Kritinia, Castle and village in northwest Rhodes, Greece
Kritinia is a small village on the northwest coast of Rhodes, set on a pine-covered hill overlooking the Aegean Sea and the island of Chalki. At the top of the village stand the ruins of a 15th-century castle, rectangular in plan with two towers on the east side and sections of outer wall still upright.
Construction of the castle began in 1472 under Grand Master Giovani Battista Orsini and took around fifty years to complete. The structure mixed Byzantine and Western European building styles, and the coats of arms of three different Grand Masters are still visible on its walls today.
During summer, the castle ruins host a two-day medieval festival with fire acts, acrobatics, and a ceremonial knighting of someone from the crowd. Local women prepare traditional bread and sweets for visitors to try during the event.
The village has just two main roads and is easy to walk through, but renting a car is helpful for reaching the castle and exploring the area at your own pace. A short footpath leads from the village center up to the ruins, and the square near the folklore museum is a good place to start.
Inside the castle walls there was once a Catholic chapel, and some of its 16th-century frescoes are still visible today. In the early 20th century, Italian forces occupying the island made changes to the site, adding another layer to its history.
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