Cape Malea
The Cape Malea ( Greek Ακρωτήριο Μαλέας ) is a cape at the extreme southern tip of the Laconian peninsula in the Peloponnese in Greece and continues to Cape Tenaro the zweitsüdlichste point of the Greek mainland, opposite the island of Kythira . In ancient history , Cape Malea was home to one of the largest lighthouses in the Mediterranean .
In ancient times a busy shipping line ran around Cape Malea, although the weather there is often changeable and stormy. With the opening of the Corinth Canal, the cape lost its importance, allowing the Peloponnese to be navigated instead of bypassed. Nonetheless, there is significant shipping traffic around Cape Malea.
During the Second World War , the German occupation forces began building a military facility to better monitor and defend shipping on the Cape. Construction ceased in 1944 when the occupation ended .
Cape Malea is also important in Greek mythology . Here Odysseus was surprised by a storm on his way back to his homeland Ithaca and drifted into the land of the lotus eaters .
Cape Malea is located in the prefecture of Laconia (Greek Λακωνία).
Web links
Coordinates: 36 ° 26 ′ 17 " N , 23 ° 11 ′ 55" E