Hey guys,
Today I would like to tell you again about my trip to Greece. This time in my post again the St. John - because they contribute a lot to the history of Rhodes.
But now we stay in the city of Rhodes. The street you see in the second picture is Knights Street. Great name, what do you say? It is also called "Oddos Ippoton" and probably the most photographed street of Rhodes.
The street has been originally restored street and dates back to the time of the Order of St. John. It leads from the former hospital up to the Grand Master's Palace. The former hospital now houses the archaeological museum.
The straight knight road, the only completely undestroyed residential street
Knight Street was the main street of the district. On this street the knights received visitors, celebrated feasts and ate together. So that's where the name comes from ;) The knights did not live directly on the street, but in private rooms of the knight's town. What catches the eye even today is that the street is absolutely straight. It starts at the city wall. The city wall can still be visited today, it is located on the harbor side and ends at the Grand Master's Palace.
Knights Street is the only completely undestroyed residential street from the 16th century of Greece. Even in Europe there are very few other preserved streets of this kind.
The houses on the street were built in late Gothic style. They show many stone escutcheons (unfortunately, I have not found more photos on my phone about it from this vacation, but if you are interested in more detail, google it:)). The coats of arms symbolize the orders and grand masters.
The knight road
The Crusaders withdrew in 1523 and instead rich Turkish families moved into the former dwelling of the Grand Masters.
Turkish culture was integrated here, or rather the houses were rebuilt: Wooden oriels were built on the facades. Unfortunately, these can no longer be seen today on Riter Street. This is due to the fact that when the Italians occupied the place, they demolished the oriels. They wanted to show the houses again as they were left by the crusaders.
But what can be found in Ritter Street today? There are indeed many offices here, but not travel agencies, but mainly international embassies.
A building, which is a must-see on Ritterstrasse: The former hostel of the French knights. This was completed in 1492. The building shows, among other things, a very beautiful facade, a coat of arms of the Order, a coat of arms of France and a pointed arch portal.
If you go from the Archaeological Museum, the end of Ritterstrasse formed a transverse building with a passageway.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Medieval Town of Rhodes is the Old Town of Rhodes. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. The Order of the Knights of St. John, which I mentioned earlier in this post and which also had a hand in shaping the Acropolis, owned Rhodes from 1309 to 1523, during which time the entire city was rebuilt into a strong fortress.
The old town consists of an upper town and a lower town. The Upper Town includes the Grand Master's Palace, the Great Hospital and the Knight's Street. The Upper Town also represents one of the most beautiful cityscapes of the late Middle Ages. Rarely is so much preserved.
The Lower Town, on the other hand, shows mainly late medieval architecture. Here you can find many mosques, public baths and other buildings of the Turkish era. Because here the Turkish influences were not "destroyed" so much.
The lower town is divided into the Turkish quarter and the former Jewish quarter, called "La Juderia".
The lower town has more to offer than you might think
In the lower town, Gothic and Ottoman architecture also meet in particular. The structure of the Lower Town is quite different from the Upper Town: there are many old, uninhabited, stone houses, but also newly built or renovated houses. There is no uniform "touch" here. In addition, there is a diverse offer: on every corner you will find eateries, stores and cafes. This makes the city, especially in the lower town, very colorful and not at all monotonous.
Especially in summer you will notice the strong tourism. This is mainly due to the fact that there are many narrow streets (like everywhere in Greece) and the squares are relatively small. Since they are cobblestone, they are also only accessible by foot (and because of the narrow streets and alleys). Also many motorcycles can be seen driving along here.
I liked the lower town by its diversity almost a bit better, although the upper town has to offer the historically more famous buildings.
What do you say? Have you ever been to the old town of Rhodes and visited the knights street? How did you like your visit? Feel free to write your feedback in the comments below. See you next time!