Travel Memories by J.L.Misener
Exploring Palamidi Fortress with Family
Hi I’m Jenn! Let me take you on a tour of Palamidi Fortress in Nafplio. My husband Nate and I traveled there with my one and a half year old son Felix. It is a really neat fort in Greece with a very interesting and long history! I hope this journey inspires you to learn more about Greece.
When we arrived late at night at our Airbnb, we were immediately taken by the view of the Palamidi fortress, lit up on the adjacent mountain. Palamidi looked over us from its perch no matter where we went in Nafplio. We did not know much of the history of Palamidi at the time, but there was a feeling of importance about the place. It turns out that the first stronghold that the Greeks managed to capture, and gain themselves a political foothold in, was the Palamidi fortress (Municipality of Nafplio).
On our first full day in Nafplio we went up the 900+ steps to explore the Palamidi fortress. I kept stopping to take pictures and say “Wow, look at that view! It keeps getting better and better.”
Palamidi fortress is right on the coast, so as we rose above the city we could see the water stretch out below us on one side, and Nafplio on the other. We could see all the way to our Airbnb. There was a castle on the mountain next to Palamidi, which we were able to get great shots of, though we had to get creative to block out the big ugly concrete building that had been built in front of it (apparently a school).
Nate had our one year old son Felix in the backpack carrier, and when we got to the small ticket booth at the top of the stairs we both had to stop to catch our breath. The man inside made a comment about Nate carrying Felix, looking both impressed and horrified that we had not taken the driving route up, before he sold us our tickets and we headed into the fortress.
Once inside we took Felix out of the backpack to let him walk around. We each took one of Felix’s tiny hands, and he stuck his feet way out in front of him onto each step, grunting as he pulled himself up, using our arms to support more than his own legs.
Built with a series of 8 bastions that connected to one another with a wall, but could each function independently, the fortress seemed to continue on and on into the distance. If one bastion fell then each other one could operate independently (Municipality of Nafplio), which makes that take over by the Greeks all the more impressive.
A History of Palamidi Fortress
The entire fortress was built in 3 years from 1711 to 1714! (Papathanassiou). Even though we know that Nafplio is part of Greece now, Greece actually wasn’t even a country until 1830. So what country was Nafplio part of before that? It was actually an area that changed rulers quite a bit. It was controlled by the Turks (from Turkey), who were known as the Ottoman Empire, and then the Venetians (from Italy) captured it from the Turks in 1684. They built the Fortress Palamidi in an attempt to make it harder for the Turks to take Nafplio back. Fortress Palamidi makes it easy to see if an enemy is coming from a long ways away (Papathanassiou).
The Greek Revolution
In 1715 Fortress Palamidi was captured by the Turks, continuing the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the area (Papathanassiou). 1821 was the beginning of the Greek revolution, and the leaders of the revolution saw Palamidi as a stronghold that could give them a seat for the government. Palamidi was put under siege (surrounded by the Greeks). They tried to storm the fortress (attack it), but failed. So they stayed outside the fortress and waited, knowing that the Turks would eventually run out of supplies and have to surrender (Papathanassiou). The Turks realized that if help didn’t come soon they would be in trouble. They agreed to surrender if they were not relieved within 25 days (Phillips & Walter, 1897, pp. p.96-107).
Relief of Nafplio
The Ottomon Empire sent their army to help Fortress Palamadi in Nafplio. The plan was simple. The Ottoman fleet (ships) would meet the main garrison (army) to resupply and aid them. The Turks should have been able to defeat the Greeks easily. (Phillips & Walter, 1897, pp. p.96-107).
Meanwhile the Greek rebels attacked Athens, and they won! But one rebel named Nikkas wanted to send a message to the Ottoman Empire. The Greeks had promised that safety to all of the unarmed prisoners, but Nikkas didn’t listen and didn’t provide the promised safety. This made the Turks very angry.
Dremali was the commander of the Ottomon army, and when he heard what Nikkas had done he was so angry. He was on his way to Nafplio and news of his anger spread. People started spreading rumors that his army was larger and more terrifying than it really was and so garrisons (strongholds) surrendered to him sometimes without even a fight! It looked like it would be an easy victory for the Turks.
Overconfidence of the Ottomon Commander
Demitris made a deadly mistake. He underestimated the Greeks. As he marched across the country the Greeks were laying down their weapons and allowing him to take fortresses without a fight. All he had to do to make sure he would be victorious was to leave some troops (soldiers) behind to guard the route home. Instead he became overconfident and he marched on to Nafplio leaving the fortresses empty behind him (which means the Greeks were free to go right back in and set up a defence again). (Nafplio). (Phillips & Walter, 1897, pp. p.96-107).
For the most part just learning that this horrifying Ottomon army was coming was enough to send the Greek commanders packing. Only a few brave commanders remained. Small but smart, the remaining commanders began to build an army of resistance fighters. Some of the commanders blocked the way to Nafplio, while others snuck around behind the army to block their escape.
Dramali and his army suddenly found themselves trapped. They could not advance on Nauplia (Nafplio), they had no lines of communication since they had left no one behind in the forts they had conquered, and they would soon discover that their retreat was blocked.
To make matters worse, the Ottoman fleet, who were supposed to be resupplying them, must have also underestimated the Greeks. Instead of keeping pace with Dramali and his army, they chose their own route around the Peloponnese, showing up too late to do any good (Phillips & Walter, 1897, pp. p.96-107).
A Greek Victory
When Dramali attempted to retreat the Greek and his army were waiting. Almost all of Dramali’s troops were destroyed. The Ottoman fleet finally arrived, but, realizing that they were too late, the Ottoman admiral turned his fleet around and sailed away. With that the Turks that had held Palamidi for so long surrendered, marking the beginning of Greece as a nation, with Nafplio as its capital (Phillips & Walter, 1897, pp. p.96-107).
Friendly Enthusiasm of Greek Locals
The guy at the ticket booth must have been getting bored, because he asked us where we were from when we started on our way back down the stairs. When we told him Canada he launched into a story about the time he had gone to Nebraska in the winter. It was -22 degrees Celsius, and he thought he was going to die. It was so cold he couldn’t breathe. When he looked out across the land it was so flat it went on and on, and he couldn’t process it. His eyes didn’t know what to do. He indicated the mountains around us as he described it, like the mountainous landscape was clearly how thing should be.
When I asked him if there was a good place around to buy coffee beans. He started going on about how it used to be, when there were stores across the city that roasted your own beans, and the smell that would waft out the door, but now everything is industrial and all of those places are gone. He cautioned us though that when we made coffee not to use the tap water or we would taste the chlorine. After all that you would expect him to be drinking one of the finest brands of Greek coffee, but in the back of his guard tower it was easy to see the container of Nescafe instant coffee.
Fortunately we were not in a hurry to get anywhere, but the conversation was going on quite a long time, and he wasn’t done. He appraised Nate, looking at the backpack carrier that Felix was perched in, with a kind of horrified fascination. He then informed us of some Norwegian women he had seen with a baby on their back and another on their front. He spoke with a kind of awe, as he explained about the one time he had done the stairs, and how his calve muscles had turned to jello. We finally left the security guard, and climbed back down the stairs. We found a little café at the bottom and stopped for a drink, and to rest our legs that were now feeling a little like jello themselves.
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Resources used in writing Exploring Palamidi Fortress with Family: the Greek revolution
Municipality of Nafplio. (n.d.). Palamidi. Retrieved May 05, 2019, from https://www.nafplio.gr/en/arxaiologikoixoroiseimiamenu2/62-2011-03-20-10-43-36.html
Papathanassiou, M. (n.d.). Palamidi. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from https://www.kastra.eu/castleen.php?kastro=palamidi
Phillips, & Walter, A. (1897). War of greek independence, 1821 to 1833. p.96-107 New York, New York: C. Scribner’s Sons. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from https://archive.org/details/warofgreekindepe00phil/page/96?q=palamidi.
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