The Tsoukaladelli Tower at Thermi

The Tsoukaladelli Tower is located in the Thermi Spa Town on the eastern side of Mytilini. It dates back to the 18th century and it is one of the oldest stone-built nobility residences on Lesvos, a fortress-like installation with a wooden bay window. Initially the Tower was probably the nucleus of a farm and served as a look-out post and later on as its owners’ country home. This is a stone building laid out on four floors with a square floor plan for the first lower floors, while the fourth is rectangular due to its projecting bay windows. The walls were built with second-hand ancient construction materials. Both facades feature murder-holes, through which the defenders poured boiling water or burnt oils on any prospective trespassers. The original entrance was on the western side on an elevated level and access was done over a retractable bridge. Later on, a second entry point was added on the opposite side on ground floor level, to the east. The interior is frugally and simply decorated. Wooden staircases were used to move between levels, portable in the beginning and later on replaced by fixed stairwells. The Tower was declared an historic landmark in 1980 by virtue of a ministerial decree and was appropriated in 1989 by the Ministry of Culture. In 2004 support and restoration projects were initiated and now all its spaces, interior and exterior, including its surrounding landscape are fully renovated.