Castle of Androussa

The Castle of Androussa is a medieval building of 13th century, located to the east of Androussa, 21 kilometers away from Kalamata. There are remains of the castle are a series of walls with length up to 500 meters and a width of about 1.5 m. There are also the cannons and the watchtower. Today various cultural events take place in the area.

The castle of Androussa was built by Prince of Achaia and Baron of Kalamata William II Villehardouin sometime after 1250. In the 14th century it experienced its greatest growth and prosperity, as it was seat of a judge, while in 1381 it became the seat of the Principality of Achaia.

In 1432 the Castle of Androussa was conquered by Palaiologans of Mystra. In 1462 the castle was occupied by Mehmed II the Conqueror and from that moment until the Greek Revolution, the castle went back and forth in the sovereignty of Turks and Venetians.

The Castle of Androussa seems that it was designed from scratch after a big extention, although its location was not naturally fortified. The remaining walls are part of the original fortification, which was spread to an area of about 20 acres. The wall is vertical and has a zone of defense with battlements. The road around is based on blind pointed arches- a fortification technique known since antiquity. Four of the towers of the Castle of Androussa exist till today: a circular, two quadrilaterals and a pentagonal.