Bulgarian Empire

Our tour of the ancient sites of Butrint quickly makes it clear that other, non-Greco-Roman, building activities also took place here.

After a renewed period of prosperity under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, a long decline began when Slavs also advanced into Epirus in the 8th century. However, in the 10th century, the city regained urban status and received a new basilica. It belonged to the Bulgarian Empire at that time.

The Venetians conquer Butrint and establish a base

The Venetian buildings that are particularly striking in terms of construction are the notable ones in Butrint, especially the Venetian fort and the triangular fortress on the southern bank of the canal. With the fall of the Byzantines and the Ottoman conquests, not much remained of Butrint at first. With the advance of the Venetians, who were able to continuously expand their trading empire, a base was subsequently established, with some interruptions until 1797, to secure the important trade route around the Strait of Corfu for their ships. Large areas around it were already occupied by the Ottomans.

The Venetian fort is located at the western end of the Acropolis, from where one has a good view of the Vivar Canal and the Strait of Corfu. From the 13th century onwards, as part of the Venetian colonial empire, Butrint was an important base between the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. The pentagonal fort has a square tower at the northeast corner, which is a reconstruction from the 1930s. Ugolini's records also indicate a second tower inside the fort, which may have been the castellan's residence.

On the canal bank below the castle, the Republic of St. Mark built another tower to secure the canal and the access to the castle. The Venetian tower probably dates from 1717/18. The most important access was probably from the east, via a drawbridge.

On the opposite bank, the Venetians built the Kalaja trekëndore (Triangular Castle), a complex that is still well preserved today. Originally located on an island, which presumably determined its shape, its primary purpose was to secure access via the canal and fishing activities near Butrint. The foundations of the fortress were probably built around 1500. It was first mentioned in 1572. The towers at the corners of the castle were probably added by the Ottomans in the 1650s. After the reconquest by the Venetians (1717/18), further modifications were made, and another wall was built on the west side. The Venetians stationed up to 200 men in the complex.

Another fortress is located on an island in the marshland about two and a half kilometres west of Butrint, directly at the mouth of the Vivar Canal into the Ionian Sea. It is only accessible by boat. The Ali Pasha Fortress is named after Ali Pasha of Ioannina, who was keen for independence from Constantinople. However, it already appears on Venetian maps from 1718 and may have been owned by the Corfiot Gonemi family. Another possibility is that it was a permanent house built by the Venetians around 1700, remnants of which still exist. The fortress is not mentioned in Ali Pasha's conquest of Butrint, which argues against the existence of a functioning fortress at the end of the 18th century. Historians assume that the fortress in its current form was built in great haste under Ali Pasha in 1807. The rectangular structure measures 22 by 30 meters and is surrounded by a 5.1-meter-high wall. In the corners, towers of equal height protrude from the walls.

Continuous conflicts with the Ottomans wear down the Venetians.

In the 17th century, the Ottomans temporarily gained possession of the Venetian fort. In September 1716, Venice recaptured the fort from the Ottomans under Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg. In 1797, Butrint briefly became French property when the Republic of Venice was dissolved by Napoleon Bonaparte following the Peace of Campo Formio.

Just two years later, Butrint was conquered by Ali Pasha of Ioannina. Butrint thus definitively became part of the Ottoman Empire, to which it belonged until Albanian independence in 1912.

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