Lassithi Kazarma Fortress

Location: Sitia

The fortifications around the town of Sitia and the imposing Kazarma belong to the end of the Byzantine Period. The Venetians had used Sitia as a base for their Eastern Mediterranean operations. The imposing buildings of the Venetian Kazarma Fortress and the feudal towers dispersed over the area are built over the older ruins.

Eventually, the Venetians restored the fort and further extended it. The name Kazarma was derived from the Italian Casa di Arma (meaning barracks) as a result of the Venetian occupation. The Venetians had built the most imposing and massive monument in Sitia. Kazarma was mainly a military base with barracks for soldiers, yet it was also used as a center of administration.

Kazarma comprises mainly a medieval building protected by massive walls. The fortress on the top of the hill had walls built towards the sea and met another wall on the shoreline as a part of the defense system. The maritime walls and the fortress are still in good condition, but the walls that link these two are gone. Inside the fortress, a stronghold was built in case the enemy breached the walls. The fortress had resisted a siege for three years from 1648 to 1651.

The castle was ruined by an earthquake in 1508, while further damage occurred in 1538 from the attack of the terrible pirate Barbarossa. The continual uprisings by the local people also partially led to the destruction of the fortifications. In the end, the Venetians themselves were compelled to destroy them. This was done to prevent the Ottoman Turks from taking advantage of them and with the intention of rebuilding them, but that never happened.

Finally, in 1651 the town was erased completely and then the Turks occupied it. During the period of the Turkish occupation, the walls were not rebuilt. On the other hand, the Kazarma was restored and you can still see the Turkish extensions in the cupolas (kubbe) above the battlements used as watchtowers. The Ottoman period left its stamp above the entrance, in the shape of this lookout turret that strengthened the fort.

Nowadays, Kazarma has been carefully restored, is open to the public, and offers a spectacular view of the bay of Sitia. It is a good starting point for sightseeing. When you visit the fortress, wander around the area to see the traces of the Venetian occupation, mostly in the fortifications, guard towers and the extensive villas of the ruling families.

Kazarma is floodlit by night during the summer months; it is the center of Sitia's cultural life and holds the Kornaria Festival, a tribute to the great poet Vitsentzos Kornaros. You can then see concerts, plays, art exhibitions, readings and lectures in July and August, while various art festivals are held there throughout the year.