Royal Villa of Durrës

The Royal Villa of Durrës, also known as Zog’s Villa of Durrës, is a historic structure in the Albanian city of Durrës. King Zog used to spend his summers there.

During the Monarchy’s rule, it served as the summer residence of the Albanian Royal family, and it is still a symbol of the Monarchy in the city.

In 2007, it was returned to Albania’s Crown Prince Leka. The Albanian lands commission recognized and authorized the restoration process, which followed all legal requirements without issue. The Palace was offered to King Zog as a token of success by the Durrës commercial community.

The home is located on the Durrës hill, which is 98 meters above sea level. The home has three sides that face the sea. It was erected in 1926 and extends in the shape of an eagle. The mansion was created by Kristo Sotiri, an architect who graduated from the University of Padova and the University of Venice in Italy. Sotiri had a lot of expertise by the time he was designing the structure, including being the architect for Queen Elisabeth of Wied of Romania’s Court. King Zog married Queen Géraldine Apponyi de Nagyappony a few months after the structure was completed in 1937.

After WWII, the residence was repurposed as a government reception facility. Many communist officials, from Soviet first secretary Nikita Khrushchev to Cambodian royal Samde Norodom Sihanuk, visited the edifice throughout Communist Albania. In the 1990s, former US President Jimmy Carter was among the visitors. During Albania’s instability in 1997, the villa’s inside was damaged. Prince Leka has devised a rebuilding strategy that will be executed soon.