The Fortezza is the citadel of the city of Rethymno in Crete, Greece. It was built by the Venetians in the 16th century, and was captured by the Ottomans in 1646. By the early 20th century, many houses were built within the citadel. These were demolished after World War II, leaving only a few historic buildings within the Fortezza. Today, the citadel is in good condition and is open to the public.

Layout

The Fortezza of Rethymno has an irregular plan, and its walls have a total length of 1,307 m (4,288 ft). The walls contain the following demi-bastions:

• St Nicolas Bastion – the demi-bastion at the east end of the fortress. It contains a Venetian-era building which was possibly originally a storehouse or laboratory.
• St Paul Bastion – the demi-bastion at the southeast end of the fortress. It is also known as Santa Maria Bastion.
• St Elias Bastion – the demi-bastion at the south end of the fortress. It contains the Erofyli open-air theatre, which was opened in 1993.
• St Lucas Bastion – the demi-bastion at the southwest end of the fortress.

The fort’s main gate is located on the east side, between St Nicolas and St Paul Bastions. It is protected by an Ottoman-era ravelin, which now serves as the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno. Two smaller gates are located in the west and north sides of the fortress.

A number of buildings are located within the Fortezza, including:

• the Mosque of Sultan Ibrahim, which was formerly the Cathedral of St Nicolas.
• a building near the mosque, which was possibly the Bishop’s residence.
• the House of the Rector, which was the residence of the governor of the province of Rethymno. Only its prisons have survived.
• the Council Building, which housed part of the Venetian administration of Rethymno.
• the churches of St Theodore and St Catherine, which were both built in the late 19th century.

The fortress also contains an armoury, two gunpowder magazines, storage rooms and several cisterns.