Castle of Astypalaia, Medieval fortress in Chora, Greece

The Castle of Astypalaia is a fortified settlement built on the site of the ancient acropolis, on a promontory 130 m above the sea. Its walls enclose an oval plan with an acute angle, 112 m by 40 m, covering 3,700 m², with 9 m-high walls above cliffs up to 10 m. Entry is through a 2 m-wide arched gate; the 13 m-long, 3.5 m-wide passage is roofed by three cross vaults, with a two-storey house above it.

Giovanni Querini built the fortress on the site of the island's ancient acropolis, and it was inhabited without interruption until 1943. The walls, nine metres high, rise above sheer cliffs of up to ten metres, and the single entrance passage is thirteen metres long, roofed by three cross vaults. A two-storey house stands directly above the gate.

Inside the walls, east of the entrance gate, stands the church of the Panagia, and the church of Agios Georgios faces two large mansions, those of the doctor and the agha. The houses were originally three-storey, six metres high, with upper floors reached by an outside staircase, and each long undivided room usually housed one family.

The only entrance is a 2 m wide arched gate; the 13 m long, 3.5 m wide passage behind it is covered by three cross vaults. Inside, two main streets run around the perimeter and across the length of the 3,700 m2 enclosure, with houses facing the 2 m inner ring road. The site sits on a promontory 130 m above the sea, so expect steep, uneven ground.

The houses inside the walls were originally three-storey buildings about six metres high, with upper floors reached by an outside staircase. Rooms were long and undivided, and each family usually lived in a single room. Four buildings stand out for their size: the doctor's mansion and the agha's mansion face the church of Saint George, and the main residence seems to have been the tower on the east side.