In the Medieval Town of Rhodes (or Old Town) you may for sure enjoy one of the most interesting walks on the island. When you approach the walls of the Old Town of Rhodes, you are about to enter the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe. A bustling neighborhood of some 6000 people, who live and work in the same buildings in which the Knights of St. John lived six centuries ago. It's a thrill to behold. Medieval buildings, mosques, traditional fountains, oriental motifs, Byzantine and Gothic churches, shops and cafeterias are scattered throughout the Old Town of Rhodes, all blending together to create a unique and picturesque whole. There are roughly 200 streets or lanes that simply have no name.
Getting lost here is not a defeat; it's an opportunity. Whenever you feel the need to find your bearings, you can ask for Sokratous street, which is the closest the Medieval City comes to having a main street. The Palace of the Grand Masters, reconstructed by the Italians in 1940 after it was demolished by a gunpowder explosion in 1856, stands out because of its imposing entrance and well built towers and battlements. The interiors of the buildings, decorated with priceless treasures, are equally impressive.
The first traces of life on the island of Rhodes are lost in the fog of myth. The first inhabitants are said to have been the native Heliades, children of the protective god Helios and Clymene the Oceanid, and the Telchines, a strange kind of people who supposedly resembled demons. These were, according to tradition, skilled sailors and skilled craftsmen who taught the ancient Rhodians how to forge and process stone.
Topics: Monuments in Rhodes
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The building was constructed in 1874 and it is one of the first organized christian schools of Rhodes. It is a a continuation of the "Mutual Teaching School", founded by the metropolite of Rhodes, Paisios. The building was constructed on an older one, built in 1765, which occupied the large, communal piece of land, that extended up to the modern Venetokleion
Topics: City of Rhodes
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The castle of Kritinia (Kastello for the locals) is a Venetian castle built in the 16th century on a hill about 131 meters above the village of Kritinia. It is fairly considered the gem of the village as it offers a breathtaking view of the Aegean Sea, the island of Chalki and the islets of Strogyli, Makri, Alimia and others.
Topics: Monuments in Rhodes
Read more aboutThe castle of Kritinia (Kastellos)