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Forestry work at Bochali Castle
Some forestry work has taken place at the castle in Bochali lately. A team of twenty workers have cleared some of the old pine trees and vegetation from part of the castle grounds. The work was supervised by the Forestry Commission, and damaged or dying trees, mostly leftover form previous forest fires, were removed.
What remains is a more open area, that meanders its way through the forest, along a path from Chrysopigi Church to the open air Municipal Theatre. Not all the of the removed/damaged trees have been discarded as some have been used for visitor benches, and to create steps along the pathway.
The Forestry Commission were given a number of plants such as carob trees, laurels, and shrubs from Forestry Agrinio, and these have been planted in the newly cleared area replacing the old pine tees that were in situ. A number of wild olive trees discovered in the area were also retained and pruned for continued maintenance and growth. Workers did uncover quite a bit of rubbish in the area, the workers have tidied up and removed it.
The history of the castle
High on the hill that overlooks Zakynthos Town at Bochali is an imposing fortress more commonly known as the Venetian Castle or Bochali Castle. The site was originally an ancient citadel built on an acropolis looking down upon an ancient town; Psophis, now more commonly known as Zakynthos Town. According to Historians early Zakynthians arrived from the mainland and built Psophis and its acropolis – named after their old home town in Arcadia on the Greek mainland. This defensive site has been where the Venetian Castle now stands for centuries.
Many archaeological investigations and historical writings certainly seem to support this theory, and past excavations conducted in this area have discovered sixth century pottery, old stones from an ancient undated temple, Byzantine buildings including a 12th Century church and even evidence of Roman and Medieval occupation.
Over time the island of Zakynthos was invaded by many nations including the French, Russians and Ottomans to name a few, but it was during the Venetian rule that a full stone-walled defensive castle was built on the acropolis. No one is quite sure of the exact date of building, but 1480 is thought to be the closest date to its first construction. The Venetian castle stood proudly over the town, a centre piece of Venetian life and authority, but it was destroyed by invading Turks not long after its construction, forcing the Venetians to rebuild. The castle was an extremely important site for the Venetians but they were constantly having to make repairs due to attack or earthquake damage with reconstruction work taking place in 1514, with further work in 1646. As well as destruction and damage during invasions, the site continued to suffer damage during numerous earthquakes, some of which was both structural and landslip damage.
During the English Occupation the castle was an important site for the ruling English. It became the Administration centre for the English occupiers and there are accounts of English nobles and other island residents fleeing to the castle during this uncertain period of time, to seek protection from pirate invasion, which at the time was quite common. When the English Occupation of the island came to an end the castle slowly fell into disrepair. It was still used as a defensive point when requited including during the second world war, as it had a good high vantage point to watch out for potential enemy invasion but its time of being a central administration and defensive castle had subsided.
About the Castle
The impressive walls of the castle are very thick, built of stone, and are thought to be of Cretan design. It shows how important the castle was to the island as a central point of administration as well as protecting from potential invaders. The castle has some interesting features, in the past it was described as having to be reached by a long narrow path via drawbridges, an important part of any defensive structure. Sadly these drawbridges no longer exist, destroyed over time by attack and earthquake. The impressive main entrance gate is flanked by old canons, it has a defensive parapet with defensive slots that would have been used for launching weapons at attackers. There are paved paths inside the castle grounds and one walled archway has a large crest in the stonework that depicts a St. Marcos Lion; the crest of Venice. There is also large round tower at one corner with a promontory top, that gives visitors an incredible view out across Zakynthos Town, the harbour and to Mt. Skopos in the distance.
Further inside the castle there are remains of ancient stone prisons, gunpowder rooms and a few ruinous churches dating from the 15th and 17th centuries. Other ruinous structures include the barracks and administration centre from the English occupation. There are more old cannons scattered about, as well as the remains of a water/drainage system that the Venetians invented whilst living there. Parts of the site are still a bit overgrown and full of pine trees, but as mentioned above the recent forestry works have helped to clear an area that will help open up more of the site to visitors.
Bochali Castle is generally open in summer months, and the lovely Bochali village is also worth a visit; the town clock bell was once the castle bell and the local Bochali chapel was reputed to be the meeting place for a secret society! If that doesn’t interest you then the view of Zakynthos Town and its harbour is truly stunning from this ancient vantage point and it certainly gives visitors an idea of what ancient life was like on Zakynthos.
Opening hours for 2019
Monday – 8am to 2.30pm
Tuesday – CLOSED
Wednesday – 8am to 2.30pm
Thursday – 8am to 2.30pm
Friday – 8am to 2.30pm
Saturday – 8am to 2.30pm
Sunday – CLOSED
Please note that on the open days, last entry to the site is at 1.30pm, so you won’t be granted entry if you arrive after that time.
Author note: If you are planning a visit and want to know more the phone number is 26950 48099.
