Angelokastro

Title:	Angelokastro
Category:	Sightseeing
Clicks:	4
Listing added:	Nov 18, 2010
PageRank:	4/10
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Yandex Rank:	0
Location:	ROOT
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After the northwestern village of Krini, stands like a lonesome eagle, a monument which is one among the most important castles in Greece and of Adriatic sea: Angelokastro. It's not so famous like the two castles of Corfu Town but its military importance in defending the southern end of the Adriatic sea was fundamental. It is one of the three castles that still survive in our island.

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Full Description:	It was built in the 12th century by the byzantine despot of the Despotate of Epirus, Michael Angelos Komninos but recent finds indicate that possibly the hill was fortified as early as 5th century A.D. It was built on a hill which is 330 metres tall. The castle perfectly fits to the location. Each time the enemy was seen approaching the shores from the west, the occupants of the castle lit a fire and with by its smoke, warned the watchmen of the Old Fortress in Corfu Town, some 20 kilometres east. It helped to protect Corfu from the greater menace of the 12th century, the Normans of Sicily. In 1204, it fell to the hands of Angevins. When Corfu became a venetian possesion it protected the island from the Genoese pirates and from the Turks. In 1403, a Genoese pirate fleet attacked Angelokastro and they burned the neighbouring villages. They sieged the castle many times but they didn't manage to occupy it. In the great Turkish siege of 1571, Angelokastro stood firm, thus the turkish army didn't succeed in creating a beachhead in the northwestern coast of Corfu (like what they already had done in the eastern one). Finally the turks, after several attempts to occupy the castle and Corfu town withdrew.
Website or page:	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelokastro_%28Corfu%29
ZIP:	49083
Country:	Greece
City:	Corfu
Address:	Paleokastritsa
Latitude:	39.67821081936821
Longitude:	19.687214476074217