The castle is named to Giorgio Maniace, who was a Byzantine general. In 1038 he conquered Siracusa after defeating the Arabs. The castle was built in Swabian Style, stands on the tip of Ortigia Island, in defense of the natural harbour known as Porto Grande. It was designed by Riccardo Lentini between 1232 and 1240 on behalf of Emperor Frederick II, as the symbol of his power and genius.
In 1288 King Peter III of Aragon lived there with his family. The Castle was part of a series of watch points scattered along the coasts of Sicily; it looks like a towering structure of 51 meters per side, with four rounded and angular towers, built combining Swabian, Byzantine and Arab culture features.
The entrance portal is on west side, a beautiful ogival arch topped by the imperial symbol of Charles V (XVI A.D.) representing an eagle with two heads. Laterally the portal, there were two bronze rams, currently one of them is preserved at the archaeological museum in Palermo while the other has been lost or destroyed. Near the west tower there was the so-called Bath of the Queen, believed to be a spacious place adorned in marble, with seats and tanks, but actually it known as a source of fresh water supply for the castle.
At the end of the sixteenth century, Maniace Castle became a focal point of city walls fortification. In Napoleonic period it undertook military functions and was equipped with guns. Then was used as a repository of military equipment up until the end of the Second World War. Occured demilitarization works of the entire area. Have been made radical and several restoration and renovation works, the last completed in 2010, which reported the castle to its former glory.
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