Firkas Fortress

The construction of the historic fortress began around the end of the 16th century by the Venetians, who were the overlords of Crete since the beginning of the 13th century. Its construction was completed around 1620, and the Fortress began to constitute a key element of Chania’s defence. It is indicative that a chain joined the Fortress and the tower of the Lighthouse at the opposite end, thus closing and securing the harbour. Its original name in Italian was “Revellino del Porto”, meaning “Bastion of the Port”; however, when the Ottoman conquered the island in 1669, its name was changed to “Firkas”, meaning “Barracks”, as it was thus used during the period of Ottoman rule. There is a variety of buildings and structures inside, such as administrative halls, war materials warehouses, dormitories for soldiers, prisons, tanks, etc. Until the middle of the 20th century, the Fortress was mainly used as a prison. A highlight of its history is the raising of the Greek flag on December 1st, 1913, during an official ceremony in the presence of King Konstantinos I and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, which marked the union of Crete with the Kingdom of Greece.