Antimachia castle on Kos island

Antimachia castle was a real fort. The castle was built in the 14th century by Ioannites Knights. It is located in the center of Kos island. The greatest historical victory for the fort was the siege of the Ottomans in 1457. The Ottomans with 16,000 army were defeated by 15 knights and 200 villagers. As a retaliation by leaving they burned the whole island. In 1493 a major earthquake erupted, destroying an important part of the castle. Rebuilding took place at various times to restore the fortress. Inside it have been rescued finds from the old settlement of Antimachia as well as two churches of Agia Paraskevi and Agios Nikolaos.