⭐ Travel Guide for Island Crete ⛵, Greece❗

Crete in ancient times was not threatened by external enemies. The first external enemies of the island were the Romans. Therefore, till then, the fortification of cities was focused on internal enemies. After the Roman Empire (67 BC-330 AD) things changed radically. Crete became a province of the Eastern Roman Empire, which later transformed to the Byzantine Empire. At the same time, several civilizations started developing around the Mediterranean Sea.

Thus, Crete, because of its natural and geopolitical position, acquired great importance and became an "apple of discord" for the civilizations of the Mediterranean. During the First Byzantine Period (330-824) things looked calm. For that reason, combined with the internal and external problems of the Empire, the island was on the fringes of the Byzantine interest. Thus, pirate raids increased and the seaside monasteries were fortified to protect themselves.

Under these circumstances, the first storm on the island was imminent. The Saracen pirates managed to easily occupy Crete in 824, that was almost defenseless. They settled for 140 years, till 961, during which they fortified the largest town, today’s Heraklion. After continuous failures to reoccupy Crete, Nikiforos Fokas managed to liberate the island from pirates in 961. Then, the Byzantines built new walls, which managed to keep invaders away for a few more centuries.

In 1206, Crete passed into the hands of the Genoese, who immediately gave particular importance to the fortification of the island. Within a few years the fortified three castles and 12 fortresses, but still the Venetians managed to occupy the island in 1209. The Venetian Era in Crete lasted for 4.5 centuries and was mainly dependant on the colossal fortification structures. The best Venetian engineers built the Great Castle of Candia (Heraklion). The Turks managed to take over Candia in 1669 after 22 years (!) of besieging and immediately started restoring the Venetian Forts and built a lot of small fortresses across the Cretan Territory, called Koules. The Turks took care of their forts till the end of their presence on the island.

Even today, visitors can get an idea of what the fortified cities of Crete were like, as the walls are still in excellent condition. The impressive castles in Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion and the fortresses on the islands of Souda, Gramvousa, Spinalonga are but a few samples of Cretan fort architecture.

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Castel Monte Forte at Krya

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Next to the village of Krya, 25km away from the town of Sitia, there is a hill with the church of St. George and the ruins of a Venetian castle, called Monte Forte or Apano Castelli (Upper Forth).

Sfakia Fort (Castel di Sfacia)

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The fort of Sfakia (Castel di Sfacia or Sfachia) was built on Kastelli hill, on the eastern edge of Sfakia (Chora Sfakion) town and was the last fort built by the Venetians in Crete. It was built during the 15th-16th century on the site of a previous Byzantine fort. Information about the castle is very poor, but this was mentioned for the first time in documents of 1526.

Agios Nikolaos fortress at Kyriakosellia

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The fortress of Agios Nikolaos of Kyriakosellia is located in the homonym settlement of Kyriakosellia, belonging to the province of Apokoronas. It was a Byzantine fortress built by the feudal lord of the region to secure his privileges.

Agios Stefanos fort

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The village of Agios Stefanos (or Gra) in Sitia province, located between Pefki and Stavrohori villages, is built on a high hill. Atop the hill there is a rock which the locals call Kastellos or Fortezza, atop of which there are the ruins of a Venetian fortress.

Castel Bonifacio (Monofatsi Fort)

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The Fort Bonifacio or Apano Castelli is located west of the current Tsifout Kastelli village, 44km south of Heraklion, on a hill now called Apano Kasteli or Psilo Aloni. The fort is reported since 1212 and was built by the Genoese pirate Henry Pescatore.

Fort Paleo Castro

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East of Paleokastro (Sitia Province) rises the steep hill Kastri, which separates the beaches of Kouremenos and Chiona. The hill was called Paleo Castro (Old Fort) by the Venetians, after which the current village is named.

Villa De Mezzo in Etia

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Etia is an deserted medieval village, located near Lithines of Sitia province, which in its heyday was the largest village of the area with more than 500 residents. It is worth strolling among the Venetian buildings of the village. Here in the late 15th century, the Venetian master Pietro Dei Mezzo, which was the feudal lord of the surrounding area, built the mansion De Mezzo, known as Villa De Mezzo or Seraglio.

Nio Chorio Koules

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The Koules in Nio Chorio is located in the middle of Apokoronas Province, about 25km southeast of Chania and close to the village of Nio Chorio. On the hill of the fort leads a road starting from Nio Chorio. The fort is not well preserved, with only a few walls standing and commemorating its glorious past.

Forts

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