You can reach Kastro very easily on one of the boats running daily from Skiathos to Kastro. If you decide to get to Kastro by road, bear in mind that the combination of road an dirt - road stops at an hour's walking distance from Kastro. Where to eat? Skiathos Castle (Greek: Κάστρο της Σκιάθου) or simply Kastro is a medieval fortified site on the northern tip of the island of Skiathos in Greece, which was the main settlement of the island from the mid-14th century to 1829. Below you can see some of the photos from inside the churches. In spite of the fact that it was far from the entre of military operations and thus an easy prey for the Turkish fleet, Skiathos soon joined the ranks of those fighting for Idependence. Then they used "scalding bowls", a boiler with hot water or oil, in order to keep the intruders away.Although the castle was very secure, the life in the castle featured many difficulties mainly because of the limited space available.In the year 1830 the Castle was abandoned and only the ruins of the walls, a church and some other buildings are proving the importance of the castle for the history of Skiathos island. The middle of the 14th century saw the Mediterranean islands being harassed by pirates. Booking.com There are, however, a few buildings that remain. As with the rest of the island, the castle remained in Byzantine hands until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, when it was taken over by the Republic of Venice. ! The castle is located on a rocky promontory on the northernmost point of the island. ), the Macedonian king who was, at that time, at war with the Romans. Venetian rule proved oppressive, leading to a rebellion against the local governor Vicenzo Baffo in 1518, and failed to provide security from the Ottoman corsairs. Following this the Greek fleet blockaded the adjacent seas to prevent the Persians from invading the mainland and supplying provisions to the army facing the 300 Spartans defending the pass at Thermopylae. vThe Macedonians established an oligarchic system of government in Skiathos and the island remained undisturbed for , many years. In 338 B.C., after the battle of Chaeronea, which virtually brought to an end the independence of the southern Greekstates and marked the beginning ofMacedonian domination, Skiathos came under Macedonian rule . Historically, it emerges again from the time of Philip V (238-279 B.C. According to the writer of “Travels” then, the island was inhabited in prehistoric times by the Pelasgians, a pre-hellenic tribe which came down from Thrace. Afterwards the Turks occupied it until the Greek Revolution of 1821.The peninsula was itself a natural fortress. There are many signs around Kastro to tell the story of this town. Finally, it is also probable that Thessalians, of the Mycenean age, had settled on Skiathos. When intruders came very close they pulled the bridge back and closed the entrance. Following the castle's abandonment, only the two churches of St. Nicholas and of the Nativity—the cathedral of the local bishop—continued in use, while in recent years the churches of St. Marina and St. The castle was strengthened later for far better protection of the side shore with battlements and cannons. Boatbuilding started again. Later this compulsory service was converted into a contribution in money, the “melachica” .However, in the years before the Greek War of Independence, impressment was again brought into effect. On the beach there is a snack bar for drinks and light snacks, it is not the cheapest on the island, but is cheaper than the drinks on the boats. Basil, two cisterns, the Ottoman mosque, the gate complex, and parts of the walls have been restored. In the 7th century, Saracen pirates devastated the Island of the Aegean Sea, and Skiathos did not escape the massacre. The brief Venetian occupation was harsh, with many executed or forced to serve as rowers in the Venetian galleys. Coordinates: 39°12′36″N 23°27′38″E / 39.209950°N 23.460470°E / 39.209950; 23.460470, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Skiathos_Castle&oldid=968316677, Articles lacking in-text citations from August 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 July 2020, at 16:26. Venetian rule proved oppressive, leading to a rebellion against the local governor Vicenzo Baffo in 1518, and failed to provide security from the Ottomancorsairs. It is now abandoned and a protected site. Il Kastro is the 14th century capital built for protection from pirates. The castle features only low walls on these sides, and its only substantial fortifications are to the south, where lies its only entrance, a narrow gate protected by a wooden drawbridge and a cauldron with boiling oil (ζεματίστρα). Staying Near Kastro Beach. Kastro it self, is a small castle habitat and if you miss to visit it, you missed the whole point about Kastro beach. Kastro remained the capital city of Skiathos until the 1830’s. 1360, as the local inhabitants fled from the previous main settlement (on the same site as the modern town of Skiathos) due to the depredations of the Turkish pirates. It is supposed that this name was given to the island by the Pelasgians, its first inhabitants because they were impressed by the great shadow (''skia'' in Greek) of the many trees covering the island. This was a troubled period for the island, as the surrounding areas became scenes of battle. As with the rest of the island, the castle remained in Byzantine hands until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, when it was taken over by the Republic of Venice. I found the path from the beach extremely difficult (I'm an OAP and have to use a walking stick). The castle is located on a rocky promontory on the northernmost point of the island. Dionysus was the god worshipped on the island. s.src = u + '?v=' + (+new Date()); You will experience breathtaking views. All the small churches were open and well worth a look inside. Our earliest information about the history of Skiathos comes from the "Travels"of an anonymous writer, previously thought to have been the geographer Skymnos of Chios. On September 14th, 1943, the Nazi troops sank the Greek submarine Lambros Katsonis off the coasts of Skiathos and every year the Katsonia Festival commemorates this sad event. Historically, it emerges again from the time of Philip V (238-279 B.C. And it seems that during this period, the island’s financial situation improved so much that it was able, towards the middle of the 4th century B.C., to mint bronze coins with the head of Hermes on one side and his caduceus (staff) with the word CKIAΘI in the other. There were also quite a few Turks living on the island at that time.The inhabitants of Skiathos, as was the case with all the other islanders generally, were requisitioned to serve for a period in the Turkish navy. During the Greek War of Independence, the island was often raided by a faction of Greek rebels from Mount Olympus; on 14 July 1826, the rebels under Tsamis Karatasos captured the castle and looted it. The castle features only low walls on these sides, and its only substantial fortifications are to the south, where lies its only entrance, a narrow gate protected by a wooden drawbridge and a cauldron with boiling oil (ζεματίστρα). However, the walk up to Kastro is difficult, it is up hill on small paths as you can see from the picture at the top of this page. You can find vehicles to rent with our affiliate here. Venetian rule proved oppressive, leading to a rebellion against the local governor Vicenzo Baffo in 1518, and failed to provide security from the Ottoman corsairs. E: info@mygreece.travel, 2020 © The Turkish population of Skiathos gradually dwindled.The office of voivode was bought by the locals and there were often no other Turkish officials on the island.Their functions were thus performed by the elders, who gradually acquired more rights. n 758 A.d., during the reign of Constantine Copronymus, the Byzantine fleet anchored in Skiathos harbour, whence it sped to the rescue of Thessalonica, where a Bulgarian and Slav attack was imminent .During the 7th century A.D., Skiathos suffered much from Saracen pirate raids in the Aegean. Do not hesitate to ask the community! Kolokotroni 3, They built their town on the southeastern side of the harbour, on a height, where it could command a view and control the large bay and the inner double harbour. The life of the island, however, did not seem to improuve.The pirate raids continued and Venetian rules were so harsh, that when ,in 1538,the fortress was besieged by Barbarossa, some of the inhabitants, in order to rid themeselves of the tyranny of the Venetians, did not hesitate to surrender it to him. Hotel Kastro, located near Ekklisia Agios Floros, offers 11 rooms with garden views. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. In the Ottoman period, a mosque and governor's residence were built for the small Turkish garrison. In 325 AD, Christianity appeared on Skiathos and the first church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was built in 530. The picture above shows just how safe the people of Skiathos were during this time. Σχεδιάσαμε και υλοποιήσαμε το e-ticket για την Hellenic Seaways. Later, the island was used by the Athenians as a naval port and a base for its expeditions against Philip II of Macedonia. (function(d, sc, u) { If you are willing to do an hour's walk, it … Dionysus was the god worshipped on the island. In places the path was steep and slippery. s.async = true; Our earliest information about the history of Skiathos comes from the “Travels”of an anonymous writer, previously thought to have been the geographer Skymnos of Chios. ... Kastro itself, the old capital of Skiathos was wonderful and housed so many more buildings than I had imagined. Basil, two cisterns, the Ottoman mosque, the gate complex, and parts of the walls have been restored. It is now abandoned and a protected site. It is supposed that this name was given to the island by the Pelasgians, its first inhabitants because they were impressed by the great shadow (''skia'' in Greek) of the many trees covering the island. Il Kastro: A bit of history. All we know is that, administratively, it belonged to the province of Thessaly, which constituted part of a Macedonian “theme” (military district) and that, with the propagation of Christianity on the island, an episcopate ( bishopric ) was created under the Metropolitan Bishop of Larissa. A short distance to a port enables you to get to Skiathos' Port and Papadiamantis House in no time. Il Kastro, Skiathos: See 513 reviews, articles, and 624 photos of Il Kastro, ranked No.1 on Tripadvisor among 56 attractions in Skiathos. The Ghisi brothers granted Skiathos self-deterrnination, and several privileges, which are listed in the well-known “Capitula Sciati et Scopuli”, and which were still in effect during the 2nd period of Venetian rule.However, they abolished the Orthodox episcopate.They built a new fortress called Bourtzi in the great harbour for their residence and for the security of the town. During the Persian Wars, Skiathos was a great help to the Athenians and its harbor was used as a fleet base. Skiathos remained within the Byzantine state until 1453.Byzantine rule, however, was rather nominal, as the pirate raids that plagued the Aegean at that time did not allow Constantinople to make its presence effectively felt on the islands which it had reclaimed.It thus appears that around the middle of the 14th century, the people of Skiathos, desperate following the continous raids on the island, both of pirates and of Turks, abandoned their coastal town and built a new, safer one – the Kastro (“fortress’,) on the northern side of the island, on a steep rock which constituted a naturat fortress.When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, the people of Skiathos chose Venetian rule, realising that Venice would from then on be their only possible protection against the Turks.They therefore asked the Venetians to take over the island on the condition, however, that they would confirm the privileges that the Ghisi brothers had give the island, and that the see of the Orthodox bishop would remain there, reguests which were granted.Thus began the second period of Venetian rule in Skiathos, which lasted until 1538.