Kassiopi Castle is a Byzantine fortress on the northeastern coast of Corfu, in the seaside village of Kassiopi. Together with Angelokastro Castle and Gardiki Castle, it formed an important defensive triangle against attacks on the island during the pre-Venetian era. The castle is now an important tourist attraction.
History Of Kassiopi Castle
It’s unclear when the castle was exactly built and it’s likely that it has been reinforced and expanded over a longer period, most likely during the Byzantine era. During archaeological excavations on the site, bronze coins were found from the reigns of the Byzantine emperors Maurice (582-602 AD) and Basil II (976-1015 AD). Other remains were found from the early Byzantine era, between the 4th and 7th centuries, which can be found at the Archaeological Museum of Corfu.
From its strategic position on the northeast coast, the castle overlooks the Corfu Channel between the island and the mainland and formed an important lookout to spot oncoming ships. For centuries the castle defended the area bravely.
When the Venetians arrived and occupied the entire island, the defenders of Kassiopi Castle were unwilling to surrender. In their response, the Venetians decided to destroy it as they also feared it could be used against them again.
Despite using and reinforcing the other castles in Angelokastro and Gardiki, Kassiopi Castle was never rebuilt and its stones were even used to erect new defensive structures in Corfu Town, the Old Fortress and later the New Fortress. What was left of Kassiopi Castle were its walls and some damaged towers so the abandoned castle was no longer a safe hiding place for the local inhabitants in case of a siege. The consequence was that during the Ottoman invasion of 1571, many villagers were massacred by the Turks.
In recent years, some attempts have been made to rehabilitate parts of the castle and as a result the main gate and its two side towers have been restored.
Visiting Kassiopi Castle
Kassiopi Castle can be visited for free at any hour. Apart from the main gate and its side towers, which have been restored, other parts of the castle that have been preserved include large parts of the fortress walls, some of the towers and bastions, a few Venetian canons and a water resevoir.
You can take a walk along the inside of the walls and there are some viewpoints along the route. The best view is from the restored tower at the entrance, which overlooks the village and the bay with the harbor. Other than that, there’s not that much to see as nature has taken over large parts of the castle, especially the central part, which has become a dense forest and an olive grove.
How To Get To Kassiopi Castle
Kassiopi Castle is located on a rocky hill in the heart of Kassiopi. From the center of the village its only a 5-minute walk up the hill the reach the entrance. Although there is no parking at the castle, there is (limited) free street parking across the village and a paid parking lot near the main road. To reach Kassiopi Castle by public transport, you can take Green Bus line A4 (Corfu Town-Kassiopi) or line A12 (Corfu Town-Kassiopi-Perithia), which both stop in the center of the village.
