Nafplio Tourism Information Nafplio , Peloponnese .
Nafplio:Nafplio was the city that Ioannis Kapothistrias, the first governor of independed Greece, declared as the capital of Greece from 1829-1834. Today it is the capital of the prefecture of Argolida with population of about 14.000. Nafplion is situated in the Argolic Gulf in the northeast side of the Peloponnese.
Nafplion was subsequently conquered throughout the history. It was the Venetians who built the Castle of Bourtzi in the 15th century and the Castle of Palamidi in the 17th century. After the assassination of Ioannis Kapodistrias in 1831 King Otto Othonas arrived in Nafplion and established a Kingdom in Greece transferring the capital to Athens.
The Castle of Bourtzi is built in the middle of Nafplio’s harbour. Initially it was built to protect the city from pirates and it was used as a fortress until 1865. After that it was used as a residence for the executioners of convicts of Palamidi. Today is a tourist attraction.
The Castle of Palamidi is a typical baroque fortress which crowns the rocky hill above the city. In 1715 was captured by the Turks and it was made the prison of Theodoros Kolokotronis, a hero of the Greek Revolution. Today tourists find 999 challenging steps in front of them in order to climb to the top of the castle.
Greece