Ναύπλιο

Α little about the history of Nafplion

Whatever the name or how you say it Nafplion is the historical Jewel of the Peloponnese.A history full of myth, occupancy and revolutions. The name is in honour of Poseidons son Nauplis and the Palamidi Fortress is named after Palamis the local hero of the Trojan War. Palamis was also known for supposedly inventing weights and measures and the Greek Alphabet. The actual area of Nafplion has been inhabited since ancient times, but not much is know from then although Palaeolithic and Neolithic objects have been found near by. Nafplion during the Greek Classical era again seems not to have played a part of any significance and even Pausinas the famous traveller didn’t have anything to say about the town. It does though come into it's own during medieval times and played a major part in the history and making of today’s Greece. During these times different occupying forces have left marks of culture and architecture in Nafplion giving it a cosmopolitan atmosphere. In 1377 the Venetians arrived and during this time, in the mid 1400’s the Bourtzi Castle was built.The Turks captured the town from the Venetians in 1542 AD and turned Nafplion into   a major port for the Greek mainland in the import and export industry. Nafplion was retaken by the Venetians once again and during this time the Palamidi Castle was built and the Acronafplia fortress reconstructed. Their hold over Nafplion though only lasted for a few decades and was then put back into the hands of the Turks. Over the next few hundred years Nafplion flourished under Turkish rule until the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Nafplion was liberated a year later and due to its strong participation during the revolution was named as the first capital of the newly liberated free Greece in 1823. Kapodistrias was the newly appointed Prime Minister until his assassination in 1831. King Otto arrived in Nafplion and decided to move the capital to Athens in 1834.Over the next century Nafplion begins a calm and unobtrusive era until the next major event which was the arrival of tourism in the 1960’s.