Remains of a castle of undetermined date on a wooded hill east of the village of Paleokastro in Chalkidiki, north of Polygyros.
The site is called “Palaiokastro” or “Palaikastros”.

History

There is no historical evidence for this castle. It may be identified with one of the fortified places in the wider area of ​​Polygyros, mentioned in a document from the Iviron monastery (of Athos) in 996 and to which the inhabitants of the surrounding villages took refuge to protect themselves from the attacks of the Bulgarians (Actes d. Iviron I, pp. 163-172).
Near the castle (about 2 km to the north) was the mid-Byzantine settlement of Vatonia.

The absence of binding mortar in the masonry makes it difficult to date the castle precisely. It most likely belongs to the Byzantine Period, sometime between the 5th and 10th centuries.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The castle is on a fortified hill, on an area of ​​approximately 4,000 sq.m. It is surrounded by a wall on 3 sides except the south, which has natural fortification with steep slopes and a cliff.

The wall is mostly destroyed. The best preserved side is the eastern side. This point is preserved at a height of 2m and a thickness of 1.70m.

It has 2 gates, a larger one, perhaps the main one, which leads to the exterior of the castle with a small staircase, while there are traces of a second, smaller one further south.
In many places the surviving wall has rainwater drainage holes. Inside the enclosure, in some places traces of building walls can be seen.

Sources