SIGHTS
Cools
Koules is the name of the sea fortress built by the Venetians in Heraklion. It is located at the entrance of the Venetian port, so as to protect the port of Heraklion and together with the Castle of Palaiokastro the bay of Ammoudara from the invasions and landings of other conquerors.
SIGHTS
It is also known as Castello del Molo (Castello del Molo), Rocca a Mare (Rocca a Mare), Castle of the Sea (Castello a Mare), Castle of Candia or former Ditch (Castel di Candia).
The fortress is built on the western promontory of the port of Heraklion, at the northern end of the pier of the old port. It is two-storey and covered approximately 3,600 sq.m. Its plan is square, with a large semicircular projection on the eastern side. The entrance to the fort is on the west side of the fort, at the edge of the jetty. A smaller entrance is on the north-east side, and led to a semi-circular jetty, and another on the south side, towards the harbour. The fortress is built with massive structures brought from Fraskia and Dia. The outer walls of the fort are very thick. The thickness on the east, west and north-east sides is 8.7 meters, while on the north side it is about 7 meters. The inner walls are thinner, with a thickness of 1.4 to 3 meters, depending on the location.
Today Koules can be visited, while it is also used for cultural events. Periodically, restoration work is carried out and the fort remains open to the public.