The New Fortress

The New Fortress, also known as the Fortress of San Marco, was built by the Venetians near the Old Harbour of Corfu town between the years 1576 and 1645, shortly after the second great Turkish siege. Responsible for the works was the Italian military engineer Ferraute Vitteli.

The fortress was a strong point in the town's defense. Its structure is a complicated network of chambers and galleries. The French and later the British completed the fortifications and the buildings of the fortress.

The dry moat which runs along the western side of the fortress is an interesting example of the 17th century architecture. It starts from the place where today is the vegetable market and runs along the western bastions to the New Harbour. On the bastion walls are two winged lions of St. Mark, the emblem of Venice, with two Venetian inscriptions. There are two gates in the fortress which have both survived almost untouched. The first is facing the Old Harbor's square and the other is on the square to the south. They both bear the emblem of Venice, the winged lion of St. Mark.

A part of the fortifications were razed to the ground by the British in accordance with the Treaty of Union with Greece in 1864.