KASTELLORIZO

  • KASTELLORIZO or MEGISTI (which means the biggest of the islands and was the ancient name of this beautiful, peaceful island) forms the far eastern boarder of Greece, 72 nautical miles east of the island of Rhodes and 170 miles from the west coast of Cyprus. The island is ideal for people who love peace serenity, nature and long walks. There are no cars on this island. There is only a small bus for the airport. Walking is the only means of transportation. There are however boats that can take you to the smaller islands around and to the famous Blue Cave. Megisti has a size of 9 sq kilometers and a coastal length 19 kilometers.

  • HOW TO GO THERE
    1. By air    .-There are no direct flights from Athens but there are flights via Rhodes island all the year round. Flight time from Rhodes is 45 minutes.
    2. By ferry boat. There are boats from Piraeus all the year round. The distance is 320 nautical miles and the journey takes 20 hours.


    • The island has only one village spread around the island's port. It is important if you wish to stay there to book before your arrival, particularly during July - August. The people are warm and hospitable and they now number about 250.

  • HISTORY OF THE ISLAND
    From the evidence of ruins, the history of the island dates as far back as neolithic times.There are cyclopean walls, now in ruins, evidence of the settlement in the island of Pelasgoi, the aegean people. The Minoans first and the Mycenians later also seemed to have visited the island as finds now in the Archaeological Museum in Athens show. Settlements of Dorieis and of the Lycians from the opposite coast of Asia Minor followed. The Lycian Grave of the 4th century B.C. is still one of the most impressive monuments on the island.

    The ancient name of the island, isattributed to its first settler MEGISTEAS but according to another interpretation it is due to the fact that the island is the biggest of all the small islands spread around the area. The present name KASTELLORIZO was assumed during the crusades and was due to the red rocks, CASTEL ROSO, on which the castle was built.

    Kastellorizo followed the history of the other Dodecanese islands and has the same martial and commercial tradition since it was traditionally administered by Rhodes.

    At the end of the 19th century, the island flourished due to the wealth accumulated from the fishing of sponge. Famous schools and churches were built.
    During the Italian occupation, however, many inhabitants emigrated to mainland Greece, to Australia -- where there are now about 50,000, and to Egypt. During the Second World War the Castle was bombed. The island was finally reunited with Greece in 1948.
  • WHAT IS WORTH SEEING
  • THE CASTLE in the port.
    It was built on the ruins of ancient castle, some thousands of years old, in the 14th century by the Knights of Saint John and received its name from the red colour of the rocks .Next to the castle are the ruins of a Turkish hamam and a restored watermill.
  • THE LYCIAN TOMB is a church like grave built at the end of the 5th century or the beginning of the 4th century B.C.
  • St Constantine and Eleni church was built in 1835 of granite brought from the temple of Apollo on the opposite site of Lycia in Asia Minor.
  • PALAEOKASTRO 2 kilometers n.w. built in BYZANTINE times.
  • THE CYCLOPEAN WALLS
  • THE ANCIENT TOMBS.
  • THE MONASTERY OF ST GEORGE OF THE MOUNTAIN.
  • THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM.
  • THE BLUE CAVE, which is the most beatiful in the Mediterranean. There are stalactites and stalagmites in this extremely beautiful cave which can only be visited by boat. There are, of course, other caves.

    THE ISLAND IS A NATURAL PARADISE.
    As there is no real interference with nature the island and the surrounding sea is home to a number of species of the animal and vegetable world    .

  • WHERE TO STAY

    There is one pension class B open all the year round and about 150 beds in rented rooms.

  • WHAT TO EAT
    Apart from the fish, there is the gouvarlakia, katsoumaria. sweet pies and strava.

  • AS there are no cars, or taxis the only means of transport is walking or by boat. By boat one can also visit the smaller islands around, Ro, 6 nautical miles, Stroggili, 5 nautical miles, and St. George.

    NOTHING of course that can be said or written about the island is as good as visiting it yourselves.
by Lelia Mitsides
Copyright: Hellenic Electronic Center
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