Kastro (Castle)

Around 1360, because of the continuous pirate raids, the Skiathians had to abandon the ancient town of Skiathos and establish a new town in Kastro spanning roughly 25.000m2. It is a rocky peninsula on the north of the island, a natural fortress hanging above the sea, since it is built on top of an imposing rock with panoramic view.

The fortress’ point of contact with the land was a wooden drawbridge connecting its gate with the butte across it. There was a rooftop on top of the gate that had crenelations and a box machicolation. Since its founding until 1453, Kastro was ruled by the Byzantines, then until 1538 by the Venetians and from 1538 by Hayreddin Barbarossa, the Pasha of the Turkish fleet until 1821. For a short period of time around 1660, Kastro passed again in the hands of the Venetians after the siege of Francesco Morosini. Kastro had 400 to 500 houses, 4 parishes and more than twenty little churches - even a mosque without minaret and a Castellan’s Office left over from the Turkish Rule- as well as the necessary water tanks. The Cemetery was outside of Kastro.

After the island’s liberation from the Turks, Kastro came into Greek hands and following the declaration of Greece as an Independent State in 1830, Kastro was abandoned and slowly turned desolate.

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