Kruja Castle in Albania: digital technologies for the knowledge and valorisation of the fortified heritage

Kruja Castle, located in north-central Albania, is an important example of Balkan fortified architecture, closely linked to the historical figure of the military leader Giorgio Castriota Scanderbeg. Despite its symbolic and historical value, the site currently lacks systematic and accessible digital documentation. This contribution illustrates a research project aimed at digitising, documenting and enhancing the site using photogrammetric techniques integrated with architectural drawing models, with the aim of providing a new and scientifically based representation of the building. The process included critical surveying, data processing and the generation of accurate, georeferenced and query able 3D models. The digital reconstruction was accompanied by archival research aimed at systematising historical, cartographic and iconographic sources, useful for understanding the transformations of the site over time. The final models were published in open access on the Sketchfab platform to promote the dissemination of content in scientific and public circles. The interactive interface allows for dynamic and multi-scalar use, expanding the ways in which the heritage under investigation can be accessed and interpreted. The Kruja case study is proposed as a prototype for an operational model based on the integration of methodological rigour, digital innovation and dissemination strategies. The research demonstrates how digital tools, when applied to a solid historical and architectural foundation, can contribute not only to the documentation and conservation of heritage, but also to its reinterpretation and contemporary understanding.