St. George's Castle, Preveza

St. George's Castle (Greek: Κάστρο Αγίου Γεωργίου, romanized: Kastro Agiou Georgiou; Turkish: Yeni kale, or Hizir kalesi) is an Ottoman fortification located in the city of Preveza, northwestern Greece. It was built in 1807, during the rule of Ali Pasha of Ioannina over the region (1806-1820), and it was constructed on plans drawn by the French engineer Frédéric François Guillaume de Vaudoncourt (1772-1845).

The castle was built in 1807, when the region was governed by Ali Pasha of Ioannina, a semi-autonomous Ottoman ruler of Epirus. It was the first major architectural intervention of Ali Pasha in Preveza, after he recaptured it in late November 1806.

Ali Pasha pressed François Pouqueville, the French consul stationed in Ioannina, to send for officers and supplies from Napoleon’s troops, as he was particularly interested in securing military engineers who could assist in the construction of new fortifications in the region, and particularly at Preveza and the camps positioned against the Russian troops still stationed on Lefkada. The castle was initially called by the Ottomans Yeni kale (lit. 'new castle'), but a few years later (around 1815) another castle took this name, as it was newer than the one we are talking about. The castle was afterwards named Hizir kalesi ('green castle') or ('barracks castle').