The Castle of Myrina is built on a rocky and steep peninsula and communicates with the land only from the east. It is the biggest castle in the Aegean and it is always open for visits.
It was founded in 1207 by the Venetian Filokalos Navigkagiozo, Grand Duke of Lemnos, who wanted to fortify Mirina. His successor, Leonardo Navigkagiozo, strengthened the castle and kept it under his rule for over 45 years. In the Ottoman period, Turks lived in the fortress and during the siege of Mirina in 1770 by the Russian fleet, the walls of the fortress were seriously damaged.
The wall on the east and south side is high and there are many towers, while on the north and west side of the castle the wall is much lower and there are not many towers. Inside the fortress there is a Turkish Mosque, an underground vaulted area and cisterns.
Wild goats and deer live in the ruins of the castle nowadays. The deer are called “Platania” and they were brought here some decades ago from Rhodes. They bred and became the new inhabitants of the castle.
