Explore Crete island

Gramvousa - Crete, GREECE

Far off the beaten track, this striking spike of islands at Gramvousa - once the haunt of pirates - is now a favourite target for day-tripping boats. Spectacular sand bars and shallow water stretch to the islet from Balos beach where there sits the ruin of a Venetian fortress. The castle was built in 1582 but destroyed six years later when lightning set off a gunpowder store. It was rebuilt in 1630 and garrisoned by English and French soldiers in 1828. Today only ruins remain. Wild and uninhabited, this beach is best visited by boat as there are no facilities and no roads worthy of the name

Due to its strategic location, Gramvousa was fortified by the Venetians, who built a well-fortified castle on the top of a steepy rock at an altitude of 137 m. Construction on the castle of Gramvousa started in 1579 and ended in 1582. It was destroyed in 1588, however, when thunder struck on the powder store.The castle was rebuilt in 1630. It was one of the three castles to remain under Venetian dominion after the Turkish occupation of Crete (the other two were those of Sitia and Spinalonga. Even though the castle was impregnable, during the Venetian-Turkish war the Italian commandant was bribed by the Turks and he gave over the castle in 1692.

During the Greek uprising against the Turks, Gramvousa played an important and desicive role. After many attempts the castle was finally occupied by the Cretan revolutioners in 1825, when a team of Cretans disguised as Turks entered the castle. Gramvousa was the first part of Crete to be liberated by the Turks.
The rocky island became a shelter for over 3000 people, and a base of operations for the revolution teams. But it also became a base of pirates that plundered every ship that passed to the seas around the island, so with the agreement of the Greek Government a English-French garrison took over the island of Gramvoussa in 1828. Today, the high walls of the Gramvoussa are preserved, half ruined but awesome. Opposite to the island of Gramvousa is the wonderful beach of Balos.