Castles

castle askifouAskifou

On a hill in Askifou Tableland stand the remains of a fortress that was built by the Turkish to fight against the Cretan Revolution (1866  1869).

 

castle chora sfakionHora Sfakion

Hora Sfakion is a small settlement built by the sea. It probably took its name by the Venetians who built a small fortress near the sea, on a low hill called Kasteli, in the end of the 15th century. The fortress was built to protect the area mainly from the pirates' attacks.


frangokastello castleFragokastelo

It is one of the latest castles built by the Venetians  along with that of Hora Sfakion  in order to control the rebellious people of Sfakia and face the pirates who ruled over the Mediterranean Sea. Its construction began in 1371, near the small church of Agios Nikitas and that is why it was originally named “the castle of Agios Nikitas”.

The locals, however, have called it Fragokastelo ever since. The building of the castle took a long time because the people of Sfakia, who had six brothers from Patsianos village as leaders, destroyed at night what was built during the day. These six brothers were captured after betrayal and were hanged. The four of them were hanged from the four corner keeps of the castle while the other two were hanged from the central gate. Building materials from a neighbouring ancient city were probably used for the castle's construction but this hasn't been verified yet.

 

agia roumeli castleAgia Roumeli

Situated in Agia Roumeli, near the exit of Samaria Gorge.