Old Navarino Castle, Medieval fortress in Pylos-Nestor, Greece

Old Navarino Castle stands on a 200-metre rock at the northern edge of Navarino Bay, flanked by sheer cliffs. It is a Frankish fortress built in the 13th century, and its ruins occupy the site of the Athenian fort from the 425 BC Battle of Pylos. The naturally defensible position has probably been occupied since classical times.

Nicholas II of Saint Omer built the fortress in the 13th century under the name Port de Jonc and used it as a stronghold in conflicts between Venetian and Ottoman forces. The castle played a key role in power struggles over control of this strategically important region.

The name Navarino probably comes from the Avars, who took the hill in the 6th century, when the site was called Zonglos; the Frankish name Port-de-Jonc, "harbour of the mastic trees", refers to the lentiscs still growing on the coast. Local Greeks called it Spanochori, "village of the Spaniards", under the Navarrese Company.

The ruins stand on a 200-metre rock at the northern edge of Navarino Bay, above Voidokilia beach and the Gialova lagoon. There are no physical barriers on the approach, but Greek authorities have declared the castle closed because the structure is dangerous. The climb is steep and exposed, so wear sturdy shoes and carry water.

The castle stands on the hill of the Koryphasion promontory, the site of the Athenian fort built during the Peloponnesian War in 425 BC. In 1686 its 100-man Ottoman garrison surrendered to Venetian forces under Otto Wilhelm Königsmarck without a fight, and 43 cannon were taken intact.