The five-century-old castle is positioned on the edge of Via Egnatia, one of the most important trade routes of the Roman Empire, and is close to the outflow of the River Shkumbin. It was declared a monument of the highest category in Albania in both 1948 and 1971 and remains part of the tentative liste of Albania in order to qualify for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Its ruins are located some 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the village of Vile Boshtove in Tirana. Boshtove region in the middle ages was was known as a trade harbor and otherwise centre for the export of grains. The fortress is a rectangular structure oriented to the north-south direction and it has three entrances, from which there still are well-preserved archaeological traces they were placed at the northern, western and eastern walls. The walls are 9 metres (30 ft) high and comprise a roughly 60 by 90 metres (200 by 300 ft) interior. In the north and east, there stands round towers each of them 12 metres (39 ft) high. The objects found inside the castle are preserved at the National Museum of History, located in Tirana. Historians say that it was built by the Venetians in the 15th century and according to Turkish traveler Evlija Celebi it was conquered by the Turks in 1478 Bashtova Castle is surrounded by Spille and Grethi beaches that are located within a kilometer of the castle and also Shkumbin River which is less than 500 meters away. As such, the hiking, swimming, or fishing opportunities here are present. It is the only Castle in the Balkans built on a field which makes it special.