Bourtzi Castle
The water castle of Bourtzi (Greek: Μπούρτζι, from Ottoman Turkish برج - burc meaning "tower"; formerly Καστέλι, Kasteli) is a Venetian[2] castle located in the middle of the harbour of Nafplio.
| Bourtzi | |
|---|---|
Μπούρτζι | |
 | |
| Former names | Καστέλλι (Kastelli), Πασσάζ (Passaz) |
| Etymology | Μπούρτζι < برج - burc meaning tower |
| General information | |
| Type | Castle |
| Architectural style | Renaissance architecture[1] |
| Town or city | Nafplio |
| Country |  Greece |
| Coordinates | 37°34′11″N 22°47′25″E |
| Elevation | 0 |
| Groundbreaking | 1473 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Antonio Gambello |
Purpose & History
It was built by Antonio Gambello, an architect from Bergamo in 1471, although the construction was completed by the engineer Brancaleone.
This Fortress was erected by the Venetians after the departure of Mahmut Pasha in 1473,[3] equipping it with cannons. In 1502, the Venetians, changed the fortifications on the southwest side into an independent rampart with ramparts, connected it with an artificial arm of boulders to which they attached a chain. The change which reached across to the city for protection.
After the Treaty of Karlovic(1698), the Venetians erected a very strong Tower and bastions with cannons on the islet, thus creating the well-known Fortress that dominates today at the entrance to the port of Nafplio.[4]
During the Greek revolution of 1821, the castle was captured by 50 gunners and 150 gunners. The cast was then used to bombard Nafplion and managed to thwart the resupply of the besieged Turks from an English ship.[3]
In the immediately following decade, during the Greek civil hostilities (1823 – 1833), the then government was twice forced to take refuge in the castle, on May 25, 1824 and on July 2, 1827.
After the arrival of King George I and by his order in 1865, the castle was disarmed and became the residence of the executioner of the guillotine and the location of for executing prisoners.
Finally, with the creation of the Tourism Organization, the castle was restored in the 1930s,[4] and was transformed into one of the first tourist centers in Greece. The castle then housed a hotel with only 12 rooms and a restaurant that was mentioned in the international travel guides of the time. It operated continuously from the 1930s until the years of the Greek junta closed the hotel and restaurant. Footage from its time as a hotel can be seen in the 1958 film The Man on the Train directed by Dinos Dimopoulos.[5]
It has been since restored as a tourist attraction for the city of Nafplio.
See also
References
- "Fortress of Bourtzi - GTP".
- "Bourtzi".
- Παπαθανασίου, Μανώλης. "Μπούρτζι". Καστρολόγος (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Πάπυρος Λαρούς Μπριτάννικα. Vol. 44. Εκδοτικός Οργανισμός Πάπυρος. 1996. p. 61-62.
- Ο άνθρωπος του τραίνου (in Greek), retrieved 2022-01-26
External links
Media related to Bourtzi at Wikimedia Commons
