Paleokastro near Pylos in the Peloponnese

Paleokastro means “the old fortress”. Paleo means old in Greek, and Kastro means fortress or castle. There are many Paleokastros in Greece, including on the islands of Kastellorizo, Crete, Ios, Folegandros, Karpathos and Leros, as well as here, near the village of Pylos in the southwestern Peloponnese. There are even more, but the ones I mention are the ones we have visited. All the Paleokastros we have seen are in poor condition, except for Paleokastro on Nisyros.

Today Paleokastro lies in ruins but parts of the walls are still impressive.

The Paleokastro that this page is about is located about 10 kilometres north of Pylos. The fortress is located high up on a rocky cliff at the northern entrance to the Navarino Bay, opposite the island of Sfakteria. Paleokastro began to be built by the Franks as early as the 13th century. They wanted control over the strategic Navarino Bay, which was one of the best natural harbours in all of Greece. From Paleokastro they had sweeping views of the surrounding coastline and they could detect any invaders in good time.

The island of Sfakteria seen from Paleokastro.

Later, Paleokastro was taken by the Venetians and then by the Ottomans, and so it went on for many years. Sometimes the Venetians ruled the fortress, sometimes the Ottomans were its masters. But in 1573, after the Battle of Lepanto, the Ottomans built Niokastro in Pylos instead, because Paleokastro was difficult to access and was partly outdated. After that, Paleokastro gradually fell into disrepair, while Niokastro became the dominant defensive fortress.