Venetian city walls, Medieval fortification system in Heraklion, Greece.
The Venetian city walls of Heraklion are a stone fortification that surrounds the old town with seven bastions connected by thick stone curtain walls. The layout forms a rough triangle, with four main gates and several smaller openings that once controlled all movement in and out of the city.
Construction began in 1462 under Venetian rule, with the design shaped by military engineers brought from Italy. The fortifications were expanded over the following centuries until the city fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1669 after one of the longest sieges in European history.
The gates of the walls carry carved reliefs of the winged lion of Saint Mark, the symbol of the Venetian Republic. Locals and visitors still pass through some of these same gates daily, as they remain active entry points into the old town.
The walls can be accessed from several points around the old town perimeter, and some sections allow walking along the top for an open view of the city and the sea. Sturdy footwear is a good idea since the surfaces can be uneven, and some areas are steeper than they first appear.
One of the bastions was later converted into a full-size football pitch that is still in active use today. The playing field sits directly on top of the old military stonework, giving that section of the walls a function that no visitor would expect to find.
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