Grazhdan Castle was declared a cultural monument on January 15, 1963, by the Rectorate of the State University of Tirana. The castle covers an area of approximately 34 hectares, with a perimeter of 2760 meters. The walls are 2.8 meters wide and 4.5 meters high. The castle originally had three entrances, with the main entrance measuring 9 × 14 meters, and featured 40 defensive towers.
The settlements around the castle represent Illyrian villages from the XNUMXth–XNUMXnd centuries BC. Grazhdan was the epicenter where the roads of Dibra converged and dispersed in antiquity. The large size of the surrounding walls, reinforced by defensive towers, indicates that they protected one of the largest cities in the country. These walls date back to the beginning of the XNUMXth century BC.
Grazhdan was the most important road junction of the province, connecting routes to Macedonia, Ohrid, Byzantium, Elbasan, Tirana, Durrës, Lezhë, and Shkodër. The fortress is located 13 kilometers from the city of Peshkopia, along the Peshkopia–Tirana national road, to the right of the road and east of the village of the same name.
Grazhdan Castle is the largest surface monument in Dibra. Most artifacts discovered in the castle are preserved in the museum in Peshkopia. It is the largest castrum in Albania and among the largest in the region, and it is part of Maqellarë National Park.
