The Bourtzi fortress is a monument of maximum importance and one of the most important fortifications in Greece
The project was inaugurated yesterday Friday “The Bourtzi Fortress in Nafplio – Restoration and reuse (2014-2021)” from the minister of Culture, L. Mendoni. The Bourtzi fortress is a monument of maximum importance and one of the most important fortifications in the Greek area. It was built during the period of the 1st Venetian rule, at the end of the 15th century, when Vittore Pasqualigo was prefect of Nafplion. The project was commissioned to the architect Antonio Gambello and began in June 1471 and was completed a few years later.
During the Venetian occupation it was known as the “fortress of the rock” or “of the sea” (Castello dello scoglio or Castello a mare). Later, during the period of the Revolution, the names “thalassopyrgos” or “Kastelli” were used. The name “Bourtzi”, by which it is still known today, was established during the Turkish occupation. The purpose of its construction was to protect the entrance to the port of the city of Nafplion.
The fortress served the defense of the city for 350 years, during which it received several repairs and modifications. During the Greek Revolution, it played an important role in the liberation of Nafplio. From 1833 to 1913 it was used as a place of residence for the executioner, who carried out the executions by guillotine in Palamidi. When the executions stopped, the fort was abandoned.
With the creation of the Tourism Organization, the sea tower was leased in the early 1930s to a Nafplion businessman for tourist exploitation and turned into a First Class tourist center in Greece, with the operation of a 14-room hotel and restaurant. It operated without interruption for some 37 years until the late 1960s when it was discontinued as it no longer met modern standards for accommodation.
Later, with partial interventions by the EOT, in the mid-1980s, it operated as a restaurant and refreshment room until about 1995, after which it remained closed.
The fort has been declared a prominent monument with the N.W. 25-2-1922 (Government Gazette 28/A/26-2-1922) while at the same time it was designated as a Tourist Public Estate with the N.W. 12-01-1949 (Official Gazette 34A/5.02.1949). Its Administration and Management was initially entrusted to EOT and today it has fallen to the Public Real Estate Company.
In 2010, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between ETA SA (Tourist Development Company) and the Ministry of Tourism (25th E.V.A.) for the restoration and reuse of the monument. In the framework of the memorandum, the study of mapping, fixing, restoration, highlighting and reuse of the Fortress was drawn up, which was approved in 2011. The implementation of the project was carried out by the services of the Ministry of Culture: Directorate for the Execution of Projects of Museums and Cultural Buildings (IT contract) and 25th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities-Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolis (self-supervision). The project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund NSRF 2007-2013 & 2014-2020, E.P. “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” and its budget amounted to 2,784,899.54 euros.
The YPPO project included extensive maintenance and restoration of all the original parts of the fort. In addition, repair and reconstruction was carried out in all the functional parts of the inner and outer spaces of the fortress (floors, walls, stairs, frames, railings, coloring, highlight lighting) and a radical renovation of all networks (water supply, drainage, electrical installation, heating, cooling, telecommunication).
With the work carried out, a unique monument of Nafplio was restored, a complete work of a renowned architect of the Renaissance with all the characteristics of his time, which make it one of the most remarkable examples of fortified architecture in Greece. Bourtzi, inextricably linked to the collective memory of the inhabitants, as well as to the most recent historical period of the Greek Nation, is given to the public with new uses and with an enhanced role as a cultural monument.
After close and cordial cooperation of ETAD with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the framework for the operation of the Fortress was agreed and signed on 20-7-2023 by the Minister of Culture, Ms. Lina Mendoni and the acting CEO of ETAD, Mr. Panagiotis Balomeno, MEMORANDUM OF MEETING AND COOPERATION, for the organization and operation of the Bourtzi fortress, as a visitable monument with cultural and recreational uses. The fort has been operating since August 5, 2023 and receives a large number of visitors every day. After the opening ceremony, the exhibition space will operate with a periodical exhibition dedicated to the history of the monument as well as the ODAP shop. At a later time, the refreshment bar-restaurant will also operate.
More information on opening hours, ticket prices and how to access can be found on the website of the Ministry of Transport.
Source :Skai
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