Cultural & religious sites Tepelene

Dragoti Bridge- Tepelena

Dragoti Bridge is listed as Culture Monument and is one of the most beautiful bridges in Albania. It was built in 1936 by an Italian company from Genova local company from Gjirokastra “Selfo”. Dragoti Bridge is situated on Vjosa River, the wildest river in Europe. The bridge links the Mount Golik and Lunxheria region with the Mount of Shëndërllisë, and the view is spectacular. Besides its architecture beauty it is one of the most functional bridges which link the southeast Albania (Korce, Kolonje, Permet), with the south part of Albania (Tepelene, Gjirokaster, Delvine, Sarande). This is bridge absolutely important, because there is no other alternative to link these parts of Albania.

This bridge is built with iron structures, with no feet structure on the river. It resisted to many decades, more than 80 years. It used to have a wooden trestle with was replaced in 1990 with asphalt to facilitated cars.
Around the Dragoti Bridges there are situated the villages of Becisht (the birth place of Ali Pashe Tepelena), Lekli village, the birthplace of the most loyal advisor of Ali Pasha- Thanas Vaja) where one can visit the ancient ruins of Lekli Castle, belonging to 3rd century BC; the ruins of Orthodoks Monastery Kodra. Te Gorge of Mezhgoran, where the Albanian hero Asim Zeneli died in a battle in 2 July 1943 for the liberation of the country against fascist Italian troops .
There are restaurants and guesthouses on both sides of the bridge which offer very good food and traditional menu.