NERATZIA CASTLE
Kos, Greece
The Castle, generally just called "Kos Castle", stands in the harbour of Kos Town and was once on an island of it's own, connected by a small bridge - "The Bridge of the Phoenicians Street" - traces of which still survive.
The Castle takes the form of two concentric sets of walls, the central set of which form a keep-like enclosure with circular bastions, the rear set of walls forming part of the outer ring. Not unusually local ancient buildings were pressed into service as part of the Castles' structure and bits and pieces of Greek and Roman temples and other buildings are dotted around the Castle ruins today.
The earliest Castle was built around the 14th Century when the Turkish Sultan Bayazit I was attacking Kos. The oldest surviving parts date from the mid 15th Century, with the Castle being completed by 1514.
Very little in the way of action seems to have occurred at the Castle and it has fallen into ruin from purely natural circumstances of decay. The Castle is owned by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and contains a small museum.
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2001
