Kyrenia castle is located in the old harbour of the ancient town of Kyrenia. The castle was built by the Venetians in the XVI century on the ruins of a large fortress, which appeared in the times of the crusaders. But initially this structure was built in the VII century by the Byzantines to protect their territories from Arab invaders. It was rebuilt several times and is constantly passed from hand to hand. In the end, it was captured by the English king Richard the Lionheart, subsequently gave him the dynasty of Lusignan. Thereafter, in the period from 1208 to 1211, the year, the castle was almost completely rebuilt: its area increased significantly, there are new towers and the main entrance, and built a special Royal residence. However, as a result of the war with the Genoese fortress was badly damaged. Its restoration and rebuilding was already dealing with the Venetians. But despite all their efforts, soon the Turks managed to capture the newly built castle and turn it into a military base.

After Cyprus gained independence, the castle was opened to tourists, although during the Greco-Turkish clashes it was still used for military purposes.

Now the fortress is one of the most interesting museums in the city – the shipwreck Museum where you can see the wreckage of an ancient ship of the fourth century BC, discovered in 1965. It also holds archaeological finds, icons and works of art. In addition, the castle is the beautiful Byzantine Church of St. George, which has recently been restored.