GREECE CENTRAL GREECE EVVIA CHALKIS KARABABA

The fortress of Karababa lies on a hill of the Boeotian coast, to be reached from the center of modern Chalkida via the "old bridge". It occupies a strategic position, overlooking the straits of Euripos and the town of Chalkis where there once was a twin fortress. The castle that we see today was probably built by the Turks in 1684 in order to protect Chalkis from the Venetians. Being designed by the Venetian Gerolimo Galopo, its architectural form is more European than Turkish in character. The fortress was unsuccessfully sieged by the Venetians under the command of Morosini in 1688 and the Turks managed to keep it until the Greek liberation when they gave it over to the Greek state after the treaty of 1833.

The tower opposite the entrance of the fortress hides a treasure. It houses a really remarkable collection of architectural parts and works of art from Karababa (but usually without explanation): column capitals (mostly Early Christian), various versions of the Venetian Lion of Saint Mark, stone stelai with inscriptions in various writings and languages etc.