Koules Fortress

The Venetians built Rocca a Mare between 1523 and 1540 at the end of the mole protecting Heraklion's harbour, and the Ottomans later called it Su Kulesi, the water tower, which became Koules in Greek. The fort is a low massive block with walls up to nine metres thick at the base, designed to absorb cannon fire, containing twenty-six vaulted chambers on the ground floor that served as stores, barracks and, at times, prison cells. Three marble reliefs of the winged lion of Saint Mark are set into the exterior walls. Restored and reopened in 2016, it now houses exhibitions including material recovered from shipwrecks, and its roof terrace gives a view back over the harbour, the city and Mount Juktas behind.

History

The site may first have been fortified by the Arabs in the 9th or 10th centuries, and by the second Byzantine period a tower called Castellum Comunis stood here, damaged by an earthquake in 1303 and repaired. In 1462 the Venetian Senate approved better defences for Candia, and in 1523 the Byzantine tower was pulled down and the Castello a Mare begun, with old ships filled with stone sunk to form a breakwater; by 1630 it carried 18 cannons on the ground floor and 25 on the way to the roof. In the 21-year Siege of Candia Ottoman batteries silenced its guns, and the Ottomans took it in 1669 when the Venetians surrendered the city (Wikipedia, Koules Fortress).

What's there

• The vaulted chambers - twenty-six rooms in the fort's thick ground floor.
• The lion reliefs - Venetian emblems carved on the outer walls.
• The roof terrace - views over the harbour and the city.
• The exhibitions - shipwreck finds and displays on the fort's history.

When to go

Year-round; the walk along the mole is pleasant in the evening and the fort is a good rainy-day option. Summer midday on the terrace is hot and unshaded.

Before you go

The interior is bare stone chambers with modest displays, and the visit takes under an hour. The mole walk is exposed in wind. It is often combined with the archaeological museum rather than visited alone.

Nearby

Heraklion's archaeological museum and market are in the centre; Knossos lies five kilometres south.

Key facts