Lighthouses of Greece by Elinor DeWire and Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis

Elinor DeWire & Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis

The LighThouses of greece

DeW

ire & R

eyes-Pergioudakis

Since the first torches and bonfires marked harbors and

dangerous reefs, Greece has employed navigational aids for

the many ships plying its waters, which stand at the crossroads of

the Mediterranean. Over the centuries, many stone lighthouses

have been built—and many destroyed by weather, earthquakes,

or war. This book features, in word and image, the traditional

stone lighthouses still standing along Greek shores. In addition,

you will find a careful history of Greek lighthouses and many

sidebars illuminating topics like lighthouse keepers, lighthouses as religious sites, donkeys at lighthouses, and

the father of the modern Greek lighthouse service.

“The Lighthouses of Greece is an important addition to our knowledge of lighthouses worldwide. The authors have done an extraordinary job of documenting the history of Greek lighthouses in general, as well as providing background information on each of the 110 featured lighthouses. The book is thoroughly researched and skillfully written in a way that makes it both readable and entertaining. It is well worth inclusion in the library of anyone with an interest in Greece, lighthouses or history.” —Donna Suchomelly, Editor, World Lighthouse Society Newsletter

“This book brings to light historical data and compelling stories hidden inside each of the lighthouses. This book, with its wonderful photos, is really a jewel to adorn the library of every seaman—and anyone else interested in Greek

lighthouses.” —Konstantinos Magiatis, Vice Admiral (Retired), Hellenic Navy

Elinor DeWire has been researching and writing about lighthouses since 1972 and is the author of many articles and books on the topic. Her books have won two Coast Guard Book Awards and the coveted Ben Franklin Book Award. She has been honored for her work by many groups, including the U.S. Lighthouse Society, the American Lighthouse Foundation, and the National League of American Pen Women. She lives in Seabeck, Washington.

Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis is a multi-lingual cultural liaison and freelance writer and photographer who has lived in Greece for almost two decades. She is married to a Hellenic Naval Officer and, with permission from the General Hellenic Navy Staff and Hellenic Lighthouse Service, has researched and photographed Greek lighthouses. Her articles and photographs appear in numerous Greek and American publications.

Pineapple Press, Inc.Sarasota, Florida

Cover design by Shé HicksFront cover photograph of Tourlitis Lighthouse by Dolores Reyes-PergioudakisSpine photographs by Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis (top) and Eleni Panou (bottom)

$16.95

Nik

Perg

ioud

akis

Dolo

res R

eyes

-Per

giou

daki

s

The Lighthouses of Greece

Elinor DeWire and Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis

Pineapple Press, Inc.Sarasota, Florida

To Elena Eloise DeWire, the newest bright light in my lifeED

To Nikolaos Pergioudakis, my steady Greek beacon in lifeDR-P

Copyright © 2010 by Elinor DeWire and Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Inquiries should be addressed to:

Pineapple Press, Inc.P.O. Box 3889Sarasota, Florida 34230

www.pineapplepress.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

De Wire, Elinor, 1953- The lighthouses of Greece / Elinor DeWire and Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis. -- 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-56164-452-0 (hardback : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-56164-460-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Lighthouses--Greece. I. Reyes-Pergioudakis, Dolores. II. Title. VK1075.D49 2010 387.1’5509495--dc22 2010002209

First Edition10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Design by Shé HicksMaps by Jennifer BorresenPrinted in China

Book permit number 240918Z issued January 2008 by (GEN) General Hellenic Navy Staff. Historic photographs and sketches, and historical and technical data provided by the Hellenic Lighthouse Service are “all rights reserved” of the Hellenic Navy.

AcknowledgmentsThe authors wish to thank the following for their kind and able assistance in the research, photographing, writing, and production of this book: the Hellenic Navy and the Hellenic Lighthouse Service, with special thanks to Georgios Haliandros; the U.S. Lighthouse Society with special thanks to Chad Kaiser, Klaus Huelse, Russ Rowlett, the late Dr. Charles Nicklin; Derith Bennett; Bob and MaryAnn Scroope; Yannis Skoulas; Pavlidis Savas; Dimitris Karagiannis and Eleni Panou; Katerina, Verginia, and Mihalis Sperenzos; Thanos Bozatzis; Panagiotos Lourandos; Elpiniki and Natalia Serafi; Elizabeth Oldroyd; Eleni Lambadariou; Dr. Martha Luan Brunson-Haynes; Dr. Carol Dochen; John David Reyes and Sally Reyes; Greg Whiteley; Evagelos Reklitis; the Stamatis Ritos Family; Mike and Katerina Petrakis; Anne Langdale Lepessis; Panagiotos Manoudakis; Ioannis Varvates; Vagelis Karapatis; Ms. Anthoulakis; Hortencia Reyes; Lucy Garvin; Joshua Garza; Mary and Katerina Papadopoulou; Carolina Rikaki.

We are grateful for translations provided by Anthi Vaiou, Lambrini Variti, Vassiliki Mytilineou, Christina Tzima, Evaggelia Ritiou, Elefteria Darzenta, Sotiria Karagianni, and Nikolaos Pergioudakis.

A Note to ReadersBecause no standard system exists for translating ancient Greek and old Greek into modern Greek, the Greek words and proper names in this book do not always match the versions written elsewhere. Place names are the biggest challenge, varying from map to map and source to source. In this book, we opted for modern Greek place names, except where quoting historical sources. We have, however, retained the accepted “Greeklish” spelling for familiar places like Corfu, Crete, and Athens. Greek words written in English are italicized and accent marks are added to show pronunciation. However, to simplify the many Greek proper names in the text, we decided not to use accent marks. Only the names of lighthouses are accented, to provide guidance in the event the reader wishes to visit the sites and needs to ask directions. We endeavored to present the most accurate and up-to-date information possible in the pages ahead. Sources often conflict, however, especially on dates of construction and rebuilding of Greek lighthouses, as well as the history of the lighthouses. We relied on a variety of sources, including first-person visits to the lighthouses, interviews of keepers and their descendents, and historical information provided by the curators of the Hellenic Lighthouse Service Archives. Despite our efforts to present an accurate story of Greek lighthouses past and present, new information may “come to light.” Information in this book is meant to be informative and entertaining only and is not intended for, nor should be used for, navigational purposes.

Contents

I. Introduction 1 Ancient Lights 3

The Pharos of Alexandria 5

The Colossus of Rhodes 7

Long Journey Back to Light 8

The Ravages of War 12

Reconstruction and the Modern Era 15

Lighthouses in Ruins 17

The Father of the Modern Greek

Lighthouse Service 19

II. The Greek Lighthouse Network 20 Lighthouses of Thrace and Macedonia 22 Alexandroúpoli Lighthouse 24

Axiós Lighthouse 25

Kassándra Lighthouse 26

Megálo Émvolo Lighthouse 27

Thessaloníki Lighthouse 28

Greek Lighthouse Keepers 29

Lighthouses of the Northeast Aegean

Islands 32 Kokkinópoulo Lighthouse 34

Megalonísi Lighthouse 35

Was Olive Oil the Fuel of Early Greek

Lighthouses? 36

Páppas Lighthouse 37

Passás Lighthouse 38

Pláka Lighthouse 39

Lighthouses of Central Greece,

Attica, Epirius, and Thessaly 40 Ágios Sóstis Lighthouse 42

Ánteros Lighthouse 43

Antíkyra Lighthouse 44

Antírrio Lighthouse 45

Arkítsa Lighthouse 46

Saints & Saviors: Lighthouses

as Religious Sites 47

Avlída Lighthouse 49

Kópraina Lighthouse 50

Melagkávi Lighthouse 51

Moúrtos Lighthouse 52

Náfpaktos Lighthouse 53

Psaromýta Lighthouse 54

Sousáki Lighthouse 55

Tríkeri Lighthouse 56

Vrysáki Lighthouse 57

Lighthouses of Evvia and the Sporades 58 Argyrónisos Lighthouse 60

Gouroúni Lighthouse 61

Kakokefalí Lighthouse 62

Sojourn at Kakokefali Lighthouse 63

Lithári Lighthouse 65

Mandíli Lighthouse 66

Pontikonísi Lighthouse 67

Prasoúda Lighthouse 68

Psathoúra Lighthouse 69

Répi Lighthouse 70

Strongylí Lighthouse 71

Vasilína Lighthouse 72

Lighthouses of the Argo-Saronic Islands 73 Dána Lighthouse 75

Dokós Lighthouse 76

Kónchi Lighthouse 77

Plakákia Lighthouse 78

Psyttáleia Lighthouse 79

Spétsai Lighthouse 80

Zoúrva Lighthouse 81

The Sure-Footed Keepers: Donkeys at

Lighthouses 82

Lighthouses of the Peloponnese 84 Ástros Lighthouse 86

Drépano Lighthouse 87

Kafkalída Lighthouse 88

Katákolo Lighthouse 89

Kitriés Lighthouse 90

Lighthouse Beacons 91

Kranái Lighthouse 92

Maléas Lighthouse 93

Monemvásia Lighthouse 94

Parapóla Lighthouse 95

Pátra Lighthouse 96

Sapiéntza Lighthouse 97

Taínaro Lighthouse 98

Lighthouses of the Ionian Islands 100 Ágioi Theódoroi Lighthouse 102

Antípaxoi Lighthouse 103

Doukáto Lighthouse 104

Fiskárdo Lighthouse 105

Lighthouse Embellishments 106

Gerogómpos Lighthouse 107

Kastrí Lighthouse 108

Kerí Lighthouse 109

Lákka Lighthouse 110

Lefkáda Lighthouse 111

Oxeiá Lighthouse 112

Panagía Lighthouse 113

Peristérai Lighthouse 114

Sídero Lighthouse 114

Dalen’s Magic Sun Valve 115

Skinári Lighthouse 116

Várdianoi Lighthouse 116

Strofádes Lighthouse 117

Lighthouses of the Cyclades 118 Ágios Nikólaos Lighthouse 120

Akradiá Lighthouse 121

Akrotíri Lighthouse 122

Armenistís Lighthouse 123

Asprópounta Lighthouse 124

Dýsvato Lighthouse 125

Fássa Lighthouse 126

Gáidaros Lighthouse 127

Gávrio Lighthouse 128

Griá Lighthouse 129

Íos Lighthouse 130

Kórakas Lighthouse 131

Liváda Lighthouse 132

Pánormos Lighthouse 133

Polýaigos Lighthouse 134

Spathí Lighthouse 135

Támelos Lighthouse 136

Tourlítis Lighthouse 137

Lighthouses of the Dodecanese Islands 138 Ágios Nikólaos Lighthouse 140

Kalólimnos Lighthouse 141

Kandelioúsa Lighthouse 141

Megísti Lighthouse (Strongyli Lighthouse) 142

Prásso Lighthouse 143

The Russian Admiral of

Elafonisos Lighthouse 144

Lighthouses of Crete, Kythira, and

Antikythira 145

Ágios Ioánnis Lighthouse 147

Apolytárais Lighthouse 148

Chaniá Lighthouse 149

Drépano Lighthouse 150

Gavdopoúla Lighthouse 151

Keeping Gavdopoula Light 152

Irákleio Lighthouse 153

Kapsáli Lighthouse 154

Moudári Lighthouse 155

Réthymno Lighthouse 156

Síderos Lighthouse 157

Greek Lighthouses at Sunset 159

Suggested Reading 161

Index 162

IONIAN ISLANDS

THRACEMACEDONIA

FYROM BULGARIA

ALBANIA

CENTRAL GREECE

PELOPONESE

CYCLADES

DODECANESE ISLANDS

CRETE

TURKEY

AEGEAN ISLANDS

EPIRUS THESSALIA

vi

IntroductionDescend, appear, shed over us thy light . . .

Kostis Palamas, Greek Poet (1859–1943), Olympic Hymn

Greece is a nation immersed in the maritime tradition. Nowhere in the country is the sea more than 65 miles (105 kilometers) away. Ninety-two percent of Greece’s border is sea, deeply indented with sapphire-colored coves and harbors, and comprised primarily of over 1,400 islands. Nine out of ten Greeks live on the coast; three out of ten own a boat. Some own huge shipping fleets that carry much of the world’s cargo.

It’s no surprise, then, that fishing and shipping are the oldest occupations in Greece and that many Greeks make a living on or by the sea. Shipbuilder, shipping merchant, ferryman, fisherman, sponge diver, naval officer—such marine vocations trace back to antiquity, when intrepid heroes like Odysseus, Achilles, and Jason, along with their pantheon of sea gods and goddesses, sailed into the history books. It was a time when the nautical

traditions of today were born, when the word naus meant “ship,” and to be “nauseated” from yawing and pitching for many days at sea was a great honor!

Greece was the glorious crossroads of the Mediterranean then, and it still is today. Many Greek families work in the sea trades or operate shore businesses related to the sea. In fact, Greece today controls 18% of the world’s shipping and has the largest merchant marine in the world, with an annual cargo of more than 170 million metric tons. (A metric ton equals 1,000 kilograms, or 2,204.62 pounds.) Some Greek families, like the wealthy and world-renowned Onassis and Niarchos families, are

Greece’s identity as a nation is greatly influenced by its geography. Situ-ated at the crossroads of East and West, with a long, tricky coastline and thousands of islands in tow, its destiny has been driven by the sea. (NASA)

Boats tied up at a wharf, fishing nets spread out to dry, and fishermen’s homes on Hydra Island confirm the nautical character of Greece. (Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis)

1

2 Introduction

synonymous with the shipping trades. At the opposite extreme is the small fisherman or ferryman, who remains the mainstay of the small-town Greek economy. Many families depend on fishing and water taxiing for food and income. The Greek fish market, with icy bins of sardines, anchovies, mackerel, squid, sea bass, bream, and tentacled octopi hanging clothesline-style, is a familiar sight everywhere.

So are fishermen’s lanterns, lights eerily illuminating the sea at night to lure fish and help crews haul heavy nets. This brings us to a lesser-known aspect of Greek maritime history, but an important one nonetheless—the story of lights, of lighthouses, and other navigational markers. A nation that depends on the sea as much as Greece does requires a good network of navigational aids. Seamarks are probably as old as boatbuilding itself. They ensured a safe journey over a dangerous and often uncharted expanse and helped ancient Greece evolve into the most sophisticated and fantastic empire of its day.

At first these aids to navigation were probably simple torches or bonfires set ablaze on an important headland or beside a harbor entrance, or possibly on a dangerous rock or reef itself. Homer referred to them in The Iliad:

As to seamen o’er the wave is borneThe watch-fire’s light, which high among the hills,Some shepherd kindles in his lonely fold.

Someone was placed in charge of maintaining the light by gathering fuel for it and making sure it burned when needed. It soon became evident that protecting the light from wind and rain would improve it and make it a more constant and reliable guide. And so a permanent enclosure for the fire was built—the first light-tower and lantern—and a new occupation developed, that of the lightkeeper, who took up residence in or near the tower to be sure it did not fail when the mariner needed it.

Today, we take for granted that the world’s seacoasts and waterways are marked with lights and buoys and fog signals. One of the hallmarks of a civilized nation is the safety it affords its citizens and visitors. The greatest civilizations were renowned for their safe harbors, strong navies, and able seamen. It could very well be that the concept of the lighthouse itself was born in Greece. Palamidis, a Homeric hero from the city of Nafplio, is rumored to have invented the lighthouse. He built cairns and placed simple bonfires on them, then assigned keepers to tend the fires. He may have been the world’s first lighthouse builder.

Legends aside, the ancient Greeks deserve credit, at least, for building the world’s biggest lighthouse, the Pharos of Alexandria, and also the most peculiar one, the Colossus of Rhodes. These two massive structures were so fantastic that historians rank them among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

24 Lighthouses of Thrace and Macedonia

Alexandroúpoli LighthouseNearest Town: AlexandroupoliDate Established: 1880Focal Plane: 102 feet (31 meters)Height of Tower: 89 feet (27 meters)

Characteristic: three white flashes every 15 seconds

The city of Alexandroupoli, named for King Alexander I, grew rapidly in the 1850s and is a busy port today. Ferries depart from Alexandroupoli for Samothraki and the Dodecanese Islands. It is a destination and guidepost for shipping moving in and out of the Hellespont Narrows, or the Dardanelles. Alexandroupoli has a lively waterfront with a boardwalk. The centerpiece of the waterfront is Alexandroupoli Lighthouse. There are cafes and taverns on the waterfront sidewalk beneath the lighthouse tower, as well as shops across the street and an amusement park between the lighthouse and the sea. As you drive on the coastal road, the lighthouse appears to be in the middle of the street; however, the road curves around the landmark. Completed in 1880, the stone sentinel, with 98 steps spiraling to the top, was part of the establishment of a large railway system and port near the Evros River Delta, then part of Turkey. The lighthouse became part of Greece in 1920 after the Treaty of Sevres. During World War II it was shut down and used as an observation post by the German occupation troops. It returned to operation in 1946 and was renovated in 1955. In 1974, the beacon was electrified. The lighthouse is a national landmark and was given to the Hellenic Maritime Museum in 1986. Its interior is not open to the public, but the lighthouse grounds are easily accessed from the waterfront in Alexandroupoli. In 2002, the Hellenic Lighthouse Service installed a modern, self-sufficient beacon inside the beautiful old clamshell Fresnel lens. The light shines 24 miles (38.6 kilometers) out into the sea. The Turkish border is a mere 13 miles (21 kilometers) east of the lighthouse. The coast curves southward from here toward Turkey and the Saros Bay.

(Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis)

25Lighthouses of Thrace and Macedonia

Axiós LighthouseNearest Location: mouth of the Axios RiverDate Established: 1960Focal Plane: 36 feet (9 meters)Height of Tower: 26 feet (8 meters)

Characteristic: two flashes every 12 seconds, white, red, or green

The Axios River drains from the Palonian Mountains of Yugoslavia and flows through Macedonia into the Thessalonian Gulf at the far northwestern end of the Thermaikos Gulf. Axios Light was established off the west side of the river delta on Aphroditis Island, also referred to as Kavoura Island, in the late 1950s. Axios means “worthy” or “deserving” in Greek. In myth, Axios was a river god. The beacon flashes red, green, or white, depending on the direction from which it is viewed. Ships use the colors to gauge their position. There is also a radio beacon (which ships pick up on radar), since this area is sometimes foggy, making the lights difficult to discern. Axios Lighthouse works with two other lighthouses in this area to assure safe passage for ships headed in and out of Thessaloniki. It is situated in the delta of the river, while its sister sentry, Megalo Emvolo Lighthouse, is opposite the bay that surrounds Thessaloniki. These two lights also guide shipping into the port of Thessaloniki about 18 miles (30 kilometers) northwest of the river entrance. A third light—Thessaloniki Lighthouse—greets mariners when they reach the port. All three lights have foghorns. The lighthouse is not open to the public, but the grounds can be accessed in the dry season. Axios Light is at the terminus of a swampy road that can be inundated by the tides at certain times of the year. The last part of the road is traversable on foot only if it is dry. The approach passes a horse stable on the left. In the winter, Aphroditis Island is completely surrounded by water. The safest access is by private boat.

(Dolores Reyes-Pergioudakis)