There are no traces left of the small fortress that existed in Rethymno before the 1303 earthquake. After the city was repeatedly conquered and destroyed in the 16th century (among others by Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1538 and Uluç Pasha in 1571), the Venetians built this large complex ("Fortezza" in Italian) in 1573-1590. During construction, however, the initial plan was simplified and dispensed with the deep moat and the original full bastions in the south and east. This is one of the reasons why, under the command of Gazi Hussein Pasha, the Turks succeeded in conquering the city after a 23-day siege in 1646.