On September 13, 2023, 450 years have passed since the foundation of Fortezza, but also 30 full years of operation, in the heart of the Castle, of the “Erofili” theater. The architect Emmanuel Fot. Tsakonas, advisor to the mayor Giorgos Marinakis in architectural studies for public buildings, reconstructions of squares, city streets and settlements, was in charge of the first years of the Renaissance Festival.

The Municipality of Rethymno, having secured the significant amount of approximately 23 million euros especially for Fortezza, will soon start a project that will include the maintenance and protection of the walls, the restoration of the surrounding area and the high goal of the best possible and more modern access for the disabled and all visitors.

As a writer and editor of books about Rethymnon, he publishes articles on Culture and Architecture in the local press and submits numerous proposals for the future of the city in modern Europe. “Having the Directorate of the Renaissance in Fortezza, I experienced many beautiful moments, many Renaissance evenings. I felt like a resident of the Castle, I contributed to its permanent lighting, I was the “godfather” of our beloved theater and then also the architect of its expansion”, he tells APE-MPE. “Fortezza, our Castle, has been the pride of every Rethymnon throughout the years. In the last 30 years, with the operation of the “Erofili” theater, she brought the inhabitants of the city closer to her. Now we are ready for the next move. The big step for its promotion, restoration and full operation”.

History of Fortezza of Rethymnon

During the Venetian occupation, in 1540 a series of fortifications began to be built around the city. Since Rethymnon had been sacked, shortly after the walls were completed in the 1570s, it was decided that new fortifications should be built to protect the city. On the hill of Palaiokastro, a new Fortress, a fortress in the interpretation of the word Fortezza, was designed by the military engineer Sforza Pallavicini.

Rethymnon and Fortezza in 1688

According to the book of the Dutch researcher O. Dapper, it was founded on September 13, 1573, and its construction was completed in 1580. Although the original plan was to move the inhabitants to Fortezza, it was too small to house the entire city, so it became the citadel that housed the Venetian administration. In 1646, during the Ottoman-Venetian war, Rethymnon was besieged and the city’s population fled to Fortezza. Conditions due to lack of food and ammunition worsened and the Venetians surrendered on 13 November. At the beginning of the 20th century, many residences are located in Fortezza and during the Second World War the buildings are heavily damaged by bombing and later demolished. Important monuments were saved that are used nowadays as places of culture. The Rector’s residence, the Councilors’ residences, the Ibrahim Khan mosque, etc.

In this area of ​​Fortezza, as Mr. Tsakonas tells APE BE: “…non-stop, for 30 years, hundreds of theatrical performances and musical events were given, we enjoyed dozens of famous troupes and bands, we applauded our dance groups, we applauded the children us. It was from the first years of its operation, and it is still, one of the favorite theater open-air spaces in Greece. A space framed by large pines and a unique landscape in the background of the viewer’s gaze, with the illuminated dome emerging in the darkness. A favorite place of many, I would say hundreds, of Greek artists. The “Erophili” theater, in 2023, remains the modern cultural jewel of Rethymnon. With a recorded and globally known history for 30 years. Renaissance Festival 1993-2023, 30 years of “Erofili” theater.

Historical data

The Castle “comes alive” In 1987, the then prefect Vasiliki Mosialou, with the support of the Ministry of Culture. “Allow me to dedicate these historical facts to the memory of Nikolaos Skoulas, a friend, partner, visionary, with a huge love for his place, Crete, culture and a huge contribution to tourism. Then the prefect sets up a committee with representatives of all the city’s agencies and makes the Renaissance Festival of Rethymno a reality. 1988, Renaissance Festival of Rethymno Manos Tsakonas – Giorgos Perakis (Member of Parliament, ex-Minister of Public Works) – Vasiliki Mosialou (Prefect of Rethymno) – Nikos Skoulas (Minister of Tourism) The following year I take over the Direction of the Festival, which quickly develops into an institution for the city . Events with theatrical events, theatre, music and exhibitions enliven Fortetsa and invite Rethymnon to climb to his Castle. All the events revolve around the Renaissance, a time when the city experienced a special spiritual flourishing. Fortezza in the summer of 1988, for the first time with my own design, even with a few spotlights is lit up. Then, with my personal intervention and the prefect’s request, funding was secured by the Minister of Tourism, Nikos Skoulas. Our Castle is permanently illuminated, the city changes during the summer nights, it seems that something new, something different is happening in the Castle. Period with Melina Merkouris (Minister of Culture), Manos Tsakonas (Artistic Director of the Renaissance Festival). The Old Town is decorated and looks more beautiful with the theatrical events. We are in the era with the Municipal Regional Theaters of Melina Merkouris, touring throughout Greece. In 1993, with credits secured for the Municipality of Rethymno by the then Minister of the Interior Giannis Kefalogiannis, the construction of the “Erofili” theater was completed. The new theater was inaugurated 30 years ago by the mayor Dimitris Archontakis, with a historical theatrical performance of the Cretan Renaissance, “Katzourbo”, by the Rethymnian writer Georgios Hortatsis, directed by Lefteris Vogiatzis and set by the late Nikos Alexios, also from Rethymno. The performance was a pan-Hellenic premiere and marked the beginning of the 7th Renaissance Festival. During the construction of the new theater, I also participated in the supervision of the project. For the first time, Rethymnon would have an outdoor theater with 500 permanent seats, modern facilities and dressing rooms. On my own initiative, I suggested that the theater under construction be named “Erophili” after the leading tragedy of our own George Hortatsis, and with the unanimous decision of the Municipal Council, one night in 1992, the newly erected theater was baptized”.

According to his historical narrative, Emmanuel Tsakonas, when after years he found himself again at the helm of the Renaissance Festival, in the summer of 2006, and with the increased needs of the Rethymnon theater lover and now introduced to the theatrical Renaissance audience, he suggested to his advisor at the time Prime Minister and current Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, the need to expand the theater with a new roof. Through her personal actions, a brave financing was secured, thanks to which “Erophili” would now have more than 650 permanent positions. Of course I assured that I would undertake the design of the theater extension. Indeed, I had the honor of having the study assigned to me by the mayor George Marinakis. With absolute respect for the monumental space of Fortezza as well as the original design of the existing theater, the project was completed in the summer of 2010. I believe it was a success. Nowadays it is certainly difficult to distinguish the original part of the theater from its extension, despite the twenty or so years of construction that separate them”, he tells APE BEE.

Manos Tsakonas, after all these years of his presence, in the identity and culture of Rethymno, decided to deal with the municipal authority alongside Giorgis Marinakis. And as Mr. Tsakonas himself mentions, “…in this tomorrow, there will always be Fortezza, our fortress, and the Renaissance Festival that will continue to offer us unforgettable nights of culture. The Municipality of Rethymno, through the program it secured, will also ensure the maintenance and promotion of important buildings for the purpose of the operation of permanent and periodic exhibitions, as well as the design-construction of a new outdoor concert space, in accordance with the increased needs of events that have been created in the last years”.

The purpose of all this, according to the architect Emmanuel Tsakonas, is the all-day operation of a Castle-monument with periodic and permanent exhibitions and a new canteen-café area on the Agios Loukas bastion in the southwest, to complement our evening events for young people and already existing modernized spaces. “For me, the 450th anniversary of Fortezza is the real and emotional proof that we here in Rethymnon, together, are doing all the necessary actions to prove that, with our history and culture as a beacon, we can continue our journey towards the sun of the future”.