7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites for 2025

The Upper Town, on a flat plateau atop the rock, was fortified and inhabited until 1690. Today, the fortifications and a few well-preserved monuments remain, including a 12th century church, a gate complex, two private houses and several cisterns. There are also ruins of houses and a network of historic paths. The Lower Town, developed on a strip of land on the foot of the rock, is also protected by a fortification circuit. With structures from the Byzantine to modern times, Monemvasia has attracted visitors from all around the world; the uniqueness of its site has been an inspiration for many artists.

Since the 1960s, the castle as well as the isthmus and the bridge have been protected by several regulations in order to safeguard the original structures, preserve the original style of the settlement and respect the architectural rules of the Castle of Monemvasia.