Kamara of Andros

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Kamara of Andros

Kamara is a single-arched stone bridge connecting the "Afanis Naftis" Square (Platia Afanous Nafti) in Chora to a Venetian castle (Mesa Kastro) built on a barren little islet. The bridge spans over a 2-3 meters wide sea channel and offers access to the ruins of the medieval castle that once was an important fortress of the island and the entire Aegean overall. The castle remained in an excellent condition until World War II, when the Germans bombed the port of Andros (1943), and blew up the castle. The remained ruins remind us the castle's major role in the past centuries. Originally, the castle was connecting to the rest of the island through a wooden drawbridge, placed on the side of the fortress. That bridge was collapsed before the end of the 17th century. A new bridge was built during the Ottoman era, when the ground floor of the former multi-storey tower of Mesa Kastro was used as a prison. However, this bridge also collapsed in 1949 after a severe sea storm. In the mid-1950s it was rebuild by the architect Antonis Kriezis. Today, this iconic stone bridge is Chora's main landmark and one of Andro’s major attractions.