- Skiathos (town)
Infobox Greek Dimos
name = Skiathos
name_local = Σκιάθος
caption_skyline = Skiathos harbor
periph =Thessaly
prefec =Magnesia
population = 6160
population_as_of = 2001
area = 49.9
elevation_min = 0
elevation_max = 436
lat_deg = 39
lat_min = 10
lon_deg = 23
lon_min = 29
postal_code = 370 02
area_code = 24270
licence = ΒΟ
mayor =
since =
districts =
website = [http://www.n-skiathos.gr/ www.n-skiathos.gr]Skiathos (Greek: Σκιάθος), Latin forms: Sciathos and Sciathus is a city on a small island in the
Aegean Sea belonging toGreece . Skiathos town has a school, a lyceum, a gymnasium, many churches, banks, a post office, and a square ("plateia "). Skiathos town is a port which shelters small boats and from where ferry services connect to Skopelos,Volos , Agios Konstantinos and the rest of Greece.History
In Ancient times, the island played a minor role during the
Persian Wars . In 480 BC, the fleet of the Persian king Xerxes was hit by a storm and was badly damaged on the rocks of the Skiathos coast. Following this the Greek fleet was held to stalemate with the Persian fleet at Artemisium but finally managed to destroy the Persian fleet at theBattle of Salamis . Skiathos remained in theDelian League until it lost its independence. The city was destroyed byPhilip V of Macedon in 200 BC.Venetian Era
In 1207 the Gyzi brothers captured the island and built the Bourtzi, a small Venetian-styled fortress similar to the
Bourtzi inNafplio , on an islet just out of Skiathos town, to protect the capital from the pirates. But the Bourtzi was ineffective in protecting the population and in the middle 14th century the inhabitants moved the capital from the ancient site that lay where modern Skiathos town is to Kastro (the Greek word forcastle ), located on a high rock, overlooking a steep cliff above the sea at the northernmost part of the island. Kastro remained the only settlement of the island until the end of the Greek War of Independence, when the island's capital was relocated to the original site - where it still remains.In 1704 monks from Athos built the Evangelistria monastery which played a part on the Greek War of Independence as a hide-out for Greek rebels.
During the 19th century Skiathos became an important
shipbuilding centre in the Aegean due to the abundance ofpine forests on the island. The pine woods of the island were then almost obliterated. This was brought to a halt though, due to the emergence ofsteamboat s. A smallshipwright remains north of Skiathos town, which still builds traditional Greek caiques.Modern Skiathos
In 1964 Skiathos was designated by the [http://www.eot.gr/?langID=2| Greek National Tourism Organisation] as a development zone for tourism. The results of this decision have largely transformed the island, due to tourist-orientated construction projects. These include the construction of the coast road from Skiathos town to
Koukounaries , the construction of Skiathos Airport in 1984 and the construction of the first large hotel over Koukounaries beach. Along the coast road many hotels have been constructed since the island became an important tourist destination.There were have been protests in the early-2000s, one against mining in September 2002 as they were pushing away mining trucks which was owned by the municipality and another in 2004, a power line which would have connect hydro with the rest of the Sporades was also being protested due to the plan being in a forested area.
Geography
The area around the villages and Skiathos Town are farmland. The island of
Skopelos can be seen from Skiathos with the more distant islands ofEuboea andScyros also visible in clearer conditions.Transportation
There is frequent bus connection from
Koukounaries to Skiathos town with buses stopping approximately every 20 minutes, costing €1.50 to travel from one end of the island to the other. Taxis are also very cheap.Historical Population
References
External links
* [http://www.skiathos.gr/index-en.html Municipality of Skiathos]
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