The Old and the New Fortress were created by leading architects and engineers and constitute the primary components of one of the most important defensive fortifications manufactured in the Mediterranean in recent times.
To visit the Old Fortress, one has to cross over a bridge that connects the fortress compound with the city, thus getting the chance to admire the two matching pentagonal bastions to the right and left. The visitor then goes through the monumental entrance and is impressed by the well-preserved, commanding, old wooden door. This design was created by architect M. Sanmicheli, one of the top architects of the Renaissance. Ascending through the various levels of the fortress, one can visit the austere, bulky buildings of the English era (1814–64).
Most spaces of the fortress are accessible to visitors, making for an extremely interesting tour, through narrow arcades and crossings, into outdoor and indoor spaces constructed during various periods, thus revealing the immense splendour of times past. The relief Venetian emblems with the marble winged lions of Saint Mark, the various inscriptions, the coats of arms and the scattered cannons are some of the treasures awaiting visitors to discover them.
The New Fortress is also considered a sample of prime fortress architecture. It consists of two twin bastions, accessible via arcades, vaulted passageways and outdoor spaces which offer many different viewpoints and vistas over the city of Kerkyra, from the sea up to the mountains of mainland Greece. The compound is strewn with facilities such as emplacements, ammunition storage areas, water tanks, and subterranean galleries, all attesting to its importance and state of the art.

Old Fortress:

The entrenchment of the Old Fortress initially entailed the Byzantine and medieval city that flourished there after the 6^th c., following the transfer of the island’s capital from the ancient Palaiopolis, which was more exposed to raids. The Byzantine fortification works were considerably reinforced by the Venetians (15^th-18th c.), who also dug up moats to enhance their defensive capacity. The two grand bastions towering to the right and left of the central gate are designed by M. Sanmicheli, one of the most prominent architects of the Renaissance. The two great towers (the Land Tower and the Sea Tower) were built on top of the two peaks responsible for the city’s Byzantine name, Korypho, which eventually came to stand for the entire island (Corfu).
Most spaces of the fortress are accessible to visitors, making for an extremely interesting tour, through narrow arcades and crossings, into outdoor and indoor spaces constructed during various periods, thus showcasing the immense splendour of times past. The relief Venetian emblems with the marble winged lions of Saint Mark, the various inscriptions, the coats of arms and the restored 17th- and 18th-century cannons offer substantial evidence of a glorious history. The stately buildings constructed by the Venetians and the English to serve their military needs are nowadays used for charitable purposes. For example, the former English barracks (1840) now house the General State Archives and the Public Library; the former British infirmary houses the Ionian University Faculty of Music; the Venetian prison hosts photo exhibitions; and the former British hospital, located around the centre of the citadel, is now also part of the Ionian University campus, its precise use still pending. The part of the fortress called Versiada features the temple of Saint George, constructed in 1840, when Howard Douglas was High Commissioner, to house the British cathedral.

In a stylish space to the right of the entrance is an exhibition of the ‘Byzantine Collection of Corfu’, containing several religious paintings, early Christian sculptures and mosaics, while the bridge over the dry moat features the small church of the Madonna del Carmine, which hosts painting, photography and other exhibitions.
To the north of the citadel is Mantraki, a small harbour now used as headquarters of the Yachting Club, while the water moat (Contra Fossa) serves as anchorage for the boats of amateur fishermen. The towering ramparts of the Fortress, particularly the top of the Land Tower (Cross), offer visitors panoramic views of the city and the mainland coast across the water.
 

New Fortress

When the Byzantine-medieval city expanded beyond the limits of the Old Fortress, its protection needs could no longer be addressed by the entrenchment of the Old Fortress. Thus, the Venetians began constructing the New Fortress on the hill of Saint Mark (its construction started in 1576 and was completed in 1645). The New Fortress consists of two twin bastions accessible via arcades, vaulted passageways and outdoor spaces which offer many different viewpoints and vistas over the city of Kerkyra, from the sea up to the mountains of mainland Greece. The compound is strewn with facilities, such as emplacements, ammunition storage areas, water tanks, and subterranean galleries, all attesting to its importance and state of the art.

This Fortress and the surrounding entrenchments marked the principal position of the defenders of the city of Kerkyra during the siege by the Turks in 1716. Parts of its walls were destroyed by the English when they left the island upon the unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece. There are two English barracks, the one next to the gate and the other on the second level, in the centre of the citadel; and there is a temple of Panagia Spilaiotissa (Virgin Mary of the Caves), probably dating back to the 17th century. Currently, part of the New Fortress houses the Naval Station of the Greek Navy.