Lesvos Medieval Castle

Location: Mytilene

The Medieval Castle of Mytilene on Lesvos: The Castle of Mytilene, the capital of Lesvos island, is built around a hill, close to the port. This is one of the strongest and largest castles of the Eastern Mediterranean. It is believed that the Byzantines were the first to build the walls of this Castle on the site of the ancient acropolis, of which we have no clue today.

Its construction started in the 5th century in order to protect the island for the pirates that were ravaging the Mediterranean. Many reformations were done in the 14th century, under the domination of the Genovese family of Gatelouzi.

Then, the island of Lesvos was conquered by the Turks, and so was the Castle of Mytilene. The Turks also made many reconstructions and the most important was the one in 1677. In the inside walls of the Castle, remains of the ancient, the medieval and the Ottoman periods have been found. Today, many cultural events are held in this castle.