Streets squares and districts to visit Iles grecques

The former main port of Rhodes has existed since ancient times and has been used by all the successive conquerors of the city. The entrance is guarded by two columns surmounted by bronze sculptures representing Rhodes' emblems: the stag and the deer. For centuries, legend has it that these two columns marked the site of the ancient Colossus of Rhodes. According to this widespread myth, the Colossus' feet were anchored at the level of the current columns, rising to 32 metres in height, the equivalent of a twelve-storey building. If the Colossus did exist, this somewhat whimsical thesis was defeated in a breach by all archaeologists... The dike that still protects the harbour today is dominated by Fort Saint-Nicolas, a jewel of defensive art established by the Knights of Saint-Jean in the 15th century. Three medieval windmills lead to it.

It is at the port of Mandraki that you will find the cruise and excursion boats that connect Lindos, among others. But the main interest is elsewhere: completely rethought during the Italian occupation, the quays offer a succession of buildings of fascist architecture, in various styles. Among the imposing Mandraki buildings designed by the Italians, you may notice the National Bank of Greece, the National Theatre, the Post Office, the Law Courts and the Town Hall, but you can't miss the eclectic New Market style building. In this former fish market established in 1925, today there are cafés and shops.

When Italian rule came to an end in Rhodes, life in the village of Eleoussa gradually died out, leaving behind only majestic empty buildings. Today, you can stroll between the Aghios Charalambos church and the old central market, with its voluminous arcades and galleries. Nearby, note the building that was once a cinema, before housing the headquarters of the Fascist Party and finally being converted into a sanatorium in 1947.