Rozafa Castle

A new light shines on the fortress that symbolises a city

Shkodër is the most important city in northern Albania. Being on the border, the city has been subject to Venetian, Slavic and Ottoman influence and domination. This intertwining of cultures is still clearly visible in the traces of Islamic and Catholic, Italian and Turkish architecture found in the monuments, buildings and even in the Rozafa Castle, as the symbol of Shkodër and the best observation point, looking over the city and its surroundings. Perched atop a promontory and wedged between three rivers, the fortress (once) controlled entry into the city. It was built by the Illyrians before being expanded throughout the years by the Venetians and then by the Ottomans, with works that can still be seen today. Its name is linked to the legend of the young Rozafa, walled alive within, as an offering to the gods.

Prolamp by i-LèD Industrial is the chosen luminaire, used extensively to illuminate the surrounding walls. This projector is equipped with a robust casing that permits ample use in outdoor environments, bearing all the characteristics of a professional product – light source efficiency, extensive colour rendering, along with the ability to maintain its direction to emphasise the depth and three-dimensionality of the walls.

To illuminate the interior of the surrounding walls and the minaret, two solutions were chosen. The Periskop, a projector with modern lines and a design that offers accent lighting to emphasise architectural details. Then there is the High-Wired linear profile, for reverse lighting that plays once again with shadow.

The illumination of the entrance area is thanks to Envelope, the versatile path marker used here in the single-emission version, and to Xenia, the family of luminaires offering multiple configuration possibilities to adapt to all lighting needs and here specifically used to illuminate the barbican entrance.

Finally, most of the devices have been equipped with a protective grid to prevent vandalism, along with an external Bluetooth dimmer with a Casambi protocol, the advanced professional system designed for wireless lighting management that, compared to a Dali network and thanks to Bluetooth technology, allows more efficient programming in relation to the kilometric length of the surrounding wall.

Credits:

Lighting Designer: Fulvio Baldeschi

Photo: Pietro Savorelli

Products: Prolamp, Periskop, High Wired, Envelope, Xenia

Year: 2020