Monemvasia Castle to Become Accessible Thanks to Cable Car

Monemvasia Castle, Peloponnese. Photo source: Ministry of Culture.

One of Greece’s popular tourist attractions, the Castle of Monemvasia in Laconia, Peloponnese, will soon be equipped with a cable car making it fully accessible, the culture ministry announced this week.

The cable car (teleferic), budgeted at 6.8 million euros will connect to the upper town (Ano Poli). The project, which includes supply, installation and operation of the cable car and was initially announced by Culture Minister Lina Mendoni in 2021, will be funded through recovery and resilience (RRF) funds.

“Full accessibility to monuments and archaeological sites, especially those attracting many visitors, is a priority for the culture ministry,” said Mendoni, adding that Monemvasia, besides its unique historical and archaeological importance, was an important destination.

Monemvasia is located on an islet connected to the mainland by a short road. The Medieval fortress town was founded in the 6th century and is one of the oldest continually-inhabited towns in Europe.

Monemvasia Castle, Peloponnese. Red indicates the cable car area and yellow indicates the trail area. Photo source: Ministry of Culture.

The cable car will facilitate transport to the Ano Poli and to the church of Agia Sofia – currently being restored – but will also enable people with disabilities and mobility issues to access the site.

In the meantime, other projects underway as part of enhancing Monemvasia as a tourist destination include the recently announced plan to convert the home of one of Greece’s greatest contemporary poets and thinkers, Yiannis Ritsos, who was born in the castle in 1909, into a municipal museum. Additionally, lighting works as well as the opening of a network of walking trails have been announced for the castle town.

The projects are being implemented by the culture ministry in collaboration with the Monemvasia Municipality and the Parnonas Development Organization.