The project “Cultural Route: Network of Castles – From the Byzantine to the Ottoman Era”, undertaken by the Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities, was implemented under the Recovery and Resilience Facility as part of the Ministry of Culture Action “Cultural Routes at Emblematic Archaeological Sites and Monuments”. The project aimed to design a tour route connecting castles and fortifications across the Peloponnese, Western Greece, the Ionian Islands and Epirus, spanning from the Byzantine era to the Greek Revolution of 1821. Priority was given to castles located near popular tourist destinations or with strong tourism potential, especially those accessible via major highways such as the Olympia and Ionia motorways.

In this context, a selection was made of significant and popular castles, on the one hand, and, on the other, of lesser-known ones to create secondary routes of a local nature. These castles represent the Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian and Ottoman periods, their phases of use often spanning successive historical periods. Beyond their local historical importance, these castles stand as witnesses to the broader events and conditions that shaped the history of Greece, while also forming part of Europe’s shared cultural memory and heritage. To facilitate the exploration and the promotion of the castle network, the route has been designed to be experienced either virtually – through a dedicated website – or through actual visits. At each site, the visitor can access information about the route on special signage with QR codes.

The design of the route and the selection of the 48 castles that constitute its stops were based on scientific research, combined with on-site inspections of the castles to determine their suitability for the project’s objectives. Extensive work was undertaken to gather the necessary information: their full recording and archaeological documentation; bibliographical, historical and archaeological research; the collection of photographs and historical depictions; as well as the compilation and processing of cartographic data and topographic diagrams. This material was used to produce the necessary printed, digital and on-site information resources, including information boards.

Information boards were installed at all stops along the route informing visitors about the route and its stops in Greek, English and Braille. In addition, in some castles, where not already covered by another project, information boards on the monument were erected. In certain cases, small interventions were carried out to enhance the visitor experience inside the castles, such as cleaning, vegetation removal, the design of tour routes and the restoration of cobbled pathways. A dedicated website was also developed to promote the route and the castles included in it. The castles are presented in geographical sequence and organised according to the regional units crossed by the cultural route. Beginning with the castles of Corinthia, the route winds through the Peloponnese before continuing to the castles of the regional units of Western Greece, Epirus and the Ionian Islands, following modern road networks and maritime connections. It concludes in Thesprotia Regional Unit and the castles of Corfu.

The successful completion of the project was the result of a team effort. It brought together the permanent scientific and administrative staff of the Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities, as well as contract staff recruited specifically for the project. The texts, maps and topographic diagrams were prepared by the scientific staff, while the photographic material combines aerial photographs produced during the project with images from the archives of the local Ephorates of Antiquities. We extend our warm thanks to the Ephorates for their general contribution to the project – for their advice, support in conducting on-site work and assistance in preparing and installing the information boards.