Frangokastello · Sfakia, Crete · Greece

Φρούριο Φραγκοκάστελλο | Frangokastello Castle

historicviewpointwalkgoogle verified

easy

8/10

best: morning

mysterious, contemplative

A local would say...

Every year at dawn on May 17th, witnesses report seeing the ghosts of the 1828 massacre marching along the beach in the mist.

A magnificent 14th-century Venetian coastal fortress rising from a broad flat plain by the sea, 15km east of Hora Sfakion. Built as a defence against pirates and the rebellious Sfakiot people, it was the site of a decisive 1828 battle where many Cretan rebels were massacred by the Turks. Local legend holds that on 17 May each year at dawn, the ghosts of the dead ('drosoulites', the dew shadows) march again along the beach in the early morning mist.