Borsh

Coastal village with a 7 km beach below Sopot hill

A village on the Albanian Riviera with a long beach, olive and citrus farming, and a hilltop castle.

Borsh is a village on the Albanian Riviera, in the former Lukovë municipality, which became part of Himarë Municipality in the 2015 local government reform. It…Borsh is a village on the Albanian Riviera, in the former Lukovë municipality, which became part of Himarë Municipality in the 2015 local government reform. It borders Piqeras, Qeparo, Fterrë and several other villages, and has about 2,500 registered inhabitants. Its beach runs for about 7 km along the Ionian Sea, and the village is surrounded by hills rising to around 900 m.

Borsh Castle, also known as Sopot Castle after the hill it stands on, follows the trace of an ancient acropolis. The site grew into a small hill town in the 4th century BC, was refortified under the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, and later changed hands between the Despotate of Epirus, the Angevins, Venice and the Ottomans; its last ruler was Ali Pasha. The walls survive, and inside stands the ruined 17th century Hajji Bendo Mosque.

Tourism and olive oil production support the village, alongside citrus fruit, grapes and livestock. Along the beach there is a handful of small hotels and guesthouses.