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Limnos - Lemnos
In ancient times, according to myth, Limnos, a volcanic
island, was the home of the God Hephaistos and his most important
place of worship. The island's history is long: two of its cities
, Mirina and Hephaistia, were extremely prosperous during antiquity.
Today, the island's capital, still called Mirina, or Kastro,
sits at the back of the bay in exactly the same locations its
ancient namesake. A Venetian castle presides over its characteristic
captains' houses adorned with wooden balconies. Mirina has an
important Archaeological Museum with finds from the region as
well as from Hephaistia, Cabeiria and Poliochne. Representing
every period from the prehistoric to the Hellenistic, they consist
primarily of relief works, idols, pottery and sculptures. The
second largest town is Moudros, 25 kilometres east of Mirina,
one of the safest anchorages in the Aegean. During World War
I it was used as a base of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force,
which launched its attack on the Dardanelles from here in 1915.Taking
Moudros as a starting point, it is possible to visit all the
island's archaeological sites. A dirt road to the northeast leads
to a rocky promontory with the ruins of Hephaistia, Limnos's
leading city in Antiquity. Excavations have brought to light
sanctuaries of the 5th and 4th century B.C. and the necropolis
with Greek, Roman and Byzantine tombs. Three kilometres further
north at a place called Chloe there are the Archaic and Hellenistic
remains of the sanctuary of the Cabeirians. East of Moudros near
Kaminia you will find the ruins of ancient Poliochne, where seven
successive settlements have been excavated, one dating back to
the Neolithic, the others to the early Bronze age. Finally, north
of Moudros is the site of the Byzantine state of Kotsika with
its fortress. This is where Maroula, the heroine of Limnos, died
fighting the Turks in 1478. On the east side of Limnos, at Hortolimni,
there is a large stretch of march land, a major habitat for rare
birds. The road continues on from here to the tip of Limnos and
the fishing hamlet of Plake with its monastery dedicated to Agios
Haralambos. Jumping over to the southern tip of the island and
another monastery, Agios Sostis, where there is a big celebration
every September 7th, one enters a desert landscape withstand
dunes, so unusual for Greece that it has been dubbed " the Sahara
of
Limnos". The island's inland road network, asphalted as far as
Moudros, leads to picturesque seaside and mountain villages,
such as Livadohori, Atsiki, with its interesting view of the
Gulf of Peoria and tavernas serving fresh fish, and Nea Koutali
with its marvelous empty beaches, delightful tavernas and sponge
fishing caiques anchored offshore. Those not deterred by dirt
roads will want to explore still further.
Photo's
Photo's:
Nellie van Wageningen
Source: Greek National Tourism Organisation
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