Corfu New Fortress, Venetian fortress on St. Mark's Hill, Corfu, Greece
The Corfu New Fortress is a Venetian fortress on Saint Mark's Hill, built in two levels. Its lower level holds the three-storey Punta Perpetua building and a pentagonal bastion containing arched chambers, galleries, ventilation shafts, stairs and ramps. Two Baroque-style gates open through the walls, and a dry moat runs along the western side.
Construction began in 1572 under Venetian engineer Ferrante Vitelli in response to Ottoman expansion threats. The British added more fortifications during their rule in the 1800s.
At least two inscribed monuments survive on the rampart walls; the best preserved, from 1728, shows the Lion of Saint Mark with the arms of Diedo beneath a Latin inscription naming Doge Alvise III Mocenigo, governor Marco Antonio Diedo and fleet commander Giorgio Grimani. The text records that the first ordered the wall, the second planned it and the third completed it by day-and-night labour.
The site is reachable by a short walk from the central bus station or nearby parking areas and maintains regular opening hours. The walk uphill is manageable and pathways through the grounds are straightforward to navigate.
The dry moat running along the western side extends from the current vegetable market to the New Harbor and shows engineering methods from the 1600s. This hidden defensive line played a key role in protecting the harbor from attack.
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