If you are in sunny Cyprus and enjoy the local Commandaria wine, you should think: should you travel to the homeland of this drink? Well, if you sweeten tea or coffee with wonderful brown cane sugar, then the reasons for visiting Kolossi Castle are doubly increased. What does a harsh medieval fortress have to do with wine? It can be assumed that the soldiers of the garrison were once comforted by them during the hard service. But what does the castle have in common with cane sugar? We will reveal all the secrets if you take a fascinating virtual tour with us in Kolossi. This castle is well worth a visit. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the island of Cyprus.
Where is it located and how to get there
This medieval citadel is located on the south coast. To get to Kolossi, you first need to come to Limassol. This resort is located ten kilometers east of the medieval fortress. Excursion buses from many towns in Cyprus leave 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 just one and a half euros. For car owners it will be nice to know that free parking is available at the walls of the citadel. Kolossi - castle museum. An adult will have to pay two and a half euros for entry. The museum operates seven days a week. However, the hours to visit vary with the season. The museum always opens at eight in the morning. And the citadel locks its doors from November to March at five in the afternoon, at off-season at six in the evening, and in the summer months at half-past seven.
History of Kolossi Castle
The fortress was erected by the king of the island of Cyprus, Hugo First de Lusignan. It happened at the beginning of the thirteenth century. But not even a century had passed before the mighty Jerusalem Order of St. John took possession of the citadel, having founded its commando here. Knight monks, called "hospitaliers", were famous not only for redeeming captured Christians from Saracens. The entrepreneurial streak inherent in the order also appeared in Cyprus. At that time, sugar was extracted only from cane. Therefore, it was worth its weight in gold. Hospitallers brought reed from Africa and dotted the banks of the local Kuris River with it. In addition, they took up winemaking. Under the hot sun of Cyprus, the berries dried to a state of raisins and only after that they were processed. So the famous Commandaria wine was born. In the fourteenth century, the castle of Kolossi belonged to the no less warlike order of the Templars. But when these monks fell into disfavor, he again returned to the possession of the hospitaliers.
Colossi 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 Hamletian in this castle. It seems as if the wizard transferred the sullen tower from the Danish kingdom to the sunlit coast. But the castle was not built for beauty, and the main thing for architects was not landscape design, but the defenses of the fortress. The citadel in the form in which we observe it today was erected in 1454 by a commander with a slightly strange surname - Louis de Magnac (de Magnac). He spared no money to reconstruct the castle according to the latest fortification construction of that era. The center of the citadel was a twenty-two-meter tower-dungeon. In plan, it is a square. The donjon has three floors, and the entrance to this building was on the second level. The citadel was fortified with defensive walls, the remains of which are still visible.
The surroundings of Kolossi Castle
Do not rush to enter the dungeon. First walk around the citadel. The medieval castle of Kolossi was named for the nearest village. It is worth visiting it and admiring the Church of St. Eustache. It was built in the twelfth century and reconstructed in the fifteenth. Inside the three-nave room, frescoes of the 15th century have been preserved. Once all the lands around the castle belonged to hospitals. On vast agricultural land , the knight monks cultivated grapes and sugarcane. Even now, at the castle walls you can see the ruins of the plant and the remains of the aqueduct. At this point, the cane was processed for sugar. In the middle of the fifteenth century, a property dispute erupted between hospitals and the Republic of Venice, which owned the rights to the Kuris River. The judgment was not in favor of the monks. Deprived watering reed plantations have withered. Now in their place grow citrus groves. And the wine "Kammandaria" is still being produced.
Kolossi Castle: excursions, expositions
To enjoy visiting the citadel, you 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 may not notice. For example, on a narrow spiral staircase. It spins counterclockwise. This was done in such a way that the castle defender, rising up, stood on a wide part of the step and had free space for working with his right hand, while an uninvited guest stood on a narrow strip and his movements with his sword were constrained by the wall. Also, the guide will pay attention to the heraldic emblems of the castle commanders - Lusignan, Gina de Lastik, Jack de Milli, Louis de Maniac.
Independent walk through the dungeon
What should definitely be seen if we visit the castle of Kolossi without a guide? Once the dungeon could only be reached by a suspension bridge leading directly to the second floor of the tower. Now the lifting mechanism is destroyed, there are no iron chains. During the reconstruction of the castle and its transformation into a museum, the bridge remained on the ground. Therefore, we begin our journey from the basements of the citadel. There were warehouses, an arsenal and wells. The latter were cut in 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. A beautiful fresco depicting Calvary has been preserved in this room. On the third floor were the chambers of the order commander. And on the roof there is still a gatehouse with a ledge above the castle entrance. Hot tar and hot olive oil poured from the balcony with cracks in the floor on the besiegers of the fortress.
Wine "Commandaria"
Kolossi Castle is home to the most famous alcohol brand in Cyprus. Even now, a bottle of Commandaria is the best souvenir in memory of the island. It should be said that for wine the hospitaliers used the existing local varieties of berries - white “Xinisteri” and red “Mavro”. But the secret to the success of the wine is not in the blend, but in the recipe of the preparation. Torn ripe clusters left for ten days to fade in the sun. Then five more they rested in the shade. Then the berries went under the press. The wort roamed for eight more days in vats. After that, the drink was corked in barrels treated with smoke. As a result of this technological process, wine gained natural sweetness. But Commandaria is by no means a sugary liquor. The strength of this drink is 15 degrees. Its highlight is the “smoky” aftertaste.
Reviews
Kolossi Castle (Cyprus) is one of the key attractions of the island. Therefore, all travelers are advised to visit it. If you are a layman in the history of the Middle Ages and fortification, it is best to come to Kolossi with a guided tour. The castle and the donjon itself may 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 general public loves so much.