The Castle of Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos island, is built around a hill, north of the city. It is one of largest castles of Greece covering an area of 80,000 sq.meters.

History

The fortification was formed initially during Byzantine years. It was built on the grounds of the ancient Acropolis.

There were 3 construction phases: the first phase was Byzantine, before the 14th century. The second was a Genoan in the 14th century when the castle became a major stronghold and the third was Ottoman in the early 16th century (followed by a sub-phase in the mid 17th cent.).

The first significant modifications to the castle took place during the period that Lesbos was a dominion of the Genoan Gatillusi family, and more specifically of the ruler Francisco Gatillusio in the year 1373. Francisco had taken the island as a dowry in 1355 after marrying the sister of the Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos.

A terrible earthquake destroyed a big part of the castle in 1384 killing the entire royal famly except one child (Giacomo). Repairs were made after this only in the beginning of the next century.

The Ottomans captured the castle and the island after a short but violent siege in 1462.
A number of modifications and additions followed, the most important being in 1643/1644 when the lower northern part of the fortification was added, while the fortification was strengthened by the addition of double curtain walls, bastions and a moat.

The Turkish occupation ended in 1912 when Lesbos became part of the Greek state.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The castle covers a total area of ​​about 80,000 sq.m. The maximum length is 300 meters on the NW - SE axis and the width ranges from 150 to 270 meters from NE to SW.
The outer perimeter is 1400 meters and most of the walls are preserved –not always in good condition.

The castle had strong fortifications on three sides: the southeast, the southwest and the northwest. Not so much on the east side, where the somewhat steep cliffs and the short distance from the sea did not allow the enemy to make moves for a massive attack from this side.

In the castle of Mytilene there are 3 parts:
●   The Upper Castle at the south and highest part of the hill.
●   The Middle Castle, which is the largest section and was formed by the Gattilusi.
●   The Lower Castle on the northwest side, at the lowest point and near the sea, which was formed during the Ottoman period.

At the southeastern end of the Upper Castle, which is at the highest point, 5 towers form a strong inner enclosure called the “Megas Perivolos” (Grand Bailey) which is the citadel of the castle and could be considered its fourth section. At least 3 of the towers are from the Gattilusi time (14th century) since the middle tower on the north side of the citadel has the coat of arms of the Gattilusi and the other two are of the same style (photo 11).
In the Grand Bailey was most probably the residence of the lord. Later the Turks made their own additions and built rooms with an external arched portico. At the bottom they had a gunpowder depot.

Apart from the citadel, the Upper and Middle castles do not currently have a clear internal separation between them (they are separated by a small difference in elevation and a wall preserved at a low height). Their fortification enclosed with a single row of walls the medieval castle of the 14th / 15th century which was protected by strong towers. Of these, the tower in the complex of the west gate and the polygonal leaning tower, which due to its leaning had probably become obsolete as a tower, but was integrated into the Ottoman wall, retained their original Genoese form.
The Turks made improvements and modifications mainly in 1643/1644. They added external walls and bastions on the southwest and southeast side, which is why today we see a double row of walls there. Peripherally there was a moat which was dry and, due to rocky soil, rather shallow, and which had an additional external protection (always on the vulnerable SW and SE sides).
The Lower Castle was built at the same time (mid 17th century).

In the Middle and the Upper castle there were two gates. The West Gate and the Meridian Gate.

The West Gate is basically a complex of gates: Externally there is the deliberately indistinguishable Orta Kapi (= Middle Gate) built by the Turks in 1770. Inside there is the older gate dated in 1371 (photo 21) with the Gattilusi emblem. This gate leads to a courtyard, at the NE end of which there is another older (Byzantine) gate, from which we finally enter the Middle castle.
The Meridian Gate is also double. From a corridor formed on the sides of the rampart on the south side of the Castle, we enter a corridor-gate covered with a vaulted roof, from there to an elongated courtyard, at the northern end of which an older gate leads into the castle.

The Middle castle communicated with the Lower Castle through two small gates that had been opened in the north wall of the Middle castle. The Lower Castle had a double gate that was demolished in 1960 to make way for the coastal road. Today the entrance to Lower castle is free and accessible from many points. On the contrary, for the Middle and Upper castle, the entrance today is only from the west gate and is controlled.

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