Limnos: The Fortress of Myrina

On a steep rocky peninsula, connected with the land on the east side, the largest fortress in the Aegean , the castle of Myrina , is built. The wall is considerably high on the east and south sides, and the towers are quite densely built, while on the north and west sides the wall is lower and the towers very few. On the highest point of the hill stands a half-ruined, multi-roomed defensive building. Also preserved in the enclosed area are a Moslem oratory, a subterranean vaulted room, and cisterns.

The fortress took its present form in 1207, when the Venetian Philokalos Navigajoso, the then Great Duke of Lemnos , fortified the pre-existing Byzantine fortress of Myrina. The castle was reinforced by his successor, Leonardo Navigajoso, who managed to keep it under his control for 45 years. During the Turkish occupation the area within the castle was inhabited by the Turks. The walls were severely damaged in 1770, during the siege of Myrina by the Russian fleet.

Preservation works were conducted in 1990-91, during which the cracks in the masonry on the south and east sides were repaired by the authorities.

The monument is open to the public.