The ancient and Byzantine
acropolis
lies on a hill called Koulas, north of the city of Serres. Several parts of the
fortification are preserved and the outline of the wall can be restored. The SE
and the NW tower (the so-called "Orestes' tower") are preserved in very good condition.
The enclosure wall of the acropolis dates to the 13th-14th centuries.
The architectural phases of the whole structure have not been distinguished
since the acropolis has not been excavated, with the exception of the foundations
of the "Orestes' tower".
Restoration work has been carried out at the wall masonry of the SE
tower and the outer "mantle" of the fortification wall, with parallel repairing
of the joints wherever necessary. Moreover, small walls were constructed to support
sections of the southern wall.
The most important monuments of the site are:
Ruins of the acropolis of Serres. They are of the utmost importance since
they are the only preserved parts of the fortification of Serres and include one
of the most remarkable defensive constructions to be seen in Northern Greece,
the "Orestes' tower". The acropolis is oval in plan, with the long axis in E-W
direction. The gates are not preserved, but they must have existed on the east
and west sides, next to the preserved towers. The northern side of the acropolis
was particularly strengthened with bastions (three of them preserved today) due
to the morphology of the terrain.
"Orestes'
tower".
It is the NW tower of the acropolis and the most outstanding construction of the
ancient city's fortification. Its importance lies both in its overall form and
in the clay inscriptions built in its west wall. According to these, the tower
was built in 1370 by Orestes, the castle-guard of Serres, after an order of Stephen
Dusan.
Church of St
Nicholas. It is located at the NE end of the castle, very close to the
fortification wall. It is a triconch, single-aisled domed church with a subterranean
crypt and dates to the first half of the 14th century.
