Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Greece Agrilos Fairytale Castle of Agrili

Fairytale Castle of Agrili

A magical, if a bit tacky, 1960s castle conjures up medieval fairytales and Greek mythology.

Agrilos, Greece

Added By
Evan Panagopoulos
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The castle   LANTZOI LANTZOI/CC BY 2.0
Fairytale Castle   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Broken Head   Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Towers and battlements   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
Main entrance and drawbridges   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
Poseidon   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
an elaborately painted strong door and barbicans   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
Tin knights guard one of the entrances   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
The castle viewed from the west   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
Athena and the gift horse   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
A monumental display of heroes and saints in bas relief   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
The castle viewed from the south   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
A flaming Pegasus in the castle’s courtyard   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
Mythical creatures and amphorae at the waterfront   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
The castle and gift horse   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
The view from the castle   Giorgos Zygouris/CC BY 2.0
Athena, Poseidon, and the Horse   Giorgos Zygouris/CC BY 2.0
A close up of the castle   LANTZOI LANTZOI/CC BY 2.0
The horse   LANTZOI LANTZOI/CC BY 2.0
Poseidon   explorabilia / Atlas Obscura User
one of the plaques   LANTZOI LANTZOI/CC BY 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Driving along the Western coast of Greece, from Olympia towards Pylos, you can take a small detour for a chance to enter a mythical realm where stories of knights, maidens and winged dragons are very much alive and intertwined with Ancient Greek mythology. Enter the magnificent, if a bit tacky, Fairytale Castle of Agrilis.

The story goes that the castle was built in the 1960s by a U.S.-born doctor of Greek descent, Harry Fournier, who made his fortune as a surgeon in Chicago. He returned to his ancestral lands of Filiatra upon retirement, where he wished to leave his mark as a benefactor of the city from which his family hailed.

He created a cultural center as well as a number of landmarks, such as a 85-foot (26m) wrought-iron copy of the Eiffel tower at the entrance of the city, a metal Geographical Globe outside the local high school, and the Fairytale Castle at Agrilis by the sea.

From the large gatehouse with a drawbridge to the conical towers painted bright red, nearly all of the details one might expect to find in a medieval castle are represented in the concrete and plaster structure. Inside there's a series of corridors connecting halls with displays of medieval lore: coats of arms (some of which bear just the letter F or the name Harry), halberds, swords, and the like.  

The walls have paintings and murals (in an effort to mimic a medieval tapestry style) depicting popular medieval stories, such as the story of Tristan and Isolde, Ivanhoe, and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. At the top of the castle, there's a magnificent view of the sea and surrounding countryside, as well as copies of medieval war weapons: a catapult, a ballista, and a medieval cannon carriage among others.

In the courtyard outside the castle, Fournier built three gigantic statues: one depicting the mythological Goddess Athena, another representing Poseidon, God of water, and the final one, a giant sitting horse. This monument is hollow and is rumored to hold a secret library inside. Today, the magical landmark is unfortunately abandoned and in a state of deterioration. Two commemorative plaques can be seen, one of which is attributed to Harry Fournier himself, and reads, "You should appreciate a man not by his fortune or the extent of his knowledge, but by the happiness he brings to those around him. 

Related Tags

Magic Castles Mythology Fairytales Dragons

Know Before You Go

As you drive towards Filiatra, look for the sign for Agrili about 10km from Kyparissia and turn right. You will see the castle in front of you as you reach the sea, accessible through a short dust and gravel road marked with a pillar bearing an amphora. An ample free parking area is available. The castle is currently inhabited and cannot be entered, but visitors may freely enjoy the outside of the building.

Community Contributors

Added By

explorabilia

Edited By

aribrown, Collector of Experiences

  • aribrown
  • Collector of Experiences

Published

July 14, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • "Why and how I have built the Fairytale Casle of Agrili" a text by Haralambos Fournarakis
Fairytale Castle of Agrili
Agrilos Filiatra
Agrilos
Greece
37.208092, 21.590404

Nearby Places

Beauties & Hardships

Agrilos, Greece

miles away

Old Navarino Castle

Messinia, Greece

miles away

The Well at Meligalas

Messinia, Greece

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Agrilos

Agrilos

Greece

Places 2

Nearby Places

Beauties & Hardships

Agrilos, Greece

miles away

Old Navarino Castle

Messinia, Greece

miles away

The Well at Meligalas

Messinia, Greece

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Agrilos

Agrilos

Greece

Places 2

Related Places

  • Glasgow, Scotland

    Bella the Beithir

    A mythological Celtic beast built with thousands of colorful tiles stands guard over a historic canal junction.

  • Kannon, Urashima-Taro and the Dragon Maiden.

    Yokohama, Japan

    Urashima-Kannon Temple

    Associated with one of Japan's most famous fairy tales, this temple is home to a statue purportedly brought from the undersea palace of the Dragon God.

  • Dos du Dragon

    Ivoini, Comoros

    Dos du Dragon

    This moss-covered, rocky outcropping looks like a mythical beast resting in the water.

  • General view of the fence

    Barcelona, Spain

    The Güell Pavillions Dragon Gate

    This stunning iron gate designed by Modernist architect Antoni Gaudí is filled with mythic symbolism.

  • Burg Drachenfels seen from Mehlem.

    Königswinter, Germany

    Burg Drachenfels

    A ruined castle stands atop a hill surrounded by dragon lore.

  • Castle on the moat.

    Bellville, Texas

    Newman's Castle

    A medieval castle in the middle of rural Texas.

  • The Bures Dragon.

    Suffolk, England

    Bures Dragon

    A hill carving of the legendary dragon that terrorized the village of Bures in the Middle Ages.

  • Pegasus crushes a dragon beneath his hooves.

    Hallandale Beach, Florida

    Pegasus and Dragon

    The behemoth beasts engaged in an epic battle is the second-tallest statue in the contiguous United States.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.