Rethymno Audio-Tour: Moscheen, Mythen & die Festung der Zeit

Zu Ihrer Rechten befindet sich das Archäologische Museum von Rethymno. Fällt Ihnen auf, dass es fast wie eine Kirche aussieht? Gutes Auge! Dies ist tatsächlich die Kirche des Heiligen Franziskus, die um 1530 von der wohlhabenden Familie Barozzi erbaut wurde. Sie gibt sogar dieser Straße ihren Namen, Agiou Fragkiskou, was übersetzt Franziskusstraße bedeutet. Sie blicken auf eines der kleinsten Museen der Welt. Aber was ihm an Größe fehlt, macht es durch Charakter wett. Schauen Sie auf Ihren Bildschirm, um zu sehen, was darin untergebracht ist. Das ist eine wunderschöne Marmorstatue der Aphrodite, die im alten Kirchenschiff steht, der hohen zentralen Halle der Kirche. Werfen Sie auch einen Blick auf dieses einzigartige Artefakt in Ihrer App. Es handelt sich um eine altgriechische Inschrift aus der Zeit um 500 v. Chr., die ausdrücklich übermäßigen Alkoholkonsum verbietet. Offensichtlich bändigen die örtlichen Behörden schon seit Jahrtausenden lärmende Menschenmengen.

Eine griechische spätarchaische Inschrift aus dem antiken Eleutherna, datiert auf 600-450 v. Chr., die übermäßiges Trinken verbietet - eines der einzigartigen historischen Stücke im Museum.

Der urspr$ngliche Plan war, die gesamte Stadt zur Sicherheit in diese Mauern zu verlegen. Doch nach dem Bau stellten sie fest, dass die Fortezza zu klein war, um alle aufzunehmen. So wurde sie lediglich zu einem sicheren Viertel f$r die venezianische Verwaltung, während die normalen B$rger unten ungesch$tzt blieben. Ironischerweise war die Festung selbst nie wirklich sicher. Es fehlte ein Graben, und ihre sch$tzenden Obermauern waren seltsam niedrig.

Als die Osmanen im Jahr sechzehnhundertsechsundvierzig während des F$nften Osmanisch-Venezianischen Krieges zur$ckkehrten, flohen die Stadtbewohner in die Fortezza. Doch Krankheiten, Hunger und Munitionsmangel forderten schnell ihren Tribut, und die Venezianer kapitulierten nach nur wenigen Wochen. Die Osmanen zogen ein und passten die Architektur an. Sie bauten ein Ravelin - eine dreieckige Au&enmauer zum Schutz des Haupttores - und wandelten die venezianische St.-Nikolaus-Kathedrale in eine Moschee um. In Ihrer App k$nnen Sie heute die Sultan-Ibrahim-Moschee mit ihrer markanten Kuppel sehen.

The original plan was to move the entire town inside these walls for safety. But once built, they realized the Fortezza was too small to hold everyone. So, it just became a secure neighborhood for the Venetian administration, while the regular citizens remained vulnerable down below. Ironically, the fortress itself was never truly secure. It lacked a defensive ditch, and its protective upper walls were strangely low.

When the Ottomans returned in sixteen forty-six during the Fifth Ottoman-Venetian War, the townspeople fled inside the Fortezza. But disease, starvation, and a lack of ammunition quickly took their toll, and the Venetians surrendered in just a few weeks. The Ottomans moved in and tweaked the architecture. They built a ravelin, which is a triangular outer wall to protect the main gate, and they converted the Venetian Cathedral of Saint Nicholas into a mosque. You can check your app to see the Sultan Ibrahim Mosque and its striking dome today.

Over the centuries, the Fortezza evolved. By the early twentieth century, it was packed with residential houses, and at one point, it even held the local prison. After World War Two, the city expanded, the residents moved out, and the modern houses were demolished to preserve the historic structures.

Today, the site is proudly managed by the Ministry of Culture and is open to the public daily from ten in the morning until eight at night. Take a moment to appreciate this immense achievement of engineering. When you are ready, we can head to the next stop.

Look for the flat pale stone facade featuring four fluted columns that frame three ornate lion-head spouts pouring water into the basins below. Much like the massive Fortezza we explored earlier, this is a prime piece of Venetian engineering, though its purpose was entirely life saving rather than military.

Back in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Rethymno had a serious problem. The population was booming, and the city was running out of good water. The old wells and cisterns were failing, and the previous water source, the San Zuane fountain, had been heavily damaged by severe rains in 1592. By the time the Venetian commander Alvise Rimondi took charge in 1623, the city water supply was basically a trickle of bad news.

So, he decided to fix it himself. According to his own records, Rimondi did not use a single drop of public funds. He personally paid to repair an aqueduct bringing water from a spring half a mile away, and he funded the construction of this beautiful new fountain, which was likely completed around 1626. Because it is fed directly by that aqueduct pipe, there is no large water tank hidden behind the wall.

Notice how the architecture resembles a classical Roman facade. Those four half-columns are topped with Corinthian capitals, meaning the uppermost sections of the columns are intricately carved to look like stylized leaves. These were crafted from a soft, local stone called Alfa limestone. The columns divide the wall into three neat sections, each featuring a water spout. The spouts are carved as a mascherone, an architectural face or mask. Here, they look like lions, but if you look closely, the manes are actually made of carved leaves and twisting vines. The three stone troughs at the bottom were incredibly practical, serving as the daily watering spot for the city horses and livestock.

Up at the very top center, Rimondi made sure everyone knew who picked up the tab. That carved shield crowning the monument is his family coat of arms.

When the Ottomans later took control of the city, they added a large dome over the fountain, turning it into what they called the Great Fountain. The dome has long since collapsed, but you can still see the single stone pillar standing nearby that used to support it. The area around the fountain also gained a darker reputation during this era, as a nearby plane tree became the grim spot where rebels and criminals were executed.

Thankfully, today it is simply a peaceful landmark that remains open twenty-four hours a day for anyone who wanders by. Enjoy the atmosphere, and when you are ready, we can head to the next stop.

Nach einem erzwungenen Bevölkerungsaustausch zwischen Griechenland und der Türkei im Jahr 1924 verließ die muslimische Gemeinschaft Kreta vollständig. Das Gebäude wurde daraufhin erneut umgewandelt - diesmal in eine Musikschule. Wenn Sie einen Blick ins Innere werfen möchten, ist es täglich von 10:00 bis 16:00 Uhr geöffnet. Die sich überschneidenden Epochen von Rethymno sind hier perfekt konserviert. Sobald Sie bereit sind, können wir zu unserer nächsten Station weitergehen.

Following a forced population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1924, the Muslim community left Crete entirely. The building was then transformed once again this time into a music school. It is open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM if you want to peek inside. The overlapping eras of Rethymno are perfectly preserved right here. Whenever you are ready, we can walk to our next stop.

Es gibt auch Artefakte, die die späteren klassischen Perioden der Insel beleuchten. Werfen Sie noch einmal einen Blick auf Ihre App für eine nähere Ansicht der Marmorstatue der Aphrodite, die wir vorhin gesehen haben. Sie wurde in der antiken Siedlung Lappa gefunden und ist eigentlich eine römische Kopie eines viel älteren griechischen Originals, das um 100 v. Chr. gemeißelt wurde.

There are also artifacts that highlight the later classical periods of the island. Glance at your app one more time for a closer look at the marble statue of Aphrodite we saw earlier. Found in the ancient settlement of Lappa, it is actually a Roman copy of a much older Greek original, carved around 100 BC.

The museum also holds some true historical puzzles, like a stone ceremonial altar inscribed with Linear A. That is an ancient script used by the Minoans that modern scholars still cannot fully read. It is a quiet reminder that no matter how much we dig up, the past still keeps a few secrets.

Since this is the final stop on our walk, I will leave you here to explore the exhibits at your own pace. The museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 9 AM to 5 PM, and is closed on Tuesdays. It has been an absolute pleasure wandering through Rethymno with you today, take care.