Patmos
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Patmos municipality Δήμος Πάτμου (Πάτμος) |
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| Basic data | |||
| State : |
 Greece
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| Region : | South Aegean | ||
| Regional District : | Kalymnos | ||
| Geographic coordinates : | 37 ° 19 ′ N , 26 ° 33 ′ E | ||
| Area : | 45.039 km² | ||
| Residents : | 3,047 (2011) | ||
| Population density : | 67.7 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Seat: | Chora | ||
| LAU-1 code no .: | 6106 | ||
| Districts : | no | ||
| Local self-government : | no | ||
| Website: | patmos.gr | ||
| Location in the South Aegean region | |||
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Patmos ( Greek Πάτμος ( f. Sg. )) Is a Greek island that geographically belongs to the Southern Sporades and politically to the Dodecanese archipelago in the East Aegean . Together with some uninhabited islets, it forms a municipality ( Greek δήμος dimos ) in the South Aegean region . The island is 34.14 km² in size and more hilly than mountainous, the highest point being 269 m. The vegetation is very sparse, there are hardly any trees, only the typical Phrygana covers the land. Patmos has about 3047 inhabitants (2011).
Despite its small size, Patmos is one of the more important islands of the Aegean: As the presumed place of creation of the Revelation of John , it is the location of one of the most important monasteries of the Greek Orthodox Church and is connected to the rest of Greece by several highly frequented ferry lines. Patmos is known as the 'Holy Island' and is the destination of several large pilgrimages by Orthodox believing Christians every year, for example at Easter. Due to this brisk flow of visitors, the ferry connections were expanded early on, and so, despite the lack of an airport, Patmos was able to participate in the tourist development of the Greek islands without having to experience the excesses of forced mass tourism.
Localities
scale
The port city of the island is located in an elongated bay as an ideal natural harbor, and this is where tourist accommodation and commercial operations are concentrated. Venetian elements can be found in the older building fabric on the harbor front. Due to the high frequency of arriving and departing ferries, the place is surrounded by a busy atmosphere. During the Italian occupation of the island , Skala became the location of the post office, customs office and the military administration. Due to these economic and political factors, the place - formerly just stairs ( Greek ischκάλα ) to the monastery - became the secular capital of the island.
Chora
The capital of the island emerged in the 12th century around the Johannes monastery. The winding streets and houses convey a more Cycladic than Dodecanese atmosphere.
Petra and Grikos
In the south of Patmos there is a bay that is protected by a smaller island. Within this bay there is a 20 m high rock, which was most likely used as a ceremonial site in early antiquity and later used by pirates. The rock is littered all around with carved stairs and cavities. At the top there is a cistern that still works today. A valley flows into this bay that still houses the original vegetation and a year-round water-bearing stream. Its source is surrounded by a tiny chapel, in which, according to tradition, the first people who have since called themselves Christians were baptized . The chapel is halfway on the road between Grikos and Chora.
The upstream village of Grikos is a settlement that has only developed around the Hotel Xenia since the Greek military dictatorship and is mainly geared towards tourism. The Hotel Xenia itself stood empty for years due to unclear ownership and was exposed to decay and vandalism. The hotel was rebuilt, expanded and reopened in 2010 as a luxury refurbished 5-star hotel.
Johannes Monastery
The monastery dedicated to Saint John was founded in 1088 by a monk, the Blessed Christodulos , with the support of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I on the ruins of an ancient Artemis temple. With its castle-like walls, it still dominates the appearance of Chora and the island to this day. The Monastery of St. John with its significant library is called since 1999 World Heritage Site of UNESCO conducted.
Patmos was a place of exile in Roman times, the author of the biblical Revelation of John wrote down his apocalypse here in exile according to his own statements (Rev 1,9 EU ) . Patmos is explicitly named in Revelation as the place of his visions. The St. John's Grotto is one of the most important sanctuaries of Orthodoxy . It can be seen near the road from Skala to Chora.
Tourism and transport
Despite its small size, Patmos has a well-developed road network that is largely in good condition and leads to almost all of the numerous beach bays and attractions within a few meters. There are many car and scooter rental companies, bus routes and taxis. Since the island was declared a state sanctuary, there is a difficult building permit process; therefore the number of tourists that can be accommodated on the island is limited. This is deliberately controlled by the administration so that no "Ballermann tourism" arises. Most of the beaches are practically undeveloped and not infrequently only have a single restaurant to offer. However, there are large numbers of day visitors and pilgrims. The main season is from May to October.
Sandy beaches can only be found on the south and east sides. In the north - especially at Lampis Bay - the beaches consist of fascinating colorful stones up to walnut size. The west side consists mainly of steep cliffs.
Patmos can only be reached by ship. However, there is a helipad for the military and emergencies. The closest airports to which Germany will fly seasonally are on the islands of Samos and Kos . From the port of Kos there are regular ferry connections to Patmos, which take between two (catamaran) and four hours (car ferry).
literature
- Annoula: Patmos. The island with the halo - your personal travel guide . 2nd Edition. Eptalofos SA Athens, 2009, ISBN 978-960-93-1279-0 .
- Benedikt Stolz, Franz Weiss: Johannes on Patmos . The holy island of Christianity. 1st edition. Christiana-Verlag, Stein am Rhein 1971, ISBN 3-7171-0466-7 .
- Tom Stone: My Greek tavern. A summer on Patmos (= Goldmann-Taschenbuch 45589 ). Munich 2004, ISBN 3-442-45589-8 (Original title: The Summer of My Greek Tavérna: A Memoir . Translated by Renate Reinhold).
- Christine de Grancy: The last breath before indifference. Patmos - a Greek island. Fritz Molden Verlag, 1977, ISBN 3-217-00865-0 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Results of the 2011 census. ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) ( MS Excel ; 2.6 MB) Greek Statistical Office (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ)
- ↑ Ελληνική Στατιστική Αρχή [ΕΛΣΤΑΤ] (Ed.): Στατιστική Επετηρίδα της Ελλάδος (Statistical Yearbook of Greece) 2009 & 2010 . Piraeus 2011, p. 47 .
- ↑ PatmosAktis homepage
- ↑ The German singer, author and tour guide Brigitte Hurdalek (* 1939 in Berlin, widow of Georg Hurdalek , pseudonym Annoula (Greek diminutive for Anna), has lived on Patmos for two decades)