The Castle of Myrina

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The Castle of Myrinar
Myrina is the beautiful capital of Lemnos, an island gifted with wonderful landscapes, volcanic rocks, unique dunes and wetlands, interesting archaeological sites, some vegetation and incredibly attractive beaches and seas. And let’s don't forget the great food! It is also called the island of Hephaestus, the God of fire and son of Zeus. This, because of the long-ago volcanic activity of the island.
Apart from being the capital of Lemnos, Myrina is also the island’s main port. It was named after the wife of Thoantas, the first King of Lemnos. According to findings, this picturesque town has been inhabited before the Bronze Age.
Above Myrina, on a rocky and steep peninsula of 120 meters of altitude, stands, dominant and imposing, the Castle of Myrina or “Palaiokastro”. It is the largest fortress of the Aegean Sea. It covers an area of 144 acres.
The Latin form of his name, "Paleocastro", has been mentioned by many old travellers until the 17th century. It is also found on the renowned map of the Mediterranean Sea of 1513 A.D., created by the famous Ottoman Admiral and author Piri Reis.
At the place where the current Castle exists, there was, probably from the 13th century B.C., an ancient acropolis with cyclopean walls.
The Castle has originally been built by the Byzantines, in 1186 A.D., by the Emperor Andronikos A’ Komnenos, the last Byzantine Emperor of the powerful Dynasty of Komnenos. That castle was small but dominant and potent.
Years later, during the Venetian Empire, the Venetians, keeping some parts of the original Castle, repaired and improved it. This project has been undertaken by Filocalo Navigajoso, between the years 1207-1214.
The Castle has been repaired again, in 1361, as per the demand of the Byzantine Emperor Ioannis E’ Palaiologos. However, the Castle has been expanded and it became an even more influential area, after the Fall of Constantinople (1453 A.D.) when Lemnos passed to the dominion of the Genoese rulers of the nearby island of Mytilini.
Its story, however, does not end here! In 1492 the Turks besieged the Castle and they finally conquered it. Them, too, repaired and remodelled it.
We, slowly, arrive in year 1770 with the temporary and brief presence, of the Russians, under the command of the fleet Admiral Alexios Orloff.
One of the protection measures of the Castle was, among others, a deep ditch at the East side that no longer exists. However, there still are the so-called “burners” or “spillers” located at the empty spaces of the ramparts of the Castle’s perimeter walls. Those were, as well, another mighty weapon used by the besieged against the attackers. They are stone cavities that were filled with hot oil, melted lead or even boiling water so as to spill it, in large quantity and with velocity, to the attackers who were trying to approach the Castle and invade it. During the mid 19th century the Castle was no longer considered as a target of potential conquerors, and it was now the administrative, commercial and educational center of the island.
It is not just a beautifully illuminated, majestic Castle with excellent view, but a place of a very long and rich history. Today’s Castle residents are a party of lively wild goats and a large group of deer who spend their time peacefully and happily! They are the renowned fallow deer who were transferred to Lemnos from the island of Rhodes, in the 1970s. Τhey have multiplied and became the new, proud and indisputable inhabitants of the Castle.
The site is open to the public and invites us (or, better yet, it challenges us!) to discover its secrets and to walk where so many and different people, before us, have walked, lived, dreamt and fought.