This Medieval Greek Fortress Is a Tourist Idyll. Would a Cable Car Spoil It?

New York Times

27-05-2025

Carved into a massive rock, the medieval fortress town of Monemvasia rises from the Myrtoan Sea in southern Greece, its Byzantine churches and crumbling palaces a draw for the thousands of visitors who walk its cobbled pathways every year.
But there is trouble in this tranquil retreat. A plan to build a cable car to the peak above the town, where a beautifully preserved 12th-century church sits in relative isolation amid stunning views of the coast, has divided the community.
The top of Monemvasia is currently accessible only via a winding, 240-yard stone path — a dizzying and exhausting climb.
The authorities say the cable car, to be financed with almost $7 million from the European Union, will make the site reachable for visitors with limited mobility.
But the plan has been met with consternation, and legal challenges, from cultural groups and residents who say it will undermine the rock's protected status.
'This enormous thing would transform the landscape,' said Niki Vaitsou, an architect who is president of the Association of Friends of Monemvasia, an organization devoted to preserving the history and identity of the town.
The association was one of two groups that filed an appeal against the project with Greece's top administrative court, a case scheduled to be heard this week. Many of the group's 70 or so members are property owners in the lower town, known locally as 'the castle.'
In March, Europa Nostra, a federation for the protection of cultural heritage, included Monemvasia, which was founded in the sixth century, in a list of Europe's seven most endangered heritage sites.
Opposition to the project was clear on a recent visit to Monemvasia — both in the old town, which was once home to thousands but now has a winter population of fewer than 20; and in the newer town of Gefira, across a causeway, on the mainland. Gefira, with a population of about 1,200, depends heavily on tourism linked to the castle.
'It will completely ruin the site,' said Effie Anagnopoulou, 43, a tour guide who lives in a village near Gefira. She said she was worried that Monemvasia's unique qualities would be sacrificed to satisfy growing numbers of tourists.
Monemvasia's deputy mayor, Stavros Christakos, said it was difficult to know how many visitors came every year (a local hotel group hazards a guess of 160,000 to 200,000) because most arrive by road or on small boats from cruise ships.
But many locals grumble that numbers have soared in recent years.
'We could become a small Mykonos,' said Ms. Anagnopoulou, referring to the island that is among the most heavily visited in Greece.
Mr. Christakos dismissed those concerns, saying that the aim of the cable car was not to increase tourism. 'We don't want to attract more people, we want it accessible for everyone,' he said.
But, he acknowledged, the cable car would be able to carry up to 160 people an hour, far more than the estimated 100 or so who visit the upper part of the town daily in the summer.
Kostas Paschalidis, president of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, said he felt the project's chief aim was to serve mass tourism not to make it easier for those with limited mobility to get to the peak. He noted that much of the lower town lacked wheelchair access. 'They should solve that problem first,' he said.
The cable car as envisaged by the authorities, he added, was 'a Pharaonic thing more suited to an amusement park.'
Many locals said that more pressing problems remained unaddressed in the town, including the poor quality of the water and an inadequate sewage system.
Christos Giannou, 76, a retired Greek Canadian surgeon who lives in the castle and runs two guesthouses with his Swiss wife, Isabelle Sonnard, said he objected to the cable car for aesthetic reasons but also because he wanted tourism to remain at 'humane levels.'
Water, which has to be piped over from the mainland, is currently the biggest problem, according to Mr. Giannou, both in terms of quality and scarcity. 'It's no use having a cable car if you have to tell tourists they can't take a shower,' he said.
Mr. Christakos said a plan for a desalination plant had been approved this month by the local authorities, but it was unclear when construction would start.
Other residents and traders in Monemvasia say they support the cable car.
Takis Papadakis, 60, runs a guesthouse in a converted monastery and a store in the castle. He also hosts wine-tasting evenings where 70 percent of attendees are over 65, he said.
'Many are sad that they can't do the climb to the upper town,' Mr. Papadakis said. 'We have to move with the times.'
Chrysafo Karkani, 75, a retired architect and artist who used to run a shop in the castle, said she would welcome the cable car because she hadn't been able to make the climb to the peak since a fall five years ago left her walking with crutches.
'I miss the view,' she said.