Situated on the north west coast of the island 36 kms north of Argostoli, the Assos fortress is the larger of the two castles on Kefalonia and is one of the largest castles in Greece. Its 2000 metres of walls follow the contours of the terrain and form an irregular rectangle, reinforced at five points by bastions, virtually running around the whole circumference of the Assos peninsula.
Building commenced in 1593 under the supervision of Ambrosius Cornelius, as the sign outside the main gate shows. Petitions had been made by the Kefalonians to the Venetian Senate for the foundation of a new fortress in 1584 as the castle of Saint George could not defend the whole island. This coincided with the more ambitious plans of Venice for protecting territories in the East. They intended to found a city within the castle and move their administration from Saint George's.
Assos has remained throughout history as a small town confined to the Borgo near its little harbour with its inhabitants now amounting to around 100 people. Having laid out the interior of the castle to provide accommodation for islanders living nearby, they were reluctant to move within its walls. Although this huge, strong castle was built on a naturally impregnable peninsula, its location also meant that under attack, its vital supplies could also be cut off. The grander city plans were scaled down and Assos became the capital of the northern part of Kefalonia and a building was constructed to serve the needs of the local government.
A major problem for the fortress was the lack of water as there was no natural spring in the area so large water tanks were built.
Until 1797 at the end of the Venetian rule in Kefalonia the castle continued as the seat of a Venetian Proveditore and from 1797 to 1799 under the rule of the French.
In 1822 about 1700 people came from Souli to stay in the Assos fortress and the whole area became a quarantine area resulting in a site within the fortress named Souli. After the union of the seven Ionian islands with the rest of Greece in 1865 there remained a small community in Assos.
After the war a prison farm was set up for political prisoners who made terraces for their vineyards and crops of cereal. The prison was in use until 1953. The latest inhabitants lived within the castle walls up until the late sixties. They were known as the Kastrini people and were groups of large families who lived from cultivating olives and grapes. The Kastro housed more than double the residents of today's village of Assos with around 200 houses as well as many public buildings.
