Northern Cyprus Travel Review Day 5 - Part 2: The old harbor fortress of Girne!

Hello dear blog readers,

here is the second part of my Northern Cyprus travel review and on the 5th day we went to the harbor town of Girne, after visiting the big leather factory. Here we have visited the still very well preserved old harbor fortress.

This fortress played an important role in world affairs on the Mediterranean for centuries, and the oldest remains of the fortress date back to the 7th century. It served as a bulwark against invaders and was a vital bridge connecting with Europe and from Europe. The large fortress walls were considered insurmountable and many external enemies failed during sieges. This is why often apostates and persecuted entrenched here.

The Byzantines made extensions to the fortress in the 10th century and the Crusaders at the beginning of the 12th century. The Genoese destroyed the fortress almost completely in 1373, before it was rebuilt and extended by the Venetians later, when they were in conflict with the Ottomans.

The harbor fortress of Girne turned into a prison for political prisoner later and a gallows was erected in the courtyard. It was use as a base for guerrillas and national guards at this time.

Von der Festung aus hat man einen tollen Blick über den alten Venezianischen Hafen von Girne:

** There was a great view over the old Venetian harbor of Girne from the fort walls:**

There is also a ship museum in the fortess with an old shipwreck and I also went to the very top of the fortress walls, where you have an even more spectacular view over the old harbor. Stay tuned for the next part with great photo impressions and information!

Best regards
Jonas - @future24

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PS: This article was published with the Esteem Surfer Software by @good-karma and the @esteemapp team.