General Information

Skyros stands in the heart of the Aegean Sea very close to Evia and belongs to north Sporades islands.
The natural beauties will carry you away. Beautiful beaches and pine forests, traditional white houses with the characteristic level roofs and graphic alleys.

The northern part is green, with pines and cultivations while on the contrary in the south-eastern dominate the rocky ground and bushes. Here on mount Kochilas and in plateau Ari, live the famous Skyrian horses unique in the world. These horses are of ancient origin and are represented in various ancient relief plates. Their height is roughly one meter and they have a fat neck.

The city of Skyros is built amphitheatrically around the Byzantine castle, which was built over the ruins of the ancient acropolis. The houses are very close and round the castle because of the fear of raids from invaders. They have the shape of a cube and the internal arrangement is inventive to fit everything and according to the Skyrian tradition and design.

History

Because of its geographic position, Skyros was a big commercial center from the time of copper and developed relations with Cyclades, the Northern Aegean and also with continental Greece.
According to mythology here in the palace of king Lykomidis, goddess Thetis hid her son Achilles, dressed as a woman, so that he wouldn’t go to fight to Troy.
In 470 BC the island was conquered from the Athenian general Kimonas and he turned away the pirates that used it as base of operations.
During the Roman period they made quarries for the known Skyrian stone and the colourful marbles. The island was conquered from Venetians and Turks and devolved to Greece in 1830.