Greece - Parga castle

The castle of Parga dominates a rock peninsula on the Ioanian Sea. It was originally built in the 11th century by the inhabitants of Parga to protect their city from the pirates and the Turks, but it was partially destroyed by several invasions. In 1401 Parga became Venetian possession enjoying important privileges that contributed to its gradual commercial and economic development.

The castle was rebuilt by the Venetians at the beginning of the 15th century, but was again destroyed by the Ottomans in 1571and reconstructed by the Venetians one year later after the naval battle of Lepanto. The end of Venetian rule at Parga and its occupation successively by the French, Russian-Turks and British was followed by the sale of the city to Ali Pasha of Ioannina in 1819 by Thomas Maitland, the British High Commissioner of the Ioanian islands.

Parga caste has the shape of an irregular polygon. Its stout fortification wall encloses a hil on which large of landfill suitable for building were created around the edges. The defence was completed by eight towers outside the castle. The arched entrance gate is protected by a semicircular bastion. During the period of Ottoman occupation Ali Pasha built an interior fortification wall with a polygonal bastion inside the castle, enclosing the citadel, which is at higher level. A large building complex, bathhouses, cisterns and a mosque were erected in the citadel, also during the Ottoman period. These building interventions entailed the demolition of large parts of the earlier defences and of the town and changed the form of the castle.

From the castle one has wonderful views towards Parga (PiP3) and Valtos beach (PiP4).