Butrint National Park

Butrint National Park essentials

Butrint National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site showcasing over 2,500 years of history across a strategic Mediterranean peninsula. This collection features the most significant archaeological remains, from the 3rd-century BC Greek theatre and massive Hellenistic walls to Roman forums and Byzantine basilicas. Situated along the Vivari Channel, the site also includes Venetian fortifications and the 19th-century Ali Pasha Castle, illustrating the site's evolution from a Greek colony to a medieval bishopric.

Butrint National Park Essentials — Map

inoue-hiro / CC BY-SA 3.0

A

Buthrotum

Butrint was an ancient Greek polis and later Roman city and the seat of an early Christian bishopric in Epirus.

Piotrus / CC BY-SA 3.0

B

Theatre

3rd-century BC Greek theatre later remodeled by the Romans. It originally seated 2,500 people and features an adjacent shrine to Asclepius, the god of medicine.

Arian Mavriqi / CC BY-SA 4.0

C

Ali Pasha Castle

Ali Pasha Castle is a castle in Albania. It is named after Ali Pasha of Tepelenë who resided there until 1820.

D

Vivari Channel

The Vivari Channel links Lake Butrint in Albania with the Straits of Corfu, and forms a border of the peninsula of Butrint.

Piotrus / CC BY-SA 3.0

E

Great Basilica

A 6th-century three-aisled Christian basilica featuring a large transept and intricate mosaic floors. It served as the seat of the local bishop during the Byzantine era.

inoue-hiro / CC BY-SA 3.0

F

Lion Gate

One of the city's six defensive entrances, named after a stone relief depicting a lion devouring a bull. The relief was added in the 5th century to reinforce the gate.

Piotrus / CC BY-SA 3.0

G

Archaeological Museum of Butrint

The Archaeological Museum of Butrint was opened in 1938. It was reopened during the 1950s-1960s in the premises of the Venetian Acropolis…

Piotrus / CC BY-SA 3.0

H

Forum

The civic and commercial heart of Roman Butrint. This marble-paved square was surrounded by shrines, pedestals for statues, and public buildings discovered during 20th-century excavations.

I

Triangular Fortress

A late medieval Venetian fortification situated on the southern bank of the Vivari Channel. It was designed to protect the strategic ferry crossing and local fishing rights.

J

Venetian Tower

A 15th-century defensive structure located near the park entrance. It was built by the Venetians to guard the Vivari Channel and the approach to the ancient city.

inoue-hiro / CC BY-SA 3.0

K

Nymphaeum

A Roman public fountain house dating to the 2nd century AD. It once featured decorative niches and was supplied with water via an aqueduct to serve the city residents.

inoue-hiro / CC BY-SA 3.0

L

Hellenistic walls

Massive 4th-century BC fortifications constructed using the ashlar technique. These well-preserved defensive walls once encircled the entire lower city and the acropolis.

M

St George's Monastery

A fortified 14th-century Orthodox monastery located on a ridge between the Ionian Sea and Lake Butrint. The complex includes a small church and reconstructed monastic cells.

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