Cape Tenaro
Coordinates: 36 ° 23 ' N , 22 ° 29' E
Cape Tenaro ( Greek Ακρωτήριο Ταίναρο Akrotírio Ténaro , also: Cape Matapan ) is the southern tip of the Mani peninsula in the Greek Peloponnese . The cape in Laconia represents the southernmost point of the Greek mainland and the Balkan peninsula and is the second southernmost cape of mainland Europe after the Spanish Punta de Tarifa . It separates the Laconian Gulf from the Messenian Gulf . At the southern cape there is a lighthouse built in 1883, which was renovated by the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation in summer 2008.
history
The area around the Cape was an important region thousands of years ago. The Spartans built several temples here for different gods. Furthermore, Cape Tenaro was a port of call for mercenaries who were looking for clients.
In Greek mythology, a cave near the South Cape is considered to be one of the entrances to Hades . On a hill above the entrance to the cave are the remains of an ancient Poseidon temple, which was converted into a Christian church in Byzantine times.
On July 19, 1717, the Turkish and Egyptian fleets fought against the numerically inferior fleet of Venice off Cape Matapan, but were unable to conquer them and were ultimately defeated by the united contingent of the Christian Mediterranean powers. The battle-deciding flagship was the Portuguese Nossa Senhora de Conceição .
In March 1941 the battle of Cape Matapan took place in these waters , in which the British Royal Navy and the Italian Regia Marina faced each other. The victory of the British fleet meant that the Italians were hardly visible in the eastern Mediterranean in the further course of World War II .
Others
From the car park south of Kokkenogeia you can walk to the cape in about 45 minutes through partly stony and steep terrain (at the end there is only one path; surefootedness is necessary). It is a popular tourist destination in the summer months.
As the southern cape of the entire Balkans, Cape Tenaro is on the flight route of many migratory birds on their way to Africa.
The Californian , the ship that warned the Titanic of the doomed icebergs, sank off Cape Tenaro in 1915 after being torpedoed by the German fleet. The wreck of the ship has not been found until today (2019).
Near the cape, at a depth of 5121 meters, is the deepest point in the Mediterranean , the Calypso Depth .
Individual evidence
- ^ Page of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation (eng.) , (Accessed March 30, 2015)