Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of St John, Rhodes

The old medieval town of Rhodes, including this palace, was occupied by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem from 1309 - 1523. They had fled Palestine during the Crusades and came to live in Rhodes, turning what is now the old town into a fortified city. The resident of the palace was the Grand Master, who was in charge of the knights with the palace also being used as an administrative centre. The palace was badly damaged during a siege by the Turks who took over Rhodes from 1500s and then the palace was later damaged by an explosion in 1800s. The Palace was eventually restored by the Italians who occupied Rhodes from 1912 and it was used as a holiday residence by the King of Italy and later Mussolini. After WWII when the island of Rhodes was returned to Greece, the palace became a museum open to the public