Rethymno Fortezza

Location: Town

The Venetian stronghold of Fortezza is built on top of a low hill overlooking Rethymno Town. The hill is known as Paleokastro, which means old castle in Greek and suggests the existence of an older structure in that place. This huge fortress was built between 1540 and 1570 by the Venetians as a bulwark against Turkish pirates and is visible from every part of the town, providing visitors with a panoramic view of Rethymno Town.

The Venetians fortified Rethymno Town and constructed a small port with a view to using it as a stopover between Chania and Heraklion. Nevertheless, the citadel was not strong enough to withstand an attack; the lack of a moat, the buttresses supporting the relatively low walls and its small size meant that it could easily be scaled with ladders. Its function seems to have been to serve the needs of the Venetian garrison, rather than to withstand a long siege, which is why it was easily conquered by the Turks within 23 days in 1646.

Today, only the outer fortifications of the Fortezza remain intact, as most of the residences inside the enclosure have been pulled down. However, some public buildings retain their original form, with very few alterations. The citadel consists of four bastions and three gates. Visitors can enter from the East Gate through an impressive archway.

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Top Tours and activities

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More about the Fortezza

One of the many sights inside the Fortezza is the Ibraham Han Mosque, which was erected on the site of the pre-existing Saint Nicholas church and is characterized by an impressive hemispherical dome. Visitors can also see the church of Agios Theodoros Trichinas, an orthodox chapel built in 1899 by the Russian Governor of Rethymnon. Other surviving constructions include powder magazines, cisterns and the Palazzo Pubblico, the Rector’s house, which used to house the local prison.

The 20th-century Theater of Erofili is also housed inside the Fortezza, having been named after a play by Georgios Chortatsis, a famous Cretan playwright. It hosts the annual Rethymnon Renaissance Festival, which presents plays by the most significant playwrights of the Cretan and the European Renaissance, as well as other cultural events inspired by that historical era.