History

• When the Greek island of Crete was under rule of the Venetians in the late 1500s, the town of Rethymnon was used as a harbor for the Venetian marine military. At the time, the city faced the threat of Turkish invasion, and Venetian rulers decided to build a fortress to protect against such a threat. The castle was completed in 1580.
  
  

Geography

• Crete, the largest of the Greek islands south of the mainland, is located in the Mediterranean Sea. The town of Rethymnon sits on the northwestern part of the island on a small peninsula that juts out into the sea. The fortress was built in the northwestern part of the town near the coast and provides scenic views of the sea and city from atop its walls.
  
  

Features

• The castle walls cover a perimeter of 3,700 feet. The inside of the fortress includes storerooms for supplies and provisions, a hospital, the Bishop's Palace, the Ibrahim Khan Mosque (which was originally a church before the Turks invaded) and living quarters for the people of Rethymnon.