The Venetians constructed Paleokastro Fort on the site of the ancient town of Aptera with the intention of safeguarding Souda Bay from potential attacks or invasions. The fort’s walls, which sometimes ran from north to south, measured 1.5m in width and 3m in height and featured arched tanks. A broad road linked Palekastro to the sea.

A small settlement emerged near the fortress, where Venetian Generale Giannbatista del Monte planned to relocate the residents of Chania after tearing down their fortress, as he deemed Chania Castle unsuitable for defense. However, this plan never materialized.

In 1538, pirate Barbarossa devastated the north coast of Crete, destroying Paleokastro and the adjacent settlement. Sultan Selim completed the destruction during his attack on Chania, leaving almost nothing of the fort remaining today.

Several historical events from the 1821 revolution are associated with Palekastro. One such event occurred on September 30, 1822, when Egyptians arrived at the Amfimalla Gulf (present-day Georgioupolis) with 3,000 soldiers and immediately initiated a cleansing operation, ultimately massacring the fort’s 12 guards.