Mystras

Mystras, known as "the Wonder of Morea" is located close to ancient Sparta in the south east Peloponnese and is a UNESCO World Heritage protected site. The Prince of Achaia built a fortress on top of a hill ovelooking Sparta in 1249 and the town developed, sprawling down the mountain. The castle was surrendered by the Franks to the Byzantines in 1262 and it quickly became the centre of Byzantine power in southern Greece and from 1348 onwards as the seat of the Despotate of Morea. Later in the 1400s it was captired by the Turks and the Venetians. In the 1800s the inhabitants of Mystras slowly moved to the modern town of Sparta and left the breathtaking medieval ruins and their beautiful landscape almost uninhabited. Visit the site and see the incredible churches and murals that are famous worldwide.