Galatista Tower

The undisputed symbol of Galatista is its Byzantine Tower. Built on a hill that was once surrounded by dense, tall firs, the Tower of Galatista dates back to Venetian times. The first period of construction is estimated in the 11th century, while the second phase, its upper part, was completed in the 14th century with the tower reaching a height of 16 meters.

It resembles other towers in the area and is imposing, and narrow, with recesses in its outer walls and small vertical slits for windows. It was a fortress-observatory, which helped with the communication with the plain and its villages, while it is possible to use it as a prison. It is made of solid stone and clay (the so-called "kurani" or "kourasani"), which gave it a dark brown color. When there was still a forest around it, the testimonies say that only from a distance one could locate it, and as you approached it was lost in the dense, high vegetation. Today, after many years of restoration, the tower is in very good condition.

There are many stories and conjectures about the Tower and over time they have acquired the status of a myth. It is said that the Tower was inhabited by the Niiridia Galatia, who gave its name to the tower, or the Byzantine princess Galatia, but the only sure thing is that the city took its name from the tower, as it pre-existed.