The semi-mountainous village of Sidirokastro is built at the foothills of two hills-mountains, Kastro (castle) and Ai-Lias (at an altitude of 440 metres) and has approximately 200 permanent residents. It is 5.5 kilometres from Avlona, seven from Kopanaki and 19 from Kyparissia. The village took its name from the old village of the same name and the Sidirokastro Castle. Specifically, the old village was located in and around the castle walls, where the houses’ ruins are still visible today.
In 1452, shortly before the Fall of Constantinople, Turahan Bey sieged Sidirokastro. Still, the resistance of the village residents was so strong that he was finally forced to abandon it. In 1460, the Turks returned, destroying the old village and the castle. During the Revolution of 1821, several groups of thieves and bandits operated in and around the area of Sidirokastro.
The Castle of Sidirocastro (Castello de Ferro-Siderocastro) was built on the eastern side of Mount Castro. It was a fortress castle that preexisted during the Byzantine period and was surrounded by a large settlement. Today, only the ruins of the castle are visible.
In Sidirokastro, visitors can see the stone-built, traditional houses and the nine taps and 26 wells, which, unfortunately, now have little water. In the upper rouga (neighbourhood) is the “Kolokotronis’ Maple tree (Asfendamos) ", next to an old fountain, and the tree has been declared a preserved natural monument.
The Agios Nikolaos church, built in 1912 with hewn stone, is also worth visiting. The temple was founded on the site of the older church that Ibrahim Pasha destroyed. Important relics are kept inside the church, such as the holy chalice that the chiefs of the area shared in 1821 and the sacred Gospel with which they were initiated into the famous Friends’ Society.
The building of the old Community Store houses the "Demosthenis Kakkavas" Folklore and History Museum, where visitors can see old objects, such as household appliances, agricultural tools, textiles, old photographs, etc. The village library is housed in the same building.
However, the main feature of Sidirokastro is that it is a unique outdoor sculpture gallery where more than thirty statues adorn the entrance, the square and the alleys of the village. Most statues are on the staircase (with 88 steps) leading to the Agios Nikolaos temple. All the sculptures are creations of sculptor Kostas Georgakas, born in the village in 1904. Georgakas died in 1991.
