In the maintenance and restoration of part of it of the northern wall of the fortifications of the Castle of Nafpaktos, the Ministry of Culture is proceeding, as part of the interventions to protect and highlight the fortified complex, which extends from the hill to the sea front and the Venetian harbor.

The Ministry of Culture is carrying out a broad program of restoration of the fortifications of Nafpaktos, with a total budget of 5,000,000 euros.

As the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni stated, “The Castle of Nafpaktos is one of the best castles in the Greek territory with great historical importance. Its fortifications face problems, which are mainly due to the intense seismic activity, the poor quality of the soil in places, the underground water, as well as the various man-made interventions. Despite extensive damage, the imposing monument largely preserves its authenticity, while its numerous preserved morphological and structural elements make it one of the most important monuments for the study of the history of medieval fortified architecture. In our recent autopsy of parts of the Castle of Nafpaktos, and specifically, in the Venetian port, where works are underway to fix and restore the sea walls with the restoration of the ramparts, as well as the restored part from Orea Dapia to the Clock Tower, it was found the necessity to take immediate strengthening measures to protect the part of the northern walls of the Castle’s fortifications. The relevant study, which received the positive opinion of the Central Archaeological Council, complements the study of maintenance and restoration of the south-eastern part of the fortifications”.

Object of the study is the design of the fixing interventions for the northern part of the walls of the fortifications of Nafpaktos, specifically from the imposing bastion “Falsoporti” to the end of the walls, south-east corner of the upper enclosure, including a smaller conical bastion, which today has undergone significant damage as parts of it have collapsed. The approved study – architectural-static – provides for the cleaning of the surrounding area from the planting inside and outside, the formation of a construction road for vehicles outside, the construction of a partition wall, the cleaning of the perimeter of the walls in the section under study from any newer arbitrary constructions and to be restored to the original its form, so that it can be visited by the general public.

The fortified medieval city of Nafpaktos occupies the southern slope of a steep hill with an altitude of 200m. about. The numerous surviving morphological and structural elements of the Castle make it a particularly important sample for the study of medieval fortified architecture. The fortified area consists of two enclosures.

The upper enclosure it is located at the top of the hill and is divided into three separate precincts.

The lower enclosure it is formed to the south, from the foot of the hill to the sea and is divided into two separate precincts. The fortification of the lower city seems to have been done in phases and in the usual 15th century way of fortification architecture, with successive interventions of local reinforcements and improvements.

The bastions of the fortifications of Nafpaktos must, based on their shape, but also the date 1491, engraved on an oblong stone on the bastion of Falsoporti, be associated with the last works that the Venetians managed to do on the fortifications of Nafpaktos.

As for the works on the Castle of Nafpaktos, it has been completed the restoration and consolidation of parts of the Castle, from the part of the bastions from Orea Dapia to the Clock tower, and the highlighting of the archaeological site.

The maintenance and restoration projects of the south-eastern part of the fortifications, the Venetian port, implemented by the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments Restoration Directorate with funding from the Recovery Fund, are in progress.

The Ephorate of Antiquities of Etoloakarnania and Lefkada carries out the fixing and restoration of the sea walls with the restoration of the ramparts in an exemplary manner.