New Fortress of Corfu, Corfu, Greece

The New Fortress of Corfu is a Venetian fortress built on the hill of St. Mark in Corfu. The current buildings which exist within the fortress were built by the British during their rule of the island (1815–63).

In the aftermath of the first great Ottoman siege of Corfu in 1537, the Venetians developed plans to expand the fortifications of the city. Venetians built the New Fortress at the hill of St. Mark to further strengthen the defences of the outer city of Corfu and to act as the focal point of the new fortifications. The exact dating of the structure is not established but accounts vary between 1576 or 1577-1588, and 1572-1645.

The sea defences of the New Fortress were destroyed by the British when the British protectorate came to an end and Corfu was united with Greece in 1864. Under the same agreement, the Avrami and Vido island forts were also destroyed. When the latter fort was demolished, the explosion was so strong that it broke house windows on the Corfu side of the sea channel.

At the top of the castle there is a stone building which was used for defence and a brick building which in modern times functions as the headquarters of the Naval Station of Corfu. The Venetian fortifications were later expanded by the British and the French to help defend against a possible Turkish attack. Its fortifications included 700 pieces of artillery with range estimated as far as the Albanian coast.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Mirek Zabski (5 years ago)
Another one historical military object in Corfu old capital worth to see. Built-in XVI century C.E. Very large. Very massive and immense. In good condition despite time destruction and during WW II destruction. Well preserved Scarpon Fort as a part of New Venetian Fortress. An object to visit for military and historic buffs. I visited in September 2020.

Ajdin Mehic (5 years ago)
The entrance was free, and the place is opened every day expect from Tuesday (at least at the moment it says it that way, October 2020). Tje place is clean, quite well maintained, and one needs between half an hour and an hour to explore it walking slowly. You have a speactacular view on Corfu Town from the top.

Seb (5 years ago)
Frankly,a bit boring. The view is nice but there is no historic background information. Basically just a hike up and down again. But it's free so no complaints. Could be improved with some more explanatory boards.

Lukas Savko (5 years ago)
Short walk inside the fortress, no entrance fee at the time. Very nice views of Kerkyra. Worth the visit. Market with fresh local products nearby.

Boaz Rensenbrink (5 years ago)
There are multiple ways to reach the entrance and some of them are wheelchair friendly. The fortress is wheelchair viewable but some passages are very narrow but luckily you can go around. When entering fortress ground there’s a public bathroom but it’s out of order. Thanks to covid and low to none maintenance a few areas are prohibited to enter and are closed. The top of the fortress cannot be reached by the main public. There are plenty of nice locations to snap a few pictures of Corfu town and the close by island across the town. At various locations ( in & out the sun) there are benches to have some water and catch a breath. When walking at an average speed and picture breaks you can cover all the ground in 20/25 minutes. Outside the fortress area there’s plenty of parking, when you get closer to the entrance the parking is based on luck and you have to be creative. I give it a three star because in a way the attention is directed towards the view of the old town and the fortress is not being put on the spotlight. I think it would be great experience if they open during the evening and light out some walls and such.

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