Agios Georgios - Kefalonia Castle

From 300 meters high, the castle has been keeping an eye on everything since it was built 800 years ago.
It was the place of residence for nobles and officials and has been the capital of Kefalonia for centuries.

Under the Venetians, these 16 acres of land hosted a small city, which included two churches, noblemen’s houses, ramparts, cisterns, tanks with water and boiling oil to dump on unwanted visitors, a hospital, an underground tunnel that reached all the way to Koutavos, an underground prison, storage room for wheat and legumes, ovens and everything else needed to withstand a long siege.

Within a 600-metre perimetre of walls, ramparts and watchtowers could spot pirate ships as far as 20 miles away on a clear day. In 1757 the capital was relocated to Argostoli, with Alberto Magno as its first governor.

After that, life in the castle faded and all interest in it was lost.

Today, the castle is ruined and only a few buildings survive. It was not only the damage over time and wars. This castle also suffered a lot from the earthquake that hit Kefalonia in 1953.

Source: kefaloniaisland.org