Central Archaeological Council gives ‘green light’ for restoration of Bastion of the Seven Winds
New Fortress
04 Feb 2022
/ 17:12
CORFU. The same project includes the makeover of the area that had been used as a car park until 2020.
The Central Archaeological Council (KAS) unanimously approved the restoration of the Bastion of the Seven Winds in the New Fortress, which is part of another project on the restoration and promotion of the Corfu Old Town monuments.
According to sources at the Inspectorate of Antiquities, these are studies that had been prepared by the Corfu Archaeological Service two years ago for the restoration and promotion of the monument.
The open-air market car park
According to the same sources, the project also includes the makeover of the area that had been used for years as a car park, an area that had eventually been emptied and fenced off by the Inspectorate of Antiquities in 2020.
However, the amount of time that will pass for this to actually happen still remains unclear. The Inspectorate of Antiquities’ approval is only the first step in a series of time-consuming procedures that need to be done until the project becomes a reality.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni
Following the Central Archaeological Council’s approval, the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said that “the restoration of the Bastion of the Seven Winds is part of the ongoing projects for the protection and promotion of the fortresses. Our strategic choice is to treat the two Fortresses as one in a coordinated and integrated way through the Management Plan that the Ministry of Culture services are preparing in collaboration with the National Technical University of Athens, utilising the funding tools of the new ESPA Programme and the Recovery Fund.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the project for the repair of the Bastion of the Seven Winds’ southern wall involves documenting the existing situation, recording the damage and proposing what work needs to be done. Taking into account the condition of the monument, it is considered necessary to repair certain parts of the wall that have collapsed, in order for the monument, which is one of the most important landmarks of Corfu Old Town, to be once again open to the local community and visitors of the island.
The New Fortress
With the construction of the New Fortress at the end of the 16th century, the Venetians completed the huge project of building a wall in the town and by the first half of the 18th century a new means of defence had been created, isolating the town from the countryside and the sea.
The New Fortress is located near the Old Port and is one of the most important and well-preserved examples of fortress architecture of the 16th-19th century in Greece.
The two bastions of the “Six and Seven Winds” were constructed to the western part of the Fortress and are connected with a wall. The bastion was built in 1845 on the upper level of the Fortress.
According to sources at the Inspectorate of Antiquities, these are studies that had been prepared by the Corfu Archaeological Service two years ago for the restoration and promotion of the monument.
The open-air market car park
According to the same sources, the project also includes the makeover of the area that had been used for years as a car park, an area that had eventually been emptied and fenced off by the Inspectorate of Antiquities in 2020.
However, the amount of time that will pass for this to actually happen still remains unclear. The Inspectorate of Antiquities’ approval is only the first step in a series of time-consuming procedures that need to be done until the project becomes a reality.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni
Following the Central Archaeological Council’s approval, the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said that “the restoration of the Bastion of the Seven Winds is part of the ongoing projects for the protection and promotion of the fortresses. Our strategic choice is to treat the two Fortresses as one in a coordinated and integrated way through the Management Plan that the Ministry of Culture services are preparing in collaboration with the National Technical University of Athens, utilising the funding tools of the new ESPA Programme and the Recovery Fund.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the project for the repair of the Bastion of the Seven Winds’ southern wall involves documenting the existing situation, recording the damage and proposing what work needs to be done. Taking into account the condition of the monument, it is considered necessary to repair certain parts of the wall that have collapsed, in order for the monument, which is one of the most important landmarks of Corfu Old Town, to be once again open to the local community and visitors of the island.
The New Fortress
With the construction of the New Fortress at the end of the 16th century, the Venetians completed the huge project of building a wall in the town and by the first half of the 18th century a new means of defence had been created, isolating the town from the countryside and the sea.
The New Fortress is located near the Old Port and is one of the most important and well-preserved examples of fortress architecture of the 16th-19th century in Greece.
The two bastions of the “Six and Seven Winds” were constructed to the western part of the Fortress and are connected with a wall. The bastion was built in 1845 on the upper level of the Fortress.
