Albania is the only country in the world, its existing borders are surrounded by its own people. Everyone liked our land. We have been invaded by all and we have always fought for survival and never to develop our country.
Many armies tried to exterminate us, but we Albanians are a race chosen by God, and wars make us even stronger, and whoever came as an invader, we responded as we should. We have never start a fight but we have never give up and many of them never returned to their homes.
Albania has 30 castles within its borders and 15 castles due to history are outside its existing borders.
One of these is the castle of Rozafa.
Albania is a land full of mystery and magic, where legends are told from generation to generation.
The legend of Rozafa Castle: the majestic castle situated in Shkodra (northern Albania), is one of the most interesting and saddest legends of the country.
Once upon a time, there were three brothers married to three beautiful wives who lived in what now is northern Albania. The three brothers worked very hard, day and night, to build a castle to protect their town, but every time they finished the work, the castle’s walls would fall down.
They didn’t know why??
One day, they met an old man who told them that there was only one way to keep the castle walls from tumbling down: a sacrifice. The sacrifice consisted of burying one of the wives in the wall of the castle, particularly, the first wife to bring lunch to her husband the next day.
The brothers promised, for the good of the castle and town, not to say anything about the sacrifice to their wives but obviously, things went in a different way…The two older brothers, once at home, explained the situation to their wives, while the youngest brother said nothing to his wife.
The day after, the three brothers waited anxiously for lunchtime. The wives of the older brothers didn’t come with lunch, but Rozafa, the wife of the youngest brother, came with her box full of delicacies.
Rozafa’s husband explained to her that she had to be sacrificed and buried in the walls of the castle in order for the castle to be finished.
Rozafa accept her fate:
She accepted her fate, but under one condition: the brothers would leave a hole for her right breast so her newborn son could feed, another hole for her right hand to caress him and a third hole for her right foot to move his cradle and then;
The castle never collapsed.
