Castello del Molo (Koules) - Heraklion, Crete, Greece
N 35° 20.661 E 025° 08.198
35S E 330669 N 3912824
The Castello del Molo is an impressive two-story sea fort castle that protected the Heraklion harbour on the Island of Crete, Greece. This castle is crowned with the impressive Lion of St Mark above the entrance.
Waymark Code: WM6XAG
Location: Greece
Date Posted: 08/01/2009
Views: 47
From the
Information Society of Crete website (click on link for Rocca al Mare):
The fortress dominating the entrance to the Venetian harbour has been variously referred to as the Castello del Molo, the Rocca a Mare and the Koules.
It predates the second Venetian fortifications around the city, and was built so as to protect the area enclosed by the mole. The Venetian Castello acquired its final form over the period 1523-1540, in replacement of an older fortress destroyed by earthquakes and other phenomena.
The fortress is first attested in the early 13th century the earliest depiction we have is that by the Florentine monk Cristoforo Buondelmonti in 1429.
The devastating force of the sea was such that the walls and foundations were in constant need of repair.
Built of massive blocks of stone resting on a rocky outcrop, the fortress stands two storeys high. The total floor area is 3600 square meters.
The ground floor has a vaulted roof with large light wells. Its twenty-six chambers served as quarters for the counsellors and storage houses for water, food and armaments. The dank prison on the same floor was used in both Venetian and Ottoman times to hold and torture Cretan rebels. The lighthouse was located on the north side of the upper level.