Neratzia Castle (Castle of the Knights), Kos

Very interesting fortress that can be visited for free but unfortunately has very limited access.

Nerátzia Castle (also known as St. John's Fortress or St. John's Castle) is located at the entrance to Mandráki Harbour. In ancient times, the castle grounds formed a small offshore island connected to the main island by a bridge. Even before the arrival of the Hospitallers, there were fortifications here to protect the port.The old bridge can still be seen today. It now leads over the avenue of palm trees, which was built in place of the moat during the Italian occupation, and is the only access to the interior of the fortress.The Nerátzia Castle consists of two defensive rings. The inner ring was built in the early 14th century, shortly after the Hospitallers settled on Kos. It is bounded at the corners by four round towers and surrounded by a moat crossed by a drawbridge.
he south-eastern tower of the inner ring forms part of the larger, outer ring. This was built at the end of the 15th century to face the increasing threat from the Ottoman Empire (attacks by Sultan Bayazit 1st on Kos). The outer ring of walls was therefore provided with battlements, loopholes and massive bastions at the four corners.In addition to local stone, fragments of the ancient city were also used for the construction of the castle. There are numerous coats of arms on the top of the masonry. At the main entrance is a Hellenistic frieze with faces and stone garlands.The oldest preserved part of the fortress is the round tower to the left of the drawbridge. It bears the arms of two Grand Masters of the Order: De Lastic (1437 - 1454) and de Milly (1454 - 1461). The construction of the outer ring was begun by the Grand Master d'Aubusson in 1495. D' Amboise continued the construction and Del Carretto completed the work in 1514.On the north side, the knights set up an armory between the defensive rings. It was restored during the Italian occupation and now serves as a museum. Here altars, sculptures and inscriptions can be seen.
The Nerátzia Castle was also damaged in the earthquake on July 21, 2017. The fort can be visited again, but some areas of the site are still cordoned off for security reasons.
Source:
insel-kos.info/sehenswertes/neratzia.htm

Kastro Neratzia - Ruins of a 14th century fortress. From the castle wall you have a beautiful view of the harbor.