Palaiokastro, Heraklion 3.02

Palaiokastro is a coastal village and a community in the municipal unit of Malevizi. 9 km west of Heraklion on the island of Crete. In 2011 Palaiokastro had a population of 255for the village and over 1000 of people that have their country house. It is situated in front of a 70 meter long pebbled beach leading to a cove with rapidly deepening waters that are protected from the prevailing northerly winds. On the southern end of the beach rises a steep calcareous rock. During the Venetian occupation of Crete extensive fortifications were built on this rock, housing cannons that secured the bay of Heraklion. Ruins of the fortress walls survive until today.Venetian fortress of PalaiokastroThe Venetian fortress of Palaiokastro is located 9 km west of Heraklion, on the west side of Heraklion Bay. Today, only a part of the walls of the triangular fort remains alive. The fort was built on a big tall rock, near which passes the highway of Heraklion - Chania.In 1204, when the Genoese Pescatore conquered Crete, he built 14 forts in order to protect it. Among them was the fort of Palaiokastro, which could protect the bay of Heraklion and make the landing of enemy on the nearby shores very difficult. The Genoeses thought that this castle was very important, thus when the Venetians managed to conquer Crete, they kept only this castle. Later, in 1211, they had to leave the island.Fortress Palaiokastrou is one of the most important medieval monuments of the island. In a similar position existed oldest fortress built by pirate Enrico Pescatore, immediately after the conquest of Crete by the Genoese in the early 13th century. The Venetian fortress Palaiokastrou built later is an integral element of the fortress fortifications of Candia and rebuilt when it seemed the inability of the fortress of Candia, effectively prevent the penetration of enemy ships in the adjacent bay fraskia. Fortress Palaiokastrou begun in 1573, was completed in 1595 and was based on a draft prepared based instruction Commander Latino Orsini. The fort is a triangular shape adopted by the natural topography of the location and the steepness of the rock was met with the overshoot of the walls that were parallel to the sea.