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General Information
Overgrown with pine forests and olive groves Lesvos has 91.000 residents. Innumerable natural beauties, a perfect climate and many sights compose a beautiful picture.
The city of Mitilini, capital of the island is spread out on seven hills, and is the capital of Lesvos prefecture that also includes the islands of Limnos and Agios Eustratios.
The enchanting village of Mithimna also known as Molyvos with the traditional stone houses, the paved streets and mansions, is inhabited since the ancient times and is the homeland of poet and citharoedus Arion.
Don't forget to supply yourself with the famous local products of Lesvos. Olive oil, ouzo, local cheeses, traditional preserved, spoon sweets, pottery, pastas and bakery products.
History
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Roman aqueduct in Moria |
Lesvos had its bigger economic and cultural prosperity at the Archaic period (7th 6th cent BC), due to its shipping and viticulture. The people of Lesvos established a lot of colonies in Asia Minor coasts, in Thrace and Egypt. Two of the bigger figures on the island at this period were the poet Alkaios and poetess Sappfo. At the same time with poetry, particular blossoming had the letters, the arts and music. The island was a member of the 1st and 2nd Athenian Alliance and was subjugated with the Asia Minor colonies two times to the Perians.
At the Byzantine period the island was a big commercial and intellectual center, due to its many monasteries with most important the Monastery of Limonos. Lesvos was given to Gatelouzous in 1355 as a dowry of the sister of the Emperor Ioannis Palaiologos, Maria E. The Turks occupied it in 1462 but the intellectual contribution of the island was important even then. It was liberated and given to Greece on November 8, 1912 from the Greek fleet under admiral Kountourioti. After the destruction in Asia Minor in 1922, 24.000 refugees inhabited on the island.
Apart from the ancients Alkaios and Sappfo, Lesvos is the homeland of many intellectual people like Stratis Myrivilis, Argyris Eftaliotis and Odysseus Elytis (Nobel price winner poet), Theofilos, Stratis Eleytheriadis, Georgios Iakovidis etc.
