2 CORFU PANORAMA English_1

New Fortress
The New Fortress, the «Fort of Saint Markus» is located in
the northwest edge of the city and was built by the
Venetians in 1576, shortly after the second Turkish siege.
The growing population and the continuous expansion of
Corfu combined with the territorial claims of the enemies
enforced the new fortifications.
In the defense strategy there should be counted and the
surroundings, as the city expanded to the west. The second
siege in 1537 by the Turks left no room for postponements.
In 1576, the Venetians sent to Corfu the architect Francis Viteli
in order to oversee the fortifications.
They started the construction of the new fortress on the hill
of Agios Markos which expanded to the south with walls
and bastions reaching till the sea at Garitsa. Corfu is now
surrounded all by walls, and, therefore, was named by the
locals Kastropoli.
For the construction of the New Fortress, completed in
1645, and the extension of the city walls it was necessary to
demolish about 2,500 houses and several old churches.
Viteli ordered the fortification of the hill of Agios Markus with
another fortress to protect the surrounding area.
The New Fortress was smaller than the Old and extended on
two levels. The walls of the New Fortress were surrounded by
dry moat and ramparts were built to strengthen the defense
of the city.
On the east side of the low level that protected the port,
there was a small bastion which connected the fortress
with the city walls from where the part of the fortress called
Punta Perpetua. Inside the bastion there is a maze of arched
chambers, galleries, ventilation shafts, stairs and ramps.
Just above that is the bastion “Kalogeros” and the fortifications
of «Korakofolia». The bastion of “Skarponas” strengthen the
defense of the second level and is the point at which the
most ferocious battles with the Turks took place during the
siege of 1716.
Between Skarponas and Sarantaris bastion was Porta Stopa
al Tenedos at which ended the burrow of the People’s Market
which was used by the commander of the Fortress, in case of
emergency, to communicate with the external defense.
The “Fortress of Saint Mark” enlightened.
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