A new monumental statue of our national hero, George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, has been installed in the city of Lezha.

After seven years of anticipation, the work by sculptor Ardian Pepa was finally revealed and placed in the garden opposite the burial site of the national hero.

The sculptor shared that this statue captures George Kastrioti at the pivotal moment he convened the Albanian princes on March 2, 1444.

“The statue is positioned to harmonize with the Memorial. It commemorates the moment Skanderbeg returned from Turkey on the historic date of March 2, 1444, to hold the Assembly of Lezha,” explained Pepa.

Paulin Zefi, the Cultural Heritage Officer for the Municipality of Lezha, referred to this statue as a symbolic “return home” for Kastrioti.

“…to his beloved city, Lezha, where the two most significant events of his life are intertwined: the League of Lezha and his passing and burial here, as he chose it as his final resting place and laid the foundations for the true Albanian state, Arbër,” Zefi remarked.

Originally, the statue was set to be placed in 2019 in the square named after the hero. However, the Ministry of Culture explained that the location was part of an archaeological park, which prevented the pouring of concrete for the statue’s installation.

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