The efforts of the municipality of Rethymno for the preservation and protection of the Castle of Fortezza are in the final stretch, which last night was once again honored, as it was declared by the international organization “The Fortress Study Group” as one of the best-preserved castles in Crete.
Receiving the award, the Mayor of Rethymno, Giorgis Marinakis, emphasized, among other things, that the award belongs to all those who have worked over time for this monument, which was built with effort by our enslaved ancestors.
Many conquerors have passed through our land, but fortunately all of them left and left their monuments, which we respected, after all, Rethymno is a meeting point of many cultures and we are happy about it, as he said.
Referring to the conservation works of the monument, he stressed that it is no coincidence that a planning meeting is currently being implemented that we have signed with the Ministry of Culture, under the auspices of the Region, for the major project of the surrounding area, the reconstruction of the last building and very soon there will be a designer for the walls.
In the meantime, he was caustic to those who, as he said, remembered their bad self and commented on the condition of the walls. It is good for you experts to note that the walls are not simple lime walls, but require care, knowledge, study, and specialist scientists. We are glad that everything is being done in the right way so that this building will remain for so many more centuries and then let others rebuild it, explained the mayor of Rethymno.
The Fortress Study Group
The non-profit organization The Fortress Study Group was founded in 1975 and is based in Oxford. Its purpose is to evaluate and highlight castles built around the world since the invention of gunpowder.
“In addition to the architectural value of the fortresses, their symbolism, the role they have played in history, their conservation and restoration projects and all the technical interventions they have received are also taken into account,” explained the organization’s former president, John Harris, during his speech at yesterday’s ceremony.
The mission of “The Fortress Study Group” to Rethymno consists of 19 scientists who had the opportunity to tour the grounds of the Fortress and see for themselves the care that has been taken to maintain it in good condition, as well as the improvement and upgrading projects.
The history of the Castle through the words of the Deputy Mayor of Culture Manos Tsakonas:
“This castle was founded on September 13, 1573 by the Venetians. 452 years ago, that is, 4.5 centuries ago. In 1580, when its construction was completed, it proved too small to house the entire city, and as a result, it housed the Venetian administration. In November 1646, the Venetians surrendered to the Ottoman conquerors, who made very minor interventions, the most important of which was perhaps the conversion of the Cathedral into a Mosque, the place where we are now.
In recent decades, the cooperation between the Municipality of Rethymno and the Archaeological Service has resulted in the continuous regeneration of the outdoor spaces, the surrounding area and accessibility for people with disabilities, as well as the restoration of the buildings and their conversion into cultural spaces, with dozens of events taking place here throughout the year.
The Artillery building, the open-air theater “Erofili”, the Ibrahim Khan Mosque, where we are now, and the recently renovated Didymo building are some of them.
In these spaces, local clubs, schools, and artistic groups from all the arts will present their inspirations and their creations. In these spaces, top music and theater groups from Greece and abroad are hosted.
And as Deputy Mayor for Culture, allow me to emphasize that, thanks to the creation of these spaces, our Fortezza is not just a silent and imposing Venetian fortress on the sea, it is not just the favorite image on Instagram of visitors to our city, but a living monument, a living cell of Culture, it is the favorite destination of all residents of the city on warm summer evenings.
And for this reason alone, it would deserve additional praise.
So our Castle is commendable, both the Municipality and Archaeology deserve praise, who through Culture keep it alive!
We welcome you here today, in this special place, in the heart of our beloved castle, and we thank you for honoring us with your presence. We thank you for the distinction you are bestowing on our City.”
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