Medieval Castle of Myrina

The Medieval Castle of Myrina is built on a rocky, precipitous peninsula and covers 144 stremmas. It connects to the land only from the east. It is the largest fortress in the Aegean by area. It began to take the form preserved today in the 12th century AD under Andronikos I Komnenos (1186). Building material from earlier fortifications was also used. Its present form dates to 1207, when the Venetian Philokalos Navigajoso, Great Duke of Lemnos, fortified Myrina. His successor, however, Leonardo Navigajoso, strengthened the castle and kept it under his rule for 45 years. From 1479 to 1912, Myrina Castle was under Ottoman occupation. At the highest point of the hill there is a half-ruined fortified structure with many internal rooms. Within the castle there is also a Turkish mosque, an underground vaulted space, and cisterns. Today, it is open to the public.