Piraeus
Piraeus
Πειραιάς ( UTC+3 (EEST) | |
---|---|
Postal code | 185 xx |
Area code(s) | 21 |
Vehicle registration | Υ |
Website | www.piraeus.gov.gr |
Patron saint: Saint Spyridon (12 December) |
Piraeus (
The municipality of Piraeus and four other suburban municipalities form the
Piraeus has a long
The port of Piraeus is the chief port in Greece, the 5th largest passenger port in Europe[5] and the 24th largest passenger port in the world serving about 4.37 million passengers annually in 2020. With a throughput of 5.44 million TEUs,[6] Piraeus is among the busiest ten ports in Europe in terms of container traffic, and is the busiest container port in the Eastern Mediterranean.[7] The city hosted events in both the 1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens. The University of Piraeus is one of the largest universities in Greece, and includes the country's second-oldest business school, as well as the oldest academic department dedicated to the study of finance.[8]
History
Ancient and medieval times
Piraeus has been inhabited since at least the
In the late 6th and early 5th centuries BC, the area became the focus of strategic and political improvements due to its natural advantages. For example, in 511 BC, the hill of Munichia was fortified by Hippias, and four years later Piraeus was made a deme of Athens by Cleisthenes. According to the ancient Greek historian Thucydides,[10] in 493 BC, Themistocles initiated fortification works in Piraeus, and later advised the Athenians to take advantage of its natural harbours' strategic potential instead of using the sandy bay of Phaleron.[11][12] A duty of 2 percent was levied on goods passing through the port. These were very effective at raising funds for the city of Athens. In the year 399 after the Peloponnesian War, for example, the city had collected 1,800 talents in harbour dues despite economic effects of the war.[13]
In 483 BC, a new silver vein was discovered in the
In the second year of the
After the reinstatement of
In the Middle Ages, the port was usually called by the Venetians the "port of Sithines" (that is, of Athens) and in the 14th century, the name "Lion" is first attested, after the colossal ancient sculpture of a lion, the Piraeus Lion, which stood at the harbour's entrance. This later become Porto Leone (Πόρτο Λεόνε).[18] It was also called Porto Drako (Πόρτο Δράκο) by Greeks, drako meaning not just "dragon", but any monster.[19]
Ottoman period
When Piraeus was taken by the Ottoman Empire in 1456, it became known as Aslan Liman ("Lion Harbour"), a translation of the existing Venetian name.
The Piraeus Lion itself was looted in 1687 by Francesco Morosini during his expedition against Athens (part of the Morean War) and was carried to the Venetian Arsenal, where it still stands today. A copy of the lion statue is on display at the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus.
Under Ottoman rule, especially before the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, Piraeus was mostly deserted, except for the monastery of Saint Spyridon (1590) and a customs house, and it was only used occasionally as a commercial port. Although there were numerous land owners, Athenians did not live in the area.
There were at least two failed attempts to create a new town, the first in 1792 by bringing a population from
Modern era
With the creation of the
The municipality was established in 1835, reviving the ancient name "Piraeus".[21] Following petitions from the new and emerging prosperous bourgeoisie, municipal elections were held to elect a mayor for the city, Kyriakos Serfiotis of Hydra. Piraeus had around 300 inhabitants at this time.
Piraeus, from a deserted small town, quickly became the leading port and the second largest city in Greece, with its prime geographical location and closeness to the Greek capital helping it continually to grow, attracting people from across the country. A number of events contributed to the development of the city; among these were its ultimate declaration as the leading port of Greece, the completion of the
The establishment of the Port Committee in 1911, which controlled the works of construction and maintenance of the port, and the Piraeus Port Authority in 1930, which made a more efficient job of managing a port slowly increasing in traffic, played a catalytic role in the city's development. The town flourished and neo-classical buildings were erected; one of them, which continues to ornament the present town, is the Piraeus Municipal Theatre, an excellent example of the area's once wider neoclassical architecture. After the decisive period for Greece of 1912–1922, Piraeus experienced a major demographic explosion, with its population almost doubling to reach 251,659 in 1928 from 133,482 in 1920, an increase owed to the arrival of Greek refugees from Asia Minor after the 1919–1922 Greco-Turkish War and the Genocide of the Greeks in Anatolia and finally the subsequent population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Although there was an increase in the labour force, a variety of social problems also emerged with the concentration of new populations in the suburbs of the city, such as Nikaia, Keratsini, Perama, Drapetsona and Korydallos.
The involvement of Greece in World War II came as a major setback to the city's progress. After the war, the city began its development once more, as damage to the port and the city were repaired and new additions took shape after 1955. Piraeus is now the fifth largest municipality in Greece; the city proper with its suburbs form the Piraeus urban area, which is incorporated in the Athens urban area, thus making Piraeus an integral part of the Greek capital. The port of Piraeus is now an important international port, and the largest in the country.
Geography
Piraeus is situated in the southwest part of the central plain of
Climate
Under
Climate data for Piraeus Hellenic National Meteorological Service (1981-2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.1 (57.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
20.3 (68.5) |
25.1 (77.2) |
29.9 (85.8) |
32.8 (91.0) |
32.9 (91.2) |
29.1 (84.4) |
24.2 (75.6) |
18.9 (66.0) |
15.4 (59.7) |
22.81 (73.06) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.1 (52.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.3 (55.9) |
16.9 (62.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
26.3 (79.3) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.8 (83.8) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.6 (69.1) |
15.8 (60.4) |
12.6 (54.7) |
19.35 (66.83) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) |
7.9 (46.2) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
17.7 (63.9) |
22.2 (72.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.0 (77.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.4 (63.3) |
12.9 (55.2) |
9.7 (49.5) |
15.89 (60.60) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 41.95 (1.65) |
36.26 (1.43) |
34.09 (1.34) |
30.34 (1.19) |
15.95 (0.63) |
5.08 (0.20) |
5.56 (0.22) |
3.07 (0.12) |
11.37 (0.45) |
30.5 (1.20) |
58.87 (2.32) |
58.84 (2.32) |
331.9 (13.07) |
Source: National Technical University of Athens[25] |
Climate data for Piraeus Port | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 19.3 (66.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
24.6 (76.3) |
28.6 (83.5) |
30.8 (87.4) |
36.3 (97.3) |
41.8 (107.2) |
37.7 (99.9) |
33.2 (91.8) |
30.2 (86.4) |
26.7 (80.1) |
21.6 (70.9) |
41.8 (107.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.2 (59.4) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.3 (68.5) |
24.8 (76.6) |
30.8 (87.4) |
35.0 (95.0) |
33.3 (91.9) |
29.0 (84.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
21.3 (70.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
23.9 (74.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.8 (55.0) |
12.7 (54.9) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.2 (63.0) |
21.4 (70.5) |
27.1 (80.8) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.0 (86.0) |
25.8 (78.4) |
22.1 (71.8) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.1 (59.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
10.0 (50.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.7 (80.1) |
22.6 (72.7) |
19.2 (66.6) |
15.6 (60.1) |
12.5 (54.5) |
17.7 (63.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | 4.6 (40.3) |
0.7 (33.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
14.1 (57.4) |
18.4 (65.1) |
20.1 (68.2) |
21.9 (71.4) |
15.8 (60.4) |
15.6 (60.1) |
7.8 (46.0) |
7.5 (45.5) |
0.7 (33.3) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 51.9 (2.04) |
26.4 (1.04) |
27.9 (1.10) |
11.1 (0.44) |
14.9 (0.59) |
6.6 (0.26) |
1.3 (0.05) |
16.2 (0.64) |
64.2 (2.53) |
4.5 (0.18) |
53.6 (2.11) |
29.6 (1.17) |
308.2 (12.15) |
Source 1: National Observatory of Athens Monthly Bulletins (Apr 2022 – Mar 2024)[27] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Piraeus Port N.O.A station, [28] World Meteorological Organization[29] |
Demography
Piraeus is the fifth most populous municipality in Greece with an official population of 168,151 (in 2021).
The table below shows the historical population of Piraeus and Piraeus regional unit in recent times.[30]
Year | Municipality population | Greater area population |
---|---|---|
1951 | 186,088 | |
1961 | 183,957 | |
1971 | 187,458 | 439,138 |
1981 | 196,389 | 476,304 |
1991 | 182,671 | 456,865 |
2001 | 175,697 | 466,065 |
2011 | 163,688 | 448,997 |
2021 | 168,151 | 448,051 |
Culture
Archaeological sites
Among the archaeological sites of Piraeus, parts of the ancient
Bronze statues
This section is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. (June 2015) |
The discovery of four bronze statues at a construction site near the Tinaneios Gardens in Piraeus, Greece on July 18, 1959 is still remembered by an entire generation as a momentous discovery in Modern Greek archaeology. The statues are now featured in the Piraeus Museum, and are largely responsible for the creation of the modern Archaeological Museum of Piraeus. While drilling in order to lay pipes, the Hydrex Company came across the hand of a bronze kouros (youth) at a depth of approximately 1.50 meters. Excavations began after the custodian of the local museum, Dimitrios Kalantonis, and the Director of the Archaeological Service, Yiannis Papdimitriou, were informed. Four noteworthy bronze statues were uncovered in the continuing excavations – the Archaic Apollo (the kouros whose hand had originally been seen), the large Artemis, a smaller Artemis, and a larger-than-life Athena. However, the enthusiasm for the dig led to poor documentation of the details and context of the finds, leaving rare photos taken by the media or public as the only record. There are multiple theories as to how the statues came to be carefully arranged within what is thought to have been a small square room. When and why the statues were apparently hidden is open to debate, along with their origins, date, and style. One early theory suggests that the statues had been stored near the harbour with the intention of being shipped to Italy; however, the presence of coins near the statues dating from a period of war opens up another possibility – that the statues were hidden for safe keeping, and then lost when the building was destroyed. Dating the concealment of the statues is another issue, as they may have been buried anytime between the 1st century BC and the 3rd century AD. The statue of the kouros was recognized to be of Apollo, and dated to the 5th century BC. The other three female statues, from the 4th century BC, show a different, more human, form of sculpture that sets them apart from their older companion.
Leisure and entertainment
Piraeus provides a wide variety of entertainment. There are a lot of tavernas and restaurants in Piraeus, renowned for their cuisine. Most are spread along the coasts of Mikrolimano and Piraiki, specializing in seafood and attracting many visitors, including tourists. The nightlife of the city is vibrant, with numerous bars and nightclubs. Plenty of major shopping areas can be found on the central avenues of Piraeus, Iroon Polytechneiou and Grigoriou Labraki.
In the summer, the Maritime Festival take place, while the Three Kings' Way Festival marks the beginning of the carnival, with all the associated costumes and entertainment.[31]
The Municipal Theater has been the center of the arts in Piraeus, hosting a variety of cultural events including theater, dance and music events. The open air Veakeio Theater in Kastella is a popular destination during the summer and hosts concerts, folk music bands and Greek and foreign troupes, while the Menandreio Theater, widely known as Delfinario, is popular for hosting variety shows. Village Park, a large multipurpose center and part of the Village Cinemas built in suburban Agios Ioannis Renti, attracts a large number of people from the whole of Athens, offering a diversity of shops, cafes, and restaurant, in addition to the twenty cinemas making it the largest cinema complex in Greece. Next to it, the Allou Fun Park is the most recent and largest amusement theme park in Athens, offering its numerous rides and attractions, restaurants and pastry shops.[32]
Museums
Piraeus is home to several museums and other institutions of great interest within their field. The
Sport
Traditionally, Piraeus has played a major role in Greek sport. The city boasts one of the most popular and one of the most prestigious Greek multisport clubs, Olympiacos CFP. The other major club is Ethnikos Piraeus, with a long athletic tradition, while other historic clubs are Atromitos Piraeus F.C. and Peiraikos Syndesmos.
In
First class sporting facilities can be found in Piraeus. The Karaiskakis Stadium, built in 1885 as a bicycle track, enlarged in 1964 and completely rebuilt in 2004, is the second largest football venue in Greece with a capacity of 33,334 and one of the most modern in Europe. It hosted the
Sport clubs based inside the bounders of Piraeus municipality | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Club | Founded | Sports | Achievements | ||
Peiraikos Syndesmos | 1893 | Track and Field |
Panhellenic titles in women basketball | ||
Ethnikos | 1923 | Water Polo and others |
Panhellenic title in football, most time winner in Greek Water Polo | ||
Olympiacos | 1925 | Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Water Polo, Track and Field and others | Arguably the most successful Greek club, many titles in several sports, most time winner in Greek football and men's volleyball | ||
Atromitos Piraeus | 1926 | Football | Presence in Gamma Ethniki | ||
AOF Porfyras | 1957 | Basketball, Volleyball | Presence in A1 Ethniki volleyball women |
Maritime industry
In addition to being the largest
Today the port of Piraeus ranks 7th in Europe and the 1st in the Mediterranean in terms of TEUs transported through it each year.[34][35]
1967 military junta
In 1967, when a group of colonels staged a
1974 democratic government
After the junta fell in 1974, the successive democratic government generally maintained the deregulation of Greek-based shipping, and many shipowners have maintained commercial operations there since. Today, however, as a result of traffic congestion plaguing the Athens area, and the fact that most shipowners reside in the lavish northern suburbs of Athens, many shipowners have opted once again to move their bases away from Piraeus to Northern Athens.
Shipping today
After the post-2008 financial crisis collapse of global shipping, the port was gradually acquired by China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), which is a Chinese state-owned enterprise.[36]: 68 Under COSCO, Piraeus has become a busy port, rising from traffic of 400,000 containers in 2008 to nearly five million containers in 2018.[36]: 68 Most European trade with China occurs via Greek ships, including through Piraeus.[36]: 68
With an annual number of 8,1 million passengers by 2015, Piraeus also became the EU's sixth-largest port in terms of passenger transportation.[37] The central port serves ferry routes to almost every island in the eastern portion of Greece, the island of Crete, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, and much of the northern and the eastern Aegean Sea, while the western part of the port is used for cargo services. The following operators serve the port:
- Minoan Lines
- ANEK Lines
- Blue Star Ferries
- Hellenic Seaways
- Celestyal Cruises
- Monarch Classic Cruises
Transport
Piraeus is served by buses and trolleybuses (OSY),
Landmarks
Piraeus is marked by the diversity of culture among its neighbourhoods. The hill of Kastella is one of the most prosperous and attractive neighbourhoods, with a panoramic view over Athens basin and the
Districts
- Agios Neilos
- Agia Sophia
- Freattyda
- Kallipoli
- Kaminia
- Kastella
- Maniatika
- Mikrolimano
- Terpsithea (Trouba)
Cinema
Movies filmed in Piraeus include:
- Stella (1955 film)
- The Angry Hills (film)
- Never on Sunday
- The Red Lanterns
- The Burglars, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo
Twin towns – sister cities
Piraeus is
Mayors of Piraeus
|
|
|
Notable people
- Sophia Antoniadis, classical scholar
- Spyridon Manousakis (Spiros Arion), professional wrestler
- Giorgos Dalaras, singer
- Georgios B. Giannakis, computer scientist and inventor
- Jannis Kounellis, artist
- Emmanuel Kriaras, philologist
- Dimos Moutsis, composer
- Michalis Oikonomou, painter
- Dimitrios Diamantakos, Footballer
- Dimitris Papamichael, actor
- Katina Paxinou, actress
- Dimitris Pikionis, architect
- Dimitris Rontiris, actor and director
- Costas Simitis, Prime Minister of Greece
- Pantelis Thalassinos, singer and songwriter
- Yannis Tsarouchis, artist and painter
- Charilaos Vasilakos, Olympic medalist
- Aimilios Veakis, actor
- Thanassis Vengos, actor
- Tolis Voskopoulos, singer
- Nicola Zaccaria, Greek bass
- Dimitra Asilian, water polo player
Universities and institutes
- University of Piraeus, established in 1938, operates four schools with more than 9.000 registered students.[citation needed]
Gallery
-
Piraeus in the late 19th century
-
Map of Piraeus, 1908
-
A modern copy of the "Piraeus Lion"
-
View ofKastella
-
The church of St. Nicholas
-
Monument to Georgios Karaiskakis
-
Church of Sts. Constantine and Helen
See also
- List of settlements in Attica
- Never on Sunday – Film set in Piraeus
- Tintin and the Golden Fleece
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
- Athens Urban Area("Greater Athens") (Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Αθηνών).
- ^ "Port of Piraeus". World Port Source. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
- ^ "Birth of Democracy: The Athenian Navy".
- ^ "Messina remained the largest EU passenger port in 2020". Eurostat. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
- ^ "World Shipping Council- Top 50 Ports". Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ^ "Container terminal". www.olp.gr. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
- ^ "University of Piraeus Student Guide 2017" (PDF) (in Greek). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-05-08. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
- ^ a b c "The Port of Piraeus Through The Ages". greece.org. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ^ a b Piraeus. The Port of Triremes. Hellenic Maritime Museum, Zea Harbour Project. 2016.
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 58.
- ^ Τα τείχη των Αθηνών (in Greek). National Hellenic Research Foundation. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ISBN 978-1-136-78799-7.
- ^ Warner & Finley 1972, p. 152
- ISBN 0-00-711506-7.
- ^ "The Port of Piraeus in Athens Greece | Greeka". Greekacom. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
- ^ "Zea Harbour Project". Archived from the original on 2018-09-15. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
- ^ William Miller, The Latins in the Levant: A History of Frankish Greece, 1908, p. 245
- ^ Henry Ellis, The British Museum. Elgin and Phigaleian marbles, 1833, p. 36
- ^ Γολδσμιθ, Ιστορία της Ελλάδος, Athens, 1838 (translation of 1809 edition?), p. 222
- ^ Philip Sanford Marden, Greece and the Aegean Islands, 1907, p. 43
- ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece.
- ^ "Climate Atlas of Greece" (PDF). Hellenic National Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- S2CID 140664294.
- ^ a b "Piraeus Urban Planning 1" (PDF) (in Greek). Pagkrati & Millioni (2017), NTUA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-07. Retrieved 30 Sep 2019.
- ^ "Athens Riviera: The warmest area in continental Europe". Meteoclub. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "Meteo.gr - Προγνώσεις καιρού για όλη την Ελλάδα".
- ^ "Latest Conditions in Piraeus Port".
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization". Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "World Gazetteer: Piraieús – profile of geographical entity including name variants". World Gazetteer. Retrieved 2008-12-27. [dead link]
- ^ "Three King's Way Festival, Piraeus". www.planetware.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
- ^ "Allou Fun Park". www.breathtakingathens.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ "Athens 21st Century – The Olympic Coastal Complex". athens-today.com. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
- S2CID 214026339.
- ^ "Greece's Port of Piraeus Ranked 7th Largest in Europe". 31 May 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9780300266900.
- ^ "Top 20 passenger ports in 2015 - on the basis of number of passengers embarked and disembarked (In 1000)". ec.europa.eu.
- ^ "Αδελφοποιμένες Πόλεις". piraeus.gov.gr (in Greek). Piraeus. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-14-044039-9.
- Steinhauer, G. 2007. “The Piraeus bronze statues". In Great Moments in Greek Archaeology, edited by P. Valavanis, translated by D. Hardy, 326-31. Los Angeles: Getty Publications.
External links
- Piraeus Information(in English)
- Municipality of Piraeus Archived 2007-10-29 at the Wayback Machine (in Greek)
- Piraeus Port Authority (in Greek and English)
- Destination Piraeus: Sightseeing & Entertainment Guide by the Municipality of Piraeus (Greek) (English)
- News about Piraeus (Greek) (English)