There is so much to see and experience in Rhodes, there are so many choices for visitors, that they could never lose interest. One could spend days walking in center of the City, which offers excellent examples of European Architecture of the early 20th century.
The Post Office building, was constructed during the first years of the Italian occupation by the Italian architect Florestano di Fausto. During the Italian occupation of the island it was used as the Post-Office (Palazzo delle Poste) and its function today remains the same.
The Prefecture of the Dodecanese building, formerly the Italian Governor's Palace, was built in 1927. It is a combination of different architectural styles and is reminiscent of the Doge's Palace in Venice.
The Evangelismos Church (Church of the Annunciation), the Town Hall and the National Theatre are a few more buildings that keep the memories of the island's Italian period alive.
A stroll around the Mandraki, the small marina with statues of the Rhodian deer at its entrance, is an experience not to be missed. Surrounding the marina, which hosts visiting sailboats and yachts, are the traditional windmills and the Fort of Saint Nicholas. Magnificent indeed is the view of the city that visitors enjoy as they approach the island by boat or on one of the many luxury cruise ships that dock in Rhodes throughout the year.
The multicultural character of Rhodes is also evident at the center the new city. Next to the Prefecture Building stands theMurat Reis Mosque with its elegant minaret. In the square around the mosque the ruins of the ancient walls were discovered together with stone catapult balls marked with their weight.
Visitors can also enjoy the sun and the blue sea at the cosmopolitan Elli beach at the northern tip of Rhodes town. It is one of the longest beaches on the island dotted with multicoloured umbrellas, many canteens and a diving platform called the “Trabolino”.
Modern hotels line the beach as well as the beautifully renovated, historic Grande Albergo delle Rose which operates today as a Casino and five-star boutique hotel.
A must is a visit to the Aquarium at the northernmost tip of Rhodes Island, a few steps from the city center. It is also one of the most important marine research centers in Greece.
The original building was constructed in 1935 and is a blend of local and Art Déco architecture, combined with nautical elements. In the underground aquarium the visitor can see many of the species living in the Aegean sea. The original interior of the Aquarium, which has been preserved, is decorated with porous rocks and natural seashells, in order to create the impression of an underwater cave.
Rodini Park is a paradise of meandering streams and paths amidst oleander bushes, cypress, maple and pine trees. Rodini is reputed to be the site of the famed School of Rhetoric where prominent Greeks and Romans, including Julius Caesar, Cato the Younger, Cicero, Pompey, Brutus, Cassius and Mark Antony studied.
Also in the park is a 3rd-century BC necropolis (cemetery) with tombs carved into the rock in the Doric-style as well as the Tomb of Ptolemy Saint Stefens Hill known as Monte Smith, after the English Admiral Smith who monitored the movements of French ships in the strait in Napoleonic times, marks the site of the Acropolis of ancient Rhodes. This monumental area formed one of the most important centres of worship, education and recreation for the citizens of ancient Rhodes.
At the top of the hill are the remains of Hellenistic temples, the most visible of which are the majestic columns of the Temple of Apollo. Below the temple is the Hellenistic stadium, built in the 3rd century BC, where the athletic events of the Aleia Games took place. Those were part of the major festival of the ancient Rhodians held in honor of the sun god, Helios.
Next to this stadium once stood one of the two known Gymnasia of ancient Rhodes, where philosophy, grammar, rhetoric and music were taught. Rarely does one have the chance to stroll into twenty-four centuries of history and countless previous centuries of human presence, all within medieval walls, which surround 58.37 hectares of land. Even more rarely is one able to spend time in such a fabulous place, where, today, 2.500 inhabitants still share an amazing palette of multicultural influences. Such a place is the Medieval Town of Rhodes, a functional part of the modern city of Rhodes, which was inscribed on the UNESCO
World Heritage List in 1988.
OLD TOWN
Strolling in to the largest living Medieval town in Europe Cultures and time periods alternate with fascinating diversity as you enter the Old Town of Rhodes through the Gate of Freedom.
Medieval fortress-like buildings, narrow alleys, minarets, old houses with their balconies, decorative, drinking or ablution fountains, tranquil or busy squares with shady trees, all contribute to creating an atmosphere of the past.
A walk along the old city walls is an excellent way to appreciate this tremendous achievement in fortification and enjoy a superb overview of the old town. The walk passes along the "Curtains" or bastions, the walls and the gates. From the walls one can admire the Medieval moat, which has been magnificently restored as a walking area and is the site of the “Melina Merkouri” theater that hosts the Rhodes Summer Festival with concerts and performances by outstanding Greek and International artists.
The cobblestone Street of the Knights, one of the bestpreserved medieval streets in existence, is flanked by medieval Inns of the various “tongues” of the countries represented in the Order of the Knights of St John. At the foot of the Street, in Museum square, stands the Hospital of the Knights, which houses the Archaeological Museum.
Across the square is the Church of Our Lady of the Castle. It was the Orthodox Cathedral of Rhodes in Byzantine times dating back to at least the 11th Century, becoming the Catholic Cathedral when the Knights occupied the City.
The Street of the Knights is the main route from the port to the 14th century Palace of the Grand Master. The Palace, originally a Byzantine fortress built at the end of the 7th century A.D., was converted in the early 14th century by the Knights of the order of Saint John into the residence of the Grand Master of the order as well as the administrative headquarters of the state of the Knights. The Palace was destroyed in 1856, by an explosion of dynamite stored under the Knights' church of St. John, located opposite the Palace. It was rebuilt during the Italian occupation, in the late 1930s, to serve as the residence of the Italian Governor.
The rooms on the ground floor house two large permanent exhibitions, with the theme “The city of Rhodes” the first from its founding in 408 B.C. until the Roman Empire and the second from the 4th century A.D. until the Ottoman occupation (1522). The exhibits are presented in thematic units (early Christian and Paleo-Christian years, economy, daily life, defence and administration, while maps and audiovisual material provide the visitor with a strong image of the island's history from antiquity to the middle ages. The courtyard of the Palace is the venue of many Greek and international cultural events of high artistic caliber.
Leaving the “Collachium” with its austere facades, one enters Polidorou Street which leads to a square with outdoor cafés and restaurants, where the scenery changes dramatically. Moving on, one enters Sokratous Street, the main thoroughfare of the Medieval Town, always buzzing with life, with its cafés and shops. Sokratous Street leads down from the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent towards the harbor. The present mosque was erected in 1808 on the site of a previous one built by Suleiman the Magnificent in the early 16th century.
South of Sokratous Street, scattered in a tortuous network of narrow lanes, many small hotels and pensions offer an alternative to the large, luxury hotels of the modern city. The Burgum, as this area is called, shows an equally fascinating face at night.
Diverting to Arionos Square, one may wish to visit the Mustafa Pasha Mosque and the "Yeni Hammam "(Turkish Baths), built in the 16th century. These were the second baths the Ottomans erected in Rhodes that is why they were called Yeni Hamam (New Baths).
As if by a mysterious force, one will be drawn, time and again, to walk by the cobblestone Street of the Knights, feeling like a pilgrim of the Medieval Ages, happily sojourning on the island of the Sun.
The Medieval City of Rhodes is a mosaic of different cultures and civilizations, the uniqueness of which one cannot fully understand just by reading these lines. It is a “living” city, forever young, overcoming time to look ahead towards the future, more beautiful than ever.
