Neratzia Castle Kos
The Neratzia Castle or also called the Fortress of the St. John Knights, is located in Kos Town inside the city walls at the entrance to the port to defend the city. It was built in 1315 on behalf of Vignolo di Vignoli, lord of Genoa who ruled for a period on the island, and decided to erect the fortress with the help of the St. John Knights of Rhodes to proclaim his supremacy and to protect the Kos city as being in a strategic position between West and East, continually attacked by neighboring lands.
Built in different stages of the time of the St. John Knights, it was completed in 1514 under the Grand Master D'amboise and the governed Del Caretto, which is why there are numerous coats of arms inserted in different points and in particular in the doors. The most fortified part is a circular bastion that looks very much like the one in Rhodes. For the construction the stones of the ruins of the ancient Asklepion city were used, the temple dedicated to the God of Medicine that is still today on a hill about 4 kilometers from Kos Town.
The castle actually hides another fortress of the Byzantine period, built around 1450 which served to repel the Ottoman attack in 1480. Despite all this, however, the Knights preferred to reinforce the walls on three sides thus hiding the old construction.
To reach Neratzia Castle, you have to cross a stone bridge. Inside four towers at each end with the aim of spotting and defending, on the outside, four bastions where the cannons were positioned. The walls are separated by a large moat. However, it appears that the promontory where the castle was originally built was an island connected to the land through the bridge. Visiting the interior, you will come across columns from the Doric and Roman periods.
It is a very important historical and artistic site and every year many people come to visit it also because from the inside as well as breathing in an atmosphere that will catapult you back in time, from the towers you have a beautiful view of the Aegean Sea.
Don't miss it if you come to Kos for your holidays in Greece.