Mystras in Lakonia
Wednesday, 23 September 2015 - 07:50 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union Category/Kategorie: General , UNESCO World Heritage
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Mystras and Sparta plain © Bgabel/cc-by-sa-3.0
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Mystras is a fortified town and a former municipality in
Laconia ,
Peloponnese . Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality
Sparti , of which it is a municipal unit. Situated on
Mt. Taygetos , near ancient
Sparta , it served as the capital of the
Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries, experiencing a period of prosperity and cultural flowering. The site remained inhabited throughout the
Ottoman period , when it was mistaken by Western travellers for ancient Sparta. In the 1830s, it was abandoned and the new town of
Sparti was built, approximately eight kilometres to the east.
Mystras is situated on the slopes of Taygetos Mountain. The archaeological site stands above the modern village of Mystras and the city of Sparta. The greenery surrounding the area is composed mainly by pine trees and cypresses. Some small rivers and lakes are found in the region.
The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos , was despot at Mystras before he came to the throne. Demetrius Palaeologus the last despot of Morea, surrendered the city to the Ottoman emperor Mehmed II in 1460. As Mezistre, it was the seat of a Turkish sanjak. The Venetians occupied it from 1687 to 1715, but otherwise the Ottomans held it until 1821 and the beginning of the Greek War of Independence . It was abandoned under King Otto for the newly rebuilt town of Sparta .
Mystras and Sparta plain © Bgabel/cc-by-sa-3.0
In 1989 the ruins, including the fortress, palace, churches, and monasteries, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read more on
unesco.org – Archaeological Site of Mystras and
Wikipedia Mystras . Learn more about the
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