Northwest of the old town of Corfu, across from the new port, lies the traditional suburb of Mantouki, a settlement that dates back to the years of the Venetian rule. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that, in 1798, the residents of Mantouki refused to surrender their weapons to the new conquerers of the island, the French Democrats , who in retaliation pounded the village with heavy artillery and destroyed it to a large extent. During the second half of the 19th century the settlement experienced great growth as most major industrial plants of the island settled there. Some of these large – but now deserted – plants and facilities still stand today, while the architecture of the settlement in general remains unique.