Castle Burgajet
Encyclopedia
Castle Burgajet was a large fortified house, located in the Mat District
of Albania
. It was the birth-place, and family seat, of King Zog I of the Albania
ns.
Jason Tomes described it thus;
His family were the traditional feudal rulers of the Mat District
of Albania and were large landowners.
On ascending the Throne, Zog took up residence in a palace in Tirana
(with a Summer Palace in Durrës
- see image). This (along with it being looted and set alight to be cont.) was a factor leading to Castle Burgajet falling into ruin.
Before King Zog was forced to flee Albania he had an ambitious plan to rebuild the Castle but this never transpired; during his reign, however, a plaque commemorated his birth there. When asked why he did not rebuild Burgajet, Zog replied "I was too busy rebuilding my country."
Mat District
The District of Mat is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Dibër County. It is named after the Mat River, that flows through the district. It has a population of 48,803 , and an area of 1,029 km². Its capital is Burrel...
of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. It was the birth-place, and family seat, of King Zog I of the Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
ns.
a solid rectangular building with two small wings facing into a courtyard. This was Castle Burgajet, citadel of the chieftain of Mati...the biggest house for miles and the only one with glazed windows. The interior was even more distinctive...Fancy furnishings, imported from Austria, had recently become the hallmark of wealth. Salon chairs, draperies, table-lamps, and bric-a-brac...
His family were the traditional feudal rulers of the Mat District
Mat District
The District of Mat is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Dibër County. It is named after the Mat River, that flows through the district. It has a population of 48,803 , and an area of 1,029 km². Its capital is Burrel...
of Albania and were large landowners.
On ascending the Throne, Zog took up residence in a palace in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
(with a Summer Palace in Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
- see image). This (along with it being looted and set alight to be cont.) was a factor leading to Castle Burgajet falling into ruin.
Before King Zog was forced to flee Albania he had an ambitious plan to rebuild the Castle but this never transpired; during his reign, however, a plaque commemorated his birth there. When asked why he did not rebuild Burgajet, Zog replied "I was too busy rebuilding my country."