Corfu 1716: The besieged town comes to life tonight at New Fortress

Three hundred and ten years after the great Ottoman siege of 1716, the New Fortress tonight, Monday 21 September, becomes a setting for historical remembrance. At 8:00pm, the event “Corfu 1716 – The Town Under Siege – History and Memory” will be presented at the Tenedos Bastion, with free admission.

This year’s production by the Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands goes beyond a historical lecture or a conventional re-enactment. It seeks to recreate the atmosphere of besieged Corfu through historical accounts, archival material, narration, theatrical performance, dance theatre, song, music, projections and soundscapes. At the heart of the narrative this time is the town itself and its people: the fear, deprivation and anxiety, but also the resilience of a society faced with the possibility of destruction.

From Scarponas to the Besieged Town

Tonight’s event is essentially a continuation of the production presented in 2025, which focused on the Battle of Scarponas, one of the most critical episodes of the siege. At the time, attention centred on the battle for this particular defensive position. This year, the focus broadens to encompass the siege experience as a whole.

Scarponas was captured by a force of around 1,000 Janissaries during the general Ottoman assault. Its recapture by the defenders, following hand-to-hand combat, was one of the most important episodes of the final phase. According to historical accounts, Schulenburg ordered the fortification to be retaken at all costs, and the defenders eventually managed to reach the walls and drive out the Ottomans.

The 26 Days That Determined Corfu’s Fate

The siege took place during the last major Venetian-Ottoman War, which lasted from 1714 to 1718. In the summer of 1716, Ottoman forces attempted to capture Corfu, a strategic Venetian stronghold at the entrance to the Adriatic.

Historical maps and a siege diary preserved in the Royal Collection document the operations from 28 July to 22 August 1716. The defence was led by Field Marshal Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, while historical sources identify Canum Koca Mehmed Pasha as commander of the Ottoman forces. The surviving maps show in detail the Ottoman trenches, artillery batteries, camps, the town’s fortifications and even the Ottoman artillery battery on Vidos.

The failure of the siege left a deep imprint on Corfu’s collective memory and became linked in the island’s religious tradition with the miraculous intervention of Saint Spyridon.

Tonight’s production, however, also places particular emphasis on the human dimension: the inhabitants of a town who spent weeks living amid bombardment, insecurity and deprivation, while soldiers and civilians alike took part in defending the fortifications.

A Large Cast and Production Team

The historical texts were written by Giorgos Zoumbos, while the archival material was curated by Spyros Gaoutsis.

The production is directed by Stefanos Kypriotis, who also wrote the texts and composed the choral sections. Nikos Kokkalis is responsible for the visual direction and video curation, while video editing is by Yiannis Nodaras (Bad Dogs Productions).

The central narrator is Xenofon Rarakos.

The performers are Lefki Grammenou, Evgenia Zagoura, Natasha Iona, Ioannis Moumouris, Alexandra Skalioti, Olga Tziliou, Sofia Tomprou, Aristotelis Hondroyiannis and young Sofia Kafaraki.

The dance-theatre group “Af’ enos kinoumai” (“Moving as One”) also takes part, with Maritina Theodorou, Maria Kasimi, Alexandra Krasaki, Salvina Mikaleff, Olga Nikolouzou, Olga Petridou, Valia Skordili, Andreas Stefanou and Anastasia Favianou.

Movement direction for the group is by Melpo Kardami, while Prokopis Kafarakis takes part as a singer.

The music, videos and soundscapes are by Alexandros Koumblis; Antonis Hondroyiannis is responsible for lighting and sound; and the translation and adaptation are by Annie Nounesi. The poster photograph is by Nikiforos Kokkalis.

Part of European Heritage Days

This year’s event is part of European Heritage Days 2026, an initiative associated with the Council of Europe and the European Commission. This year’s theme is “Heritage at Risk: Revive, Resist, Reimagine”.

The choice carries particular symbolism in Corfu: the story is not being told inside a closed hall, but within the very monument that formed part of the town’s defences.

The New Fortress thus becomes part of the narrative. Its walls, bastions and pathways serve not merely as a backdrop, but as tangible evidence of the events that the performance seeks to bring back to life.

The event begins at 8:00pm and admission is free.

ELENI KORONAKI