The Castle of Akrotiri, also known as Castle Akrotiri, Goulas or La Ponta, is a former Venetian castle on the Greek island of Santorini. The now-ruined castle lies at the center of the village of Akrotiri.
 The ruins of Akrotiri Castle dominate the modern day village of Akrotiri | |
| Location | Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece |
|---|---|
| Region | Aegean islands |
| Coordinates | 36°21′30″N 25°23′50″E / 36.3582°N 25.3972°E |
| Type | Castle |
| History | |
| Cultures | Venetian |
History
The castle was built in the 13th century by the Republic of Venice, which had occupied Santorini in 1207. Eager to fortify the island, the Venetians constructed a number of fortresses and watchtowers at key points around the island.[1] Near the small hillside village of Akrotiri, Venetians engineers constructed a new castle on top of an existing Byzantine watchtower; this castle became one of the most defensible positions on the island.[2] The fortress remained unconquered throughout the first of the Ottoman-Venetian Wars before finally surrendering to the Ottomans in 1617. The castle remained in relatively good condition until it was reduced to a ruin by an earthquake in 1956.[1][3][2]