Rhodes (city)
Rhodes
Ρόδος | |
---|---|
UTC+3 (EEST) | |
Postal code | 851 00, 31, 32, 33 |
Area code(s) | 2241 |
Vehicle registration | PO, PK, PY |
Website | www.rhodes.gr |
Rhodes (
Today, the city of Rhodes is an important Greek urban center and popular international
History
The island of
Classical period
The city of Rhodes was formed by the cities of
Roman period
In 164 BC, Rhodes came under
Byzantine period
In medieval times, Rhodes was an important Byzantine trading post, as also a crossroads for ships sailing between Constantinople and Alexandria. In the early years of the divided Roman Empire, the
Knights' period
The
In 1444, the Mamluk fleet led by Aynal Gecut laid siege to Rhodes, but the Knights, aided by the Burgundian naval commander Geoffroy de Thoisy, beat off the Muslim attack.
After the
After the Ottoman defeat in 1480, the Knights Grand Master, Pierre d'Aubusson, oversaw the strengthening of the cities over the next few decades. By the time of his death in 1521, Rhodes possessed among the strongest fortifications of any Christian bastion in the world. The Knights continued naval attacks launched from Rhodes on Muslim merchants until 1522, when the newly enthroned Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent led a second Ottoman Siege of Rhodes in 1522.
The vastly outnumbered Knights made a spirited defense of the city and inflicted heavy casualties upon the Ottoman besiegers. In December 1522, the Knights and Suleiman came to terms and the Knights were allowed to leave the city with all the wealth they could carry, and in return there would be no retribution upon the inhabitants of the city and they would be allowed to continue to freely practice Christianity. On January 1, 1523 the Knights departed from the island, leaving it to Ottoman control.
Ottoman period
In the Ottoman era, new buildings were constructed: mosques, public baths and mansions for the new patrons. The Greeks were forced to abandon the fortified city and move to new suburbs outside its walls. The city maintained its main economic function as a market for the agricultural products of the interior of the island and the surrounding small islands.
After the establishment of their sovereignty on the island, the Ottoman Turks converted most of the churches into mosques and transformed the major houses into private mansions or public buildings. This transformation was a long-term process that aimed to adapt the buildings to the Ottoman way of living. The Knights period façades with their sculptured decorations, the arched gates and hewn stone walls were enriched with the random character of the Ottoman architecture adapted to the local climate and culture. Ιn this process most of the architectural features of the existing buildings were preserved. The most characteristic additions were the baths (usually in the back of the buildings) and the enclosed wooden balconies on the façades over the narrow streets. In this way most of the buildings of the Hospitaliers' period in the Medieval Town were well preserved. The result was a mixture of oriental architecture with imposing western architectural remains and more recent buildings, which were characteristic of the local architecture of the time.
An interesting example of Ottoman architecture is the building of the Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library.
Ιn the 19th century, the city was the capital of the Eyalet of the Archipelago, but the decline of the Ottoman Empire resulted in the general neglect of the town and its buildings, which further deteriorated due to the strong earthquakes that often plague the area.
In 1856, a gunpowder magazine under the old Church of Saint John – possibly stored there since the siege of 1522[8][9] – was struck by lightning, causing a massive explosion that killed many people, destroyed the church, and destroyed much of the Grand Master's Palace.[8][10][11][9]
Italian period
In 1912 Italian troops took the island over with the rest of the Dodecanese Islands, and established an Italian possession known as Italian Islands of the Aegean in 1923.[12] The architect
World War II and postwar period
During World War II, Allied bombing raids which targeted the old city of Rhodes in 1944 destroyed a significant portion of the city.[citation needed] One of the first decrees of the Greek government designated those areas as reserved for future excavations and a number of edifices as safeguarded buildings. In July 1944, the Nazi authorities ordered the deportation of over 1,700 Jews of Rhodes including men, women, and children, of whom 1,200 were murdered at Auschwitz.[13]
In 1957, a new city plan was approved by a decree and in 1960 the entire medieval town was designated as a protected monument by the Ministry of Culture. In 1961 and 1963 new decrees were issued concerning the new city plan. They provided for the widening of existing streets and the opening of new ones. However, these were not implemented in the old city due to the resistance of the Archaeological Service. In 1988, the old town of Rhodes was designated as a World Heritage City by UNESCO.
Government
Rhodes City is the capital of the island of Rhodes which since 2011 became a single municipality and of the Rhodes regional unit. It was the capital of the former Dodecanese Prefecture and currently hosts many offices and services of the South Aegean region.
As an administration centre, the city also hosts numerous offices and services such as:
- Dodecanese Police Headquarters
- Rhodes Fire Department
- Dodecanese Courthouse
- Dodecanese Port Police/Coastguard
- 95 ADTE (Hellenic Army Division Headquarters)
- Rhodes Public Tax Office
- Rhodes Urban Planning Office
- Rhodes Land Registry Office
- Rhodes Hellenic Post Office headquarters
- Rhodes Municipal Water & Sewage Company
- Dodecanese Chamber of Commerce
- Rhodes Manpower Office (OAED)
- Rhodes Social Security Institute (IKA)
- Public Power Corporation (DEI)
Main sights
The city is home to numerous landmarks. Some of them date back to antiquity and most of the others remain from the Hospitaller period.
- Grand Master's Palace (15th century)
- Street of the Knights of Rhodes
- La Juderia, including the Kahal Shalom Synagogue
- Acropolis of Rhodes
- Mehmet Aga Mosque
- Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent
- Medieval walls, created in the mid-14th century on a previous line and remade after the Ottoman siege of 1480 and the earthquake of the following year. In 1522 Suleiman entered the city from the gate of St. Anastasius
- Gothic buildings in the historical upper town.
- Recently, the Byzantine harbor was excavated, discovering unique medieval shipwrecks.
- St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Rhodes
- Panagia tou Kastrou
-
Close-up view of the Palace
-
Interior of the palace
-
View of the moat
Geography
The city of Rhodes is situated in the north-east tip of the island and forms a triangle from north to south. The municipal unit has an area of 19.481 km2.[14] It is the smallest municipal unit of the island in terms of land area and the largest in population. It borders the Aegean Sea to the north, the east and the west and with the municipalities of Ialysos and Kallithea in the south.
Climate
In
Climate data for Rhodes Port | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 20.8 (69.4) |
20.9 (69.6) |
23.3 (73.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
36.4 (97.5) |
33.8 (92.8) |
37.4 (99.3) |
37.6 (99.7) |
34.4 (93.9) |
32.6 (90.7) |
26.8 (80.2) |
22.2 (72.0) |
37.6 (99.7) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) |
16.4 (61.5) |
17.0 (62.6) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.9 (75.0) |
27.2 (81.0) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.5 (86.9) |
28.6 (83.5) |
25.5 (77.9) |
22.0 (71.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.0 (57.2) |
14.3 (57.7) |
14.8 (58.6) |
17.5 (63.5) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.8 (76.6) |
28.0 (82.4) |
28.3 (82.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
23.4 (74.1) |
19.9 (67.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.8 (69.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.9 (53.4) |
12.2 (54.0) |
12.5 (54.5) |
15.3 (59.5) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.3 (77.5) |
26.0 (78.8) |
24.4 (75.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.5 (65.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | 2.9 (37.2) |
4.7 (40.5) |
3.8 (38.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.2 (61.2) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.1 (73.6) |
18.7 (65.7) |
17.1 (62.8) |
13.3 (55.9) |
9.0 (48.2) |
2.9 (37.2) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 113.6 (4.47) |
58.5 (2.30) |
45.6 (1.80) |
21.4 (0.84) |
7.3 (0.29) |
7.5 (0.30) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.3 (0.01) |
3.0 (0.12) |
26.7 (1.05) |
87.2 (3.43) |
144.1 (5.67) |
515.3 (20.28) |
Source: Municipal Port Fund of South Dodecanese (Jan 2019-Feb 2024) [15] [16] |
Climate data for Rhodes Airport | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) |
22.0 (71.6) |
27.4 (81.3) |
30.6 (87.1) |
34.8 (94.6) |
36.2 (97.2) |
39.0 (102.2) |
41.2 (106.2) |
35.4 (95.7) |
33.2 (91.8) |
28.4 (83.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
41.2 (106.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.1 (59.2) |
15.2 (59.4) |
16.8 (62.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
24.2 (75.6) |
28.4 (83.1) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.7 (87.3) |
28.2 (82.8) |
24.5 (76.1) |
20.1 (68.2) |
16.6 (61.9) |
22.5 (72.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
24.2 (75.6) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.7 (80.1) |
24.4 (75.9) |
20.7 (69.3) |
16.7 (62.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
18.9 (66.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.1 (50.2) |
12.5 (54.5) |
15.8 (60.4) |
19.9 (67.8) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
20.5 (68.9) |
16.9 (62.4) |
13.2 (55.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
15.2 (59.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | −4.0 (24.8) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
0.2 (32.4) |
5.2 (41.4) |
8.6 (47.5) |
12.6 (54.7) |
16.8 (62.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
10.6 (51.1) |
7.2 (45.0) |
2.4 (36.3) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 149.6 (5.89) |
105.7 (4.16) |
75.6 (2.98) |
27.8 (1.09) |
18.6 (0.73) |
2.3 (0.09) |
0.4 (0.02) |
0.2 (0.01) |
5.8 (0.23) |
65.5 (2.58) |
94.1 (3.70) |
157.4 (6.20) |
703 (27.68) |
Average rainy days | 15.5 | 12.7 | 10.5 | 7.6 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 6.7 | 9.5 | 15.4 | 85.5 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
70.1 | 69.1 | 68.7 | 66.5 | 64.4 | 58.5 | 57.6 | 59.9 | 61.4 | 67.5 | 71.4 | 72.4 | 65.6 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 |
Percent possible sunshine | 50 | 55 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 87 | 100 | 100 | 92 | 73 | 60 | 50 | 73 |
Source 1: Hellinic National Meteorological Service [17] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: NOAA (Record temperature),[18] Weather Atlas (sunshine data)[19] |
Climate data for Rhodes | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average sea temperature °C (°F) | 17.9 (64.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
17.6 (63.7) |
20.1 (68.2) |
23.4 (74.1) |
25.9 (78.6) |
27.2 (81.0) |
26.7 (80.1) |
23.8 (74.8) |
20.9 (69.6) |
18.8 (65.8) |
21.4 (70.5) |
Mean daily daylight hours | 10.0 | 11.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 | 14.0 | 13.0 | 12.0 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 12.1 |
Average Ultraviolet index | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5.9 |
Source: Weather Atlas [19] |
Demographics
The city has an official permanent population of 49,541 in 2011 census but its estimated that some 65–70.000 reside permanently within city limits. During summer population reaches 100.000 due to some 25–30.000 hotel beds operating within city limits as well numerous seasonal workers that migrate from rest of Greece due to high unemployment mostly in peninsular parts of the country.
Year | Population | Change ± |
---|---|---|
1951 | 24,280 | - |
1961 | 28,119 | +3,839 |
1971 | 33,100 | +4,981 |
1981 | 41,425 | +8,325 |
1991 | 43,558 | +2,133 |
2001 | 53,709 | +10,151 |
2011 | 49,541 | -4,168 |
Education
State facilities by category:
- Primary Education: 21 primary schools
- Secondary Education: 7 high schools and 7 lyceums
- Higher Education: Some departments of the Aegean University, Higher and Lower Tourism Schools and some private institutes
The last years two private schools were also established and offer classes from primary to lyceum education with one located within city limits, Rodion Paideia. The Music School of Rhodes is located just outside Rhodes, in Koskinou village.
Health
Rhodes state general hospital is located in the southwestern district of Agioi Apostoloi. Erected less than 20 years ago, it is a modern facility with many departments as well the base for EKAV ambulances serving the city and island's northern part. Hospital is also equipped with a helicopter landing zone being able to accept urgent cases via airlifts from the rest Dodecanese islands.
A private hospital, Euromedica, also operates just off city limits, in Koskinou western edge. Numerous private medical facilities also operate within city while many private doctors keep their clinics in and around city centre.
Transportation
Air
Both the city and the island of Rhodes are served by
Sea
The city hosts 3 major ports that each serve a different purpose. Kolona serves intra-Dodecanese traffic, Central serves cruise ships and international traffic and Akandia domestic as well cargo traffic.
Ferries connect daily the island with several nearby islands within the Dodecanese Islands, as well as with the Cycladic Islands and the Greek mainland (
City also hosts two marinas, a municipal one in downtown Mandraki and a private one next to Akandia port.
Surface
The city's public transit system is served by municipal bus company RODA (blue and/or white buses) and consists of a bus network which connects city centre to districts but also connects the city to outlying resorts and towns (Faliraki in the east and Ixia, Ialysos, Tholos in the west) as well Rhodes International Airport. The city centre is also the point of departure for KTEL buses (orange buses) that serve island's east coast suburban routes. There is a proposal for KTEL buses to relocate in available space next to Akandia port but its still unknown if and when this will happen.
Taxis are widely available in the city and usually can be found in designated taxi ranks or via phone call. It is normal during high season rush hours to queue in ranks due to increased demand.
Plans for a 16 km tram network consisting of 2 lines and 13 stations were presented years ago but since then nothing further emerged probably due to lack of funds.
City's road network is mostly old consisting mainly of narrow and one way streets and major arteries can't really cope with increased traffic making congestion unavoidable especially rush hours. Parking especially around city centre and during market hours as well summer season is extremely difficult due to lack of free spaces although it is monitored by the municipality imposing a fee. The municipality is currently redeveloping certain free areas near the centre to parking lots which are expected to lower traffic burden. A ring road also exists but it is unfinished connecting currently Rhodes Port to Rhodes-Kallithea Avenue. City is also the starting point of 3 of island's 5 main avenues connecting it with Faliraki through Rhodes-Kallithea Avenue, Lindos through Rhodes-Lindos Avenue and west coast (Ialysos, Airport, Tholos, Kamiros) through Rhodes-Kamiros Avenue.
Media
Television and radio
Most major nationwide television stations broadcast in the city. There are also five local television stations and a number of local and national radio stations.
Newspapers
There are two daily newspapers issued that deal with both the city and the whole region. Moreover, there are few others with specific themes.
- I Rodiaki ΡΟΔΙΑΚΗ - Καθημερινή Πρωινή Εφημερίδα (translated "The Rhodian", daily exc. Mondays)
- I Dimokratiki Δημοκρατική της Ρόδου (translated "The Democrat", daily exc. Mondays)
Sports
The city after a long dark period of almost 15 years is reviving in many team sports. Football and basketball are the most popular but a wide variety is also in development during the last years with the most noticeable in rugby.
Football
The city has two major football teams;
Basketball
For the last 15 years, basketball has been represented at national level by
Volleyball
Rodion Athlisis competes successfully during the last years in A2 Ethniki Volleyball and lost promotion to top tier A1 Ethniki Volleyball for 2 consecutive seasons (2017 and 2018) in playoff games. Rest of city based teams compete in local level.
Other
A variety of other sports is also available and in development in the city. In rugby the recently formed Colossoi of Rhodes reached the top league finals for the second time in a row. The Nautical Club of Rhodes and Ygros Stivos of Rhodes have water polo teams in low level national divisions; the Rhodian Tennis Club play tennis and ping-pong in its privately owned facilities; AS Diagoras Rhodes have competitive teams in cycling and in track and field athletics. Finally, jiu jitsu, karate, tae-kwon-do and other Eastern oriented sports are available with local teams that enjoy sporadic national success.
Sports venues
The city has three major sports venues; the Rhodes Municipal Stadium and the Kallipateira National Athletic Center serve all outdoor activities while the Municipal Indoor Hall of "Venetokleio" serves indoor sports. Agioi Apostoloi municipal stadium serves solely football while privately owned indoor sports arenas are held by Diagoras and Rodion Athlisis clubs with the latter owning and operating also a 25-m indoor swimming pool as well.
International relations
Consulates
The city of Rhodes is also home to many foreign consulates.[20]
Twin towns — sister cities
Rhodes is
- Ávila, Spain
- New Braunfels, United States
- Conches-en-Ouche, France
- Gotland, Sweden
- Limassol, Cyprus
- Perth, Australia
- Pisa, Italy
- Puebla, Mexico
- Rhode Island, United States
- Roses, Spain
- Valletta, Malta
- Yalta, Ukraine
Notable people
Ancient
- Diagoras of Rhodes
- Apollonius of Rhodes, poet
- Dinocrates, architect
- Hieronymus of Rhodes, philosopher
- Panaetius, philosopher
Modern
- Panagiotis Rodios, military officer, fighter during the Greek War of Independence
- Reşit Galip, Turkish politician
- Oreste Lionello, Italian actor
- Giorgos Skartados, football player
- Niki Xanthou, Greek athlete
Gallery
-
The ancient theatre, Acropolis of Rhodes
-
Remains of the Temple of Aphrodite, c.3rd century BC
-
Gate of the arsenal
-
Windmills
-
Laocoön and His Sons; copy in the Grand Master's Palace
-
Byzantine church of Agios Georgios
-
Medieval church of the Virgin
-
Statue of Francis of Assisi in front of the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Rhodes
-
Bronze deer at the harbour
-
Fort Saint Nicolas
-
Main post office, by Di Fausto
-
Clocktower
-
Pitaroudia, traditional food from Rhodes and Dodecanese
References
- ^ "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
- ^ "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
- ^ "Medieval City of Rhodes". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d "History of Rhodes: Classical Period". Municipality of Rhodes. www.rhodes.gr. 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
- ^ a b "History of Rhodes: Roman Period". Municipality of Rhodes. www.rhodes.gr. 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
- ISBN 978-1-84603-080-2.
- ^ Gino Manicone "Rodi sposa del sole", Casamari, La Monastica, 1992.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-521930-2.
- ^ a b Barnes, John R. (2018). "Gunpowder and the Explosion in 1856 of the former Church of St. John in the Medieval Town of Rhodes". Paper presented at the International Scientific Congress on Fortifications of the Ottoman Period in the Aegean.
- ISBN 978-1-136-91868-1.
- ISBN 978-1-78200-003-7.
- ^ a b c d "History of Rhodes: Italian Period". Municipality of Rhodes. www.rhodes.gr. 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
- ^ "Jewish Community of Rhodes". Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-21.
- ^ "Rhodes, Tourist Port - Municipal Port Fund of South Dodecanese Current Weather Conditions".
- ^ "Αρχική - Δημοτικό Λιμενικό Ταμείο Νότιας Δωδεκανήσου". www.litando.gr. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Climatology - Rodos". Hellinic National Meteorological Service. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "Rhodes Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ a b "Rhodes, Greece - Climate data". Weather Atlas. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "Tourists Information: Foreign States Consulates". Municipality of Rhodes. www.rhodes.gr. 2006. Archived from the original on 2012-01-21. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
- ^ "Why Rhodes". rhodes2021.eu. Rhodes. Retrieved 2020-01-10.