Colossi (Chateau, Cyprus): description, history, interesting facts and reviews

If you are on sunny Cyprus and enjoy the local Kommandaria wine, you should think: should you make a trip to the homeland of this drink? Well, if you sweeten tea or coffee with wonderful brown cane sugar, then the reasons for visiting the Colossi Castle grow doubly. What do the harsh medieval fortress have in common with wine? It can be assumed that the soldiers of the garrison were once consoled by them during the carrying out of a difficult service. But what does the castle have in common with cane sugar? All the secrets we will disclose, if you make us a fascinating virtual tour of Kolossi. This castle deserves a visit. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the island of Cyprus.

Where is located and how to get there

This medieval citadel is located on the south coast. To get to Kolossi, first you need to come to Limassol. This resort is located ten kilometers east of the medieval fortress. Excursion buses from many towns of Cyprus are sent here. But if you are resting in Limassol, then it is better for you to make an independent trip to the castle. City bus number 17 takes you directly to the foot of the fortress for only one and a half euros. For car owners, it will be nice to learn that there is a free parking near the walls of the citadel. Colossi is a castle museum. Admission to the adult will have to pay two and a half euros. The museum works without days off. However, the hours to visit vary depending on the season. The museum opens at eight in the morning. And the citadel closes its doors from November to March in five days, in the off-season - at six in the evening, and in the summer months - at half past seven.

History of the castle of Kolossi

The fortress was built by King of Cyprus Cyprus Hugo First de Lusignan. It happened in the beginning of the thirteenth century. But not even a century passed, as the stronghold of Jerusalem was captured by the powerful order of St. John, who founded his commando here. Knight monks, called "Hospitallers," were famous not only for buying Christian prisoners from the Saracens. The business vein of the order was also shown in Cyprus. At that time, sugar was extracted only from reeds. Therefore, it was valued in weight of gold. The Hospitallers brought reeds from Africa and littered them with the banks of the local river Kuris. In addition, they engaged in winemaking. Under the hot sun of Cyprus, the berries withered to the state of raisins and only after that came into recycling. So the famous wine "Kommandaria" was born. In the fourteenth century, the castle of Colossi belonged to the equally militant order of the Knights Templar. But when these monks fell into disgrace, he returned to the possession of the Hospitallers.

Kolossi Castle: description

First of all, it is worth noting that this medieval citadel absolutely does not fit into the southern pacifying landscape of Cyprus. There is something in this castle Hamlet. It seems that the wizard has moved a gloomy tower from the Danish kingdom to a sunny beach. But the castle was not built for beauty and the main thing for architects was not the landscape design, but the defensive capacity of the fortress. The Citadel in the form in which we see it today was erected in 1454 by the commander with a slightly strange name - Louis de Maniac (de Magnac). He did not spare the means to reconstruct the castle according to the last word of the fortification building of that era. The center of the citadel was a twenty-two-meter tower-donjon. In terms of it it is a square. The Donjon has three floors, and the entrance to this building was on the second level. The citadel was fortified by defensive walls, the remains of which are still visible.

Neighborhood of Kolossi Castle

Do not rush into the inside of the dungeon. First take a walk around the neighborhood of the citadel. The medieval castle of Kolossi was named after the nearest village. It is worth to visit it and admire the church of St. Eustache. It was built in the twelfth century and reconstructed in the fifteenth. The frescoes of the 15th century are preserved inside the three-nave room. Once all the land around the castle belonged to the Hospitallers. On extensive farming grounds , knight monks grew grapes and sugar cane. Even now, at the castle walls you can see the ruins of the plant and the remains of the aqueduct. In this place the reed was processed for sugar. In the middle of the fifteenth century, a property dispute broke out between the Hospitallers and the Venetian Republic, which owned rights to the river Kuris. The judgment was not in favor of the monks. Deprived of irrigation cane plantations withered. Now in their place grow citrus groves. And the wine "Kammandaria" is produced so far.

Kolossi Castle: excursions, exhibitions

To enjoy visiting the citadel, one should know the basics of fortification art of the Middle Ages. Or join the tour. The guide will draw your attention to those little things that you yourself can not notice. For example, on a narrow spiral staircase. It twists counter-clockwise. This was done so that the defender of the castle, rising up, stood on the wide part of the step and had free space for working with his right hand, whereas the unwelcome guest stood on a narrow strip and his movements were blocked by a sword wall. Also, the guide will pay attention to the heraldic emblems of the commanders of the castle - Lusignan, Gina de Lastic, Jack de Milli, Louis de Manyac.

An independent walk around the Donjon

What should I definitely see if we visit the Kolossi Castle without a guide? Once in the dungeon you could only get on the suspension bridge leading immediately to the second floor of the tower. Now the lifting mechanism is destroyed, there are no iron chains. The bridge during the reconstruction of the castle and its transformation into a museum was left to lie on the ground. So we start from the basement of the citadel. There were warehouses, arsenal and wells. The latter were cut through the rock to a depth of more than ten meters. On the second level there was a kitchen with a huge fireplace and a refectory. In this room there is a beautiful fresco depicting Calvary. On the third floor were the rooms of the Commander of the Order. And on the roof there is still a patrol area with a ledge above the entrance to the castle. From this balcony with crevices in the floor, hot resin and red-hot olive oil were pouring on the besiegers.

Wine "Commandaria"

Castle Colossi is home to the most famous alcoholic brand of Cyprus. Even now the Kommandaria bottle is the best souvenir to remember about the island. It should be said that for the wine, the Hospitallers used the already available local varieties of berries - the white Xinisteri and the red Mavro. But not in the blending of the secret of wine success, but in the preparation recipe. Ripped ripe bunches were left for ten days to wilt in the sun. Then another five they rested in the shade. Then the berries went under the press. The wort roamed in the vats for another eight days. After that, the drink was clogged in smoke-treated barrels. As a result of this technological process, the wine gained natural sweetness. But the "Commandaria" is by no means a luscious liqueur. The strength of this drink is 15 degrees. Its highlight is a "smoky" smack.

Reviews

The castle of Colossi (Cyprus) is one of the key attractions of the island. Therefore, all travelers advise him to visit. If you are a layman in the history of the Middle Ages and fortification, it is best to come to Kolossi with an excursion. The castle and the dungeons themselves can not make a proper impression on people who are not enlightened. There you will not see furniture in the style of Empire, mummies and other "miracles" that the mass public likes so much.