Editing Corfu (section)

==Castles==
The castles of Corfu, located at strategic points on the island helped defend the island from many invaders and they were instrumental in repulsing repeated Turkish invasions, making Corfu one of the few places in Greece never to be conquered by the Ottomans.

===Palaio Frourio===
{{main|Old Fortress, Corfu}}
[[File:Palaio Frourio in Corfu.png|thumb|Palaio Frourio south elevation. The Venetian built [[moat]] is on the left and the Doric style St. George's Church built by the British can be seen in the background on the right.]]
[[File:View from Corfu fort.jpg|thumb|Yachts at anchor as seen from the fort]]

The ''old citadel'' (in Greek ''Palaio Frourio'' (Παλαιό Φρούριο) is an old Venetian fortress built on an artificial islet with fortifications surrounding its entire perimeter, although some sections, particularly on the east side, are slowly being eroded and falling into the sea. Nonetheless, the interior has been restored and is in use for cultural events, such as concerts (συναυλίες) and Sound and Light Productions (Ηχος και Φως), when historical events are recreated using sound and light special effects. These events take place amidst the ancient fortifications, with the Ionian Sea in the background. The central high point of the citadel rises like a giant natural [[obelisk]] complete with a military observation post at the top, with a giant [[#Early history|cross]] at its apex; at the foot of the observatory lies St. George's church, in a classical style punctuated by six [[Doric Order|Doric]] columns,<ref name="St. George">{{cite web |url=http://www.igougo.com/planning/journalEntryActivity.asp?EntryID=27782 |title=St. George Article |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070311155015/http://www.igougo.com/planning/journalEntryActivity.asp?EntryID=27782 |archive-date=11 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> as opposed to the [[Hagia Sophia|Byzantine]] architectural style of the greater part of Greek Orthodox churches.

===Neo Frourio===
{{main|New Fortress, Corfu}}
[[File:New Venetian Fortress Corfu 06 2017 3254.jpg|thumb|View of the Neo Frourio]]

The ''new citadel'' or ''Neo Frourio'' (Νέο Φρούριο, "New Fortress") is a huge complex of fortifications built by the British during their [[United States of the Ionian Islands|rule of the island]] (1815–63) dominating the northeastern part of the city.<ref>{{harvnb|Stamatopoulos|1993|p=162}}: "The New Fortress was built on the hill of St. Mark between 1572 and 1645, the military engineer ..."</ref>{{Failed verification|date=March 2025}} The huge walls of the fortress loom over the landscape as one travels from ''Neo Limani'' (Νέο Λιμάνι, "New Port") to the city, taking the road that passes through the fishmarket (ψαραγορά). The new citadel was until recently a restricted area due to the presence of a naval garrison, but old restrictions have been lifted and it is now open to the public, with tours possible through the maze of medieval corridors and fortifications. The winged [[Lion of St Mark]], the symbol of Venice, can be seen at regular intervals adorning the fortifications.

===Angelokastro===
{{main|Angelokastro (Corfu)}}
[[File:Angelokastro (Corfu).jpg|thumb|The Byzantine castle of [[Angelokastro (Corfu)|Angelokastro]] in Corfu with the Ionian Sea in the background]]

Angelokastro ({{langx|el|Αγγελόκαστρο}} (Castle of Angelos or Castle of the Angel); {{Langx|vec|Castel Sant'Angelo}}) is a [[Byzantine]] [[castle]] on the island's northwest coast.<ref name="StamatopoulosAngelocastro">{{harvnb|Stamatopoulos|1993|pp=163–165, 325}}: "On a precipitous rocky peak dominating a wide range of coastline around Palaeokastritsa stand the crumbling walls and battlements of the twelfth-century Byzantine Fortress of Angelokastro, not far from the village of Krini." (p. 163); "After a siege lasting a year the invaders were finally driven away by the defenders of the fortress who were helped by the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages. Again, during the first great siege of Corfu by the Turks in 1537, Angelocastro successfully resisted attack. About 3,000 villagers had sought refuge within the fortress to escape the fate of the inhabitants of other parts of the island who were ... In 1571, when they once more invaded Corfu, the Ottomans again unsuccessfully attacked, Angelocastro, where 4,000 people had taken refuge. During the second great siege of the city by the Ottomans in 1716, Angelokastro once again served as a refuge for the ... During the course of the centuries Angelocastro played an important part in the defence of the island. In 1403 a force of Genoese soldiers, under the command of the French condottiere Boucicaut, landed at Palaeokastritsa and attacked ... The fortress existed in 1272 when it was formally taken over by the Italian Giordano di San Felice in the name of the Angevin rulers of Naples, who held the island of Corfu from 1267 to 1386." (p. 164); "...&nbsp;Angelocastro was probably built during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel Comnenos (1143 - 1180)." (p. 164); "This was used as a hermitage and was converted into a chapel, probably around the end of the eighteenth century" (p. 165); "From the top of Angelocastro the view sweeps far and wide over the hills across the breadth of Corfu, to the town, the Eastern Channel and the mountains on the mainland, over a sheer drop of a thousand feet to the sea below" (p. 325).</ref><ref name="Kordōsēs1981">{{cite book |author=Michaēl S. Kordōsēs |title=Symvolē stēn historia kai topographia tēs periochēs Korinthou stous mesous chronous |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kmE_AQAAIAAJ&q=%CE%92%CF%85%CE%B6%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%BF+%CE%91%CE%B3%CE%B3%CE%B5%CE%BB%CF%8C%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%83%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF |access-date=19 September 2013 |year=1981 |publisher=Vivliopōleio D.N. Karavia |page=140 |quote=Ή ύπαρξη βυζαντινών έρειπίων στή θέση Πατίμα δείχνει πιθανότατα ότι στό σημείο αύτό ύπήρχε βυζαντινός οικισμός. Δέν άποκλείεται, σέ δυσκολότερα χρόνια, ό πληθυσμός νά μετοίκησε άπό τή θέση αύτήστσν οχυρωμένο λόφο. Εκτός άπό τό βυζαντινό φρούριο, στήν περιοχή τοϋ Άγγελοκάστρου παρουσιάζουν ένδιαφέρον καί δυό παλιές έκ- κλησίες, πού ...Ο Buchon, που επισκέφθηκε το καστρο, υποθέτει οτι χτιστηκε ατα τελη του ΙΒ' αιώνα από καποιο μελος της οικογενειας των Αγγελων Κομνηνων, σε μια ταραγμένη εποχή που ευνοουσε προσωπα με κυρος να γινονται ανεξαρτητα απο το κεντρο. Τα τειχη του, γραφει, μαρτυρουν βιαστικη κατασκευή.}}</ref> It is located at the top of the highest peak of the island's shoreline, near [[Palaiokastritsa]], and built on particularly precipitous and rocky terrain. It stands {{cvt|1000|ft|0}} on a steep cliff above the sea and surveys the [[Corfu (city)|City of Corfu]] and the mountains of mainland Greece to the southeast and a wide area of Corfu toward the northeast and northwest.<ref name="StamatopoulosAngelocastro" /><ref name="BowmanKerasiotis2012">{{cite book |author1=John S. Bowman |author2=Peter Kerasiotis |author3=Sherry Marker |title=Frommer's Greece |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2C9QJ5Ie0kAC&pg=PA567 |access-date=11 February 2013 |date=10 January 2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-20577-8 |page=567}}</ref>

Angelokastro is one of the most important fortified complexes of Corfu. It was an acropolis which surveyed the region all the way to the southern [[Adriatic]] and presented a formidable strategic vantage point to the occupant of the castle.

Angelokastro formed a defensive triangle with the castles of [[Gardiki Castle, Corfu|Gardiki]] and [[Kassiopi Castle|Kassiopi]], which covered Corfu's defences to the south, northwest and northeast. The castle never fell, despite frequent sieges and attempts at conquering it through the centuries, and played a decisive role in defending the island against pirate incursions and during three sieges of Corfu by the Ottomans, significantly contributing to their defeat. During invasions it helped shelter the local peasant population. The villagers also fought against the invaders playing an active role in the defence of the castle. Angelokastro, located at the western frontier of the Empire, was instrumental in repulsing the Ottomans during the first great siege of Corfu in 1537, in the siege of 1571 and the second great siege of Corfu in 1716 causing the Ottomans to fail at penetrating the defences of Corfu in the North. Consequently the Turks were never able to create a [[beachhead]] and to occupy the island.<ref>{{harvnb|Stamatopoulos|1993|pp=164–165}}: "Again, during the first great siege of Corfu by the Turks in 1537, Angelocastro ... and After a siege lasting a year the invaders were finally driven away by the defenders of the fortress who were helped by the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages. In 1571, when they once more invaded Corfu, the Turks again unsuccessfully attacked, Angelocastro, where 4,000 people had taken refuge. During the second great siege of the city by the Turks in 1716, Angelokastro once again served..."</ref>

===Gardiki Castle===
{{main|Gardiki Castle, Corfu}}
[[File:Corfu Gardiki Castle R03.jpg|thumb|Gardiki Castle]]

Gardiki Castle ({{langx|el|Κάστρο Γαρδικίου}}) is a 13th-century [[Byzantine]] castle on the southwestern coast of Corfu and the only surviving medieval fortress on the southern part of the island.<ref name="Publishing2012">{{cite book |author=DK Publishing |title=Top 10 Corfu & the Ionian Islands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IhF3EHpH6PsC&pg=PT80 |date=1 May 2012 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-0-7566-9434-0 |page=80}}</ref> It was built by a ruler of the [[Despotate of Epirus]],<ref name="Edwards2003">{{cite book |author=Nick Edwards |title=The Rough Guide to Corfu |url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetocorf00joh_hvu |url-access=registration |year=2003 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-84353-038-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetocorf00joh_hvu/page/223 223] |quote=On the other side of Mount Ayios Matheos. 2 km by road, is Gardiki Pirgos, the ruins of a thirteenth century castle built in this unlikely lowland setting by the despots of Epirus.}}</ref> and was one of three castles which defended the island before the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] era (1401–1797).

The location of Gardiki at the narrow southwest flank of Corfu provided protection to the fields and the southern lowlands of Corfu and in combination with [[Kassiopi Castle]] on the northeastern coast of the island and Byzantine [[Angelokastro (Corfu)|Angelokastro]] protecting the northwestern shore of Corfu, formed a triangular line of defence which protected Corfu during the pre-Venetian era.<ref name="Edwards2003"/><ref name="Philippidēs1983">{{cite book |author=Dēmētrēs Philippidēs |title=Greek Traditional Architecture: Eastern Aegean, Sporades-Ionian Islands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0tQAAAAMAAJ&q=Angelokastro |year=1983 |publisher=Melissa |volume=1 |page=222}}</ref><ref name=UNESCO3>{{cite web |title=The Old Town of Corfu Nomination for inclusion on the World Heritage List STATE PARTY Greece STATE, PROVINCE OR REGION Greece, lonian Islands Region, Corfu Prefecture NAME OF PROPERTY The Old Town of Corfu |url=https://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/978.pdf |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |page=29 |quote=One thing is certain, however. The area under plough outside the walls increased, since the village communities multiplied across the entire island (if we are to judge from the Byzantine castles that have survived) in order to protect the fields. They are castles such as Kassiopi, Angelokastro and Gardiki and, of course, the Old Fortress which was the medieval town itself.}}</ref>

===Kassiopi Castle===
{{main|Kassiopi Castle}}
[[File:Main Gate Kassiopi Castle.JPG|thumb|upright|Main Gate of Kassiopi Castle]]

Kassiopi Castle ({{langx|el|Κάστρο Κασσιώπης}}) is a castle on the northeastern coast of Corfu overseeing the fishing village of [[Kassiopi]].{{sfn|Stamatopoulos|1993|p=166}} It was one of three Byzantine-period castles that defended the island before the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] era (1386–1797). The castles formed a defensive triangle, with [[Gardiki Castle, Corfu|Gardiki]] guarding the island's south, Kassiopi the northeast and [[Angelokastro (Corfu)|Angelokastro]] the northwest.<ref name="Philippidēs1983"/><ref name=UNESCO3 />

Its position at the northeastern coast of Corfu overseeing the [[Corfu Channel]] that separates the island from the mainland gave the castle an important vantage point and an elevated strategic significance.{{sfn|Stamatopoulos|1993|p=166}}

Kassiopi Castle is considered one of the most imposing architectural remains in the Ionian Islands,<ref name="Young1977">{{cite book |author=Martin Young |title=Corfu and the Other Ionian Islands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IVMjAQAAIAAJ&q=Angelokastro |year=1977 |publisher=Cape |isbn=978-0-224-01307-9 |page=108}}</ref> along with Angelokastro, [[Gardiki Castle, Corfu|Gardiki Castle]] and the two Venetian Fortresses of Corfu City, the [[Old Fortress, Corfu|Citadel]] and the [[New Fortress|New Fort]].<ref name="Young1977"/>

Since the castle was abandoned for a long time, its structure is in a state of ruin. The eastern side of the fort has disappeared and only a few traces of it remain. There are indications that castle stones have been used as building material for houses in the area. Access to the fortress is mainly from the southeast through a narrow walkway which includes passage from homes and backyards, since the castle is at the centre of the densely built area of the small village of Kassiopi.<ref name=Voyadjis>{{cite journal |script-title=el:Το κάστρο της Κασσιώπης, Κέρκυρα |url=https://www.academia.edu/3523419 |publisher=[[Academia.edu]], Ionian Society of Historical Studies |author=Sotiris Voyadjis |author2=Ασπασία Ραπτάκη |journal=Περί Ιστορίας, Τ. 5, 2007 |date=January 2007 |pages=13–34 |language=el}}</ref><ref name=Ephorate>{{cite web |script-title=el:Συνολική Ανάδειξη Κάστρου Κασσιώπης |url=http://www.yppo.gr/0/anaskafes/pdfs/21_EBA.pdf |publisher=21st Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of Greece |page=384 |language=el |access-date=8 May 2019 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041457/http://www.yppo.gr/0/anaskafes/pdfs/21_EBA.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>