Garipçe Castle

Garipçe Castle, locally known as Garipçe Kalesi, lies in the village of the same name, on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait in the province of Istanbul in Turkey.

Some sources state the Garipçe Castle was first built by the Genoese, during the 15th century. More probably it was built between 1757 and 1774, during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III. It was built to control the northern entrance to the Bosphorus from the Black Sea, together with Poyrazköy Castle on the opposite Asian shore. Both castles were assisted by 2 watchtowers.

Both watchtowers were built by the French military advisor François Baron de Tott around 1778. So maybe he was also involved with the building of the 2 castles. One source claimed Baron de Tott was indeed the builder of the present castle in 1773 and that it was redesigned in 1778 by a Toussaint, in 1785 by a Lafitte-Clavé and in 1807 by the French General and ambassador Horace Sébastiani.

In the 20th century Garipçe Castle was used for some time by the Turkish Armed Forces. During that time some gun placements were renovated with reinforced concrete. Later it fell to neglect and came to be used as a car park, a shelter for cattle and even a garbage dump. In the beginning of 2019 the castle was cleaned and there are plans to revive it as a tourist attraction. 

It was built on a small cape next to a small bay, known as Lykion Harbor in ancient times. The castle has a somewhat crooked rectangular ground plan. Above ground not much has survived but there are still several subterranean casemates which can be visited. 

At present Garipçe Castle is freely accessible and offers great views of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the Bosphorus and the Black Sea. Its watchtower; Garipçe Tower, is situated in the woods uphill. It is now a favorite spot for locals to admire the views and take wedding pictures.

I liked the subterranean galleries and together with its watchtower and the friendly village it makes for a nice visit.

Gallery