Poros

Poros is located 28 and 15 nautical miles to the south of Piraeus and Aegina respectively and very close to the coast of Troezenia, at the western end of the ‘entrance’ to the Saronic Gulf . The earliest human presence on the island dates from the Neolithic, while during the Early Helladic period (3rd millennium) the habitation appears to have increased, as numerous archaeological sites have been identified . This is attributed to the dynamic involvement of the inhabitants of Poros in the maritime trade network that had developed in the Argosaronic Sea during this period . This conclusion is based both on the archaeological finds and the location of these sites, which are situated in close proximity to the sea routes connecting Poros with Attica, Aegina, the coasts of the Peloponnese, Hydra, Dokos, and the western Cyclades .

Maritime contacts and the exchange of products and ideas in the Argosaronic, but also the entire Aegean had intensified during the Late Bronze Age . A ship’s cargo from this period, more specifically the end of the 13th century, has been located and investigated near the islet of Modi, to the south-east of Poros, in the past decde . It includes pithoi and other transportation vessels, a fact indicating the ship’s commercial character .

View of the Naval Training Centre “Poros”

The close association of Poros with the sea during the Iron Age is evidenced by the existence of a large sanctuary dedicated to Poseidon in the centre of the island, near the ancient city of Kalaureia . This is the Palatia site, located at an altitude of 190 metres and, thus, allowing the control of the ancient port . The latter is located in the north, in the Vagionia bay, where the remains of ancient shipyards have been identified . From this naturally protected beach, which would constitute a safe anchorage for ships, started a road ending at the sanctuary of Poseidon . Here were located the headquarters of the Kalaureia Amphictyony, which must have been founded during the Archaic period with the participation of Hermione, Epidaurus, Aegina, Athens, Orchomenos, Prasies and Nafplia . Cultic activity in the Palatia site dates from the Early Iron Age to Roman times, while the construction of the temple of Poseidon goes back to the end of the 6th century .

Habitation in Poros was interrupted by the invasion of the Goths, in AD 396, but also by the strong earthquake that occurred a few years later and lev-

“Peninsula of eled Kalaureia and the other ancient settlements, as Methana, bay well as the port facilities in Vagionia . of Troezen, and Uninhabited, the island became a pirate den durtown of Poros” (Wordworth 1871, ing the Middle Ages, especially its northern shores . 162) The name “Barbaria”, which has been given to Vagionia, should also be attributed to the Barbary pirates . Poros was repopulated during the 15th century . From 1688 until the end of the 6th VenetianTurkish War (1684-1699), the island served as the base of Admiral Francesco Morosini, while in Orlov Revolt (1770) it accommodated the ships of Alexios Orlov . After the Russo-Turkish treaty of KuchukKainarji (1774), Poros was favoured, like the rest of the Argosaronic Islands, by the rapid development of Greek commercial shipping . At the beginning of the 19th century, the Russians built a naval station in Poros to refuel their ships, which circulated freely in the Aegean . This was the Russian Naval Station, the ruins of which are located in the western part of the island, opposite the Daskalio islet, and include buildings for storing food and coal . At the beginning of the 20th century, when the presence of the Russian navy in the Aegean had significantly dwindled, the Poriot Alexandros Topazis, who was then serving as the ambassador of Greece to

Russia, suggested to the Tsar that the ownership of the naval station be granted to the Greek State, a request that was accepted . Thus, the Russian Naval Station came under the jurisdiction of the Greek Navy, which, as mentioned below, already had extensive facilities on the island . However, the buildings remained in disrepair and began to fall into disuse, while their building material was removed by the locals and used in other constructions . Later on, they were obtained by private individuals, who tried to exploit them for tourism . The deterioration of the buildings caused the reaction of the residents and local bodies, which, in turn, resulted in the facilities being classified as preservable monuments in 1989 .

Although small in size, Poros has been closely linked to the modern history of Greece . During the Revolution of 1821, it was an important anchorage for the Greek naval fleet . After the 3rd National Assembly, which took place in Troezena in the spring of 1827, the Anti-Government Committee that was in power until the arrival of Ioannis Kapodistrias, designated Poros as its headquarters, from where it ruled until the end of June, when it settled in Nafplio . In the same year, the first naval station of free Greece was created, in the central settlement, while in 1833 Otto of Greece founded the Maritime Directorate which included the Naval Station, the Technicians Company, the Naval Hospital of Poros and the Maritime Court . Until 1878, when the naval station was moved to Salamis, many warships were built and repaired in Poros .

This is how the Poriot tradition in shipbuilding began, from the years of Kapodistrias onwards . The shipbuilding activity of Poros continues over a remarkable time range, as it reaches up to the present day . The boatyard zone used to be in the area of Pounta, from where it was moved in the 1970s, as the area became more tourist oriented . This movement led the Poriot shipbuilding to decline, even though shipyards still operate in other areas of the island, e .g . in Galatas .

The remains of the Russian Naval Station (photo credit: Municipality of Poros webpage)

In 1870, a lighthouse was built on Cape Dana, in the north-western end of Poros, by the French Company of Ottoman Lighthouses . It is a stone building with a tower nine metres high and a focal height of 32 metres . During World War II and until 1948, the Dana lighthouse did not operate, while from 1954 it became automatic and ceased to be inhabited by lighthouse keepers . With the financing of the Aikaterini Laskaridi Foundation, the historic building was renovated, equipped with photovoltaic systems and handed over to the public in the summer of 2011 .

After 1878, the Poros base, under the name “Central Gymnasium”, functioned as a naval training centre . Until the beginning of World War II, the Navy School complex, the Higher School Administration, and the Headquarters of the Training Squadron were located there . By 1952, the base once again functioned as a Centre for the Pre-education and Training of Specialties for Sailors . Then, until 1991, the facility housed the Naval Petty Officer School . Since 1992, they have been operat-

The Dana lighthouse ing as a training centre (K .E . POROS), while hos(photo credit: tels have also been created for the vacationing of Municipality naval officers . Dozens of Poriots have joined the of Poros) Navy as officers or non-commissioned officers . Perhaps the best known of them is the sailor N . Katintzaris who, wrapped in the flag of the battleship G . Averof, was killed during the Naval Battle of Elli (03/12/1912) . In addition to shipbuilding and seafaring, the Poriots have also engaged in fishing activities taking advantage of the sea surrounding their island . The wealth of the sea is eloquently depicted in the permanent collection “Shells & Sea”, which is housed on the ground floor of the Hatzopouleios Municipal Library and is largely made up of the rich collection of Giorgos and Helga Kanellakis . The shells in the collection come from the waters of the Troezenia-Poros region and are accompanied by geological and archaeological documentation, as well as photographic images of the seabed there . Moreover, the Poros port, which is used by 93 professional fishing boats and where catches are unloaded, features a fishing harbor . A professional fishing association operates on the island . [AL]