New Fortress

The New Fortress, a masterpiece of the fort architecture of the late Renaissance, was built during Venetian rule (1576-1578) and is located in the northwestern part of the city of Corfu, and in particular on the rocky hill of St. Mark. It is part of the perimeter fort walls of the city, a task assigned to the engineer Ferdinardo (Ferrante) Vitelli. It was named New Fortress to distinguish it from the Old Fortress located on the eastern side of the city. The fortress, like the entire western front of the fortification, was built according to the principles of the bastion system. Forts are laid out on two levels. The lower level, which is located northeast of the city, used to protect the commercial port of Spilia. There are two monumental gates there. The east gate features the winged lion of St. Mark, the symbol of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. The highest level includes the Sette Venti bastions (two bastions) and used to protect the city on the west mainland side. Upon its completion, the fortress was reinforced by a horn-shaped fort named Scarpon. The winged lion, along with an inscription dating back to 1587, is carved on the walls of the southern half-bastion of Skarpon, and a second similar structure, located in the part of the wall that connects half-bastions (cortina) together, mentions the reconstruction of the fortress in 1728. The New Fortress played an important role during the Ottoman siege of Corfu in 1716 when military operations had been focused on the western front of the city. During the British Military Protection (1814-1864), the fortress compound undergone several interventions, as it was considered crucial for the defence of the island. The most important intervention was the construction of the defensive barracks looming over the highest level of the fortress which was redesigned at that time. At the lower level of the fortress, there is also a building which was built by the British and functioned as a military barracks (a second one) which today houses the Naval Station of Corfu, powder kegs, underground tanks as well as a network of galleries to enable communication between its different sections. References/Reference list - Αγοροπούλου – Μπιρμπίλη Α., Η αρχιτεκτονική της πόλεως της Κέρκυρας κατά την περίοδο της Ενετοκρατίας, Αθήνα 1976.