Ali Pasha Castle in Tepelene will be returned to the southern town as an important resource for local economy, thanks to an all-in-all restoration project that also saw the demolition of illegal constructions and removal of invasive plants. Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by Mayor of Tepelene, Tërmet Peçi, met a group of local residents who reside within and around the castle’s territory. The government head said that all families affected by the project will benefit support and housing according to law so that the Castle becomes a tourist attraction and an additional opportunity for local residents to start tourism businesses.

“We need to design a precise project also for the existing houses that won’t be affected by the project, so that they become castle houses, and not like suburb properties. The existing houses within the castle’s territory, according to the project, the ones built close to the castle’s wall should not continue existing, while the ones at the heart of the castle and around it will be rehabilitated to take a fresh look by preserving stone walls so that your properties and the castle become sources of income by attracting more visitors and foreign tourists, creating spaces for handcraft products and locally grown produce,” PM Rama said.

The restoration of Ali Pasha Castle, a first-category cultural monument, has begun, while, according to the mayor of Tepelene, the next phase will include pavement of roads around the Castle and inside it, as well as the installation of lighting system.