The arrangement of the Castleof Nafpaktos
The ancient citadel (acropolis) occupied the top of the hill. This design wasfollowed in the Byzantine period, when strong walls were erected aroundthe pre-existing citadel. The developed defense plan which integrated boththe fort-town and the harbor was created in the 15th century, during theFirst Venetian period, when the town flourished.
The ground plan of the fortification can be described as follows. Its crownoccupies the hilltop, and the lower part opens up towards the Venetianharbor. The citadel occupies the highest part of the rocky hill, while twobranches of curtain wall are attached to the citadel and, following theterrain, descend towards the sea and encircle the semi-circular harbor.
The walled area is divided horizontally in five parallel defense zones byfour internal walls. The three upper zones, with a rocky and abruptly sloping terrain, formed the main Castle core. They housed the administrativecenter and the buildings used by the guard. The fourth and the fifth zone,larger in size, are situated close to the harbor and encircle the main partof the town. In particular, the fourth zone, which is very rocky and hardlyaccessible at its western side, protects the Upper Town and encircles dwellings and religious and secular buildings. The fifth zone was densely built(Lower Town) and ended at the harbor.
The maximum dimensions of the overall structure are ca. 735 m from thetop to the sea, while the distance from the western to the eastern edgeis 365 m. The perimeter of the exterior walls measures 2.250 m and thesurface of the walled town is ca. 17.5 hectares. The internal curtain wallwhich separates the two upper defense zones measures 50 m, while thewall which separates the two lowest zones mounts to 275 m.