Rhodes (city)

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Municipality of Rhodes (Rodos)
Δημοτική Ενότητα Ρόδου
(Ρόδος)
Rhodes (city) (Greece)
Bluedot.svg
Basic data
State : GreeceGreece Greece
Region : South Aegean

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Regional District : Rhodes
Municipality : Rhodes
Geographic coordinates : 36 ° 26 '  N , 28 ° 13'  E Coordinates: 36 ° 26 '  N , 28 ° 13'  E
Height above d. M .: 26 m
(average)
Area : 19.481 km²
Residents : 50,636 (2011)
Population density : 2,599.3 inhabitants / km²
Code No .: 690101
Structure: f121 municipality
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Location in the municipality of Rhodes and in the regional district of Rhodes
File: DE Rodou.svg
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Rhodes ( Greek Ρόδος Rodos ( f. Sg. ), Ottoman until 1912 Rodos , Italian 1912–1947 Rodi ) is a Greek city ​​on the northern tip of the island of Rhodes . It has been the administrative seat of the municipality of Rhodes since the administrative reform in 2010 ( Dimos Rodou Δήμος Ρόδου) and forms the municipality of Rhodes with the same name ( Dimotiki Enotita Rodou Δημοτική Ενότητα Ρόδου). It consists of a modern new town and an old town, which is completely surrounded by a city wall. The remains of an ancient acropolis can be found on Monte Smith above the city. There are two ports. The Colossus of Rhodes is said to have stood at the entrance of the ancient Mandraki port . In 2011 the city had 50,636 inhabitants.

Grand Master's Palace in the Italian reconstruction around 1939
The clock tower offers an overview of the city
The Marientor at the harbor
The mill pier at the commercial harbor
The temple of Apollo on the mountain
The Suleyman Mosque

history

The city of Rhodes was founded in 408 BC on the occasion of the merger of the three poles Ialysos , Kameiros and Lindos as the common capital. The city was built according to the principles of the urban planner Hippodamos as a planned city with an orthogonal street system. About three kilometers from the center of the modern city of Rhodes, on Monte Smith Hill is the ancient Acropolis of Rhodes , here are the ruins of the temples of Apollon Pythios, Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus. A stadium and a small uncovered marble odeion were also built here.

The following three centuries are considered the golden age of Rhodes. During this period of successful maritime trade, after the city defied a siege by the Antigonids in 305-304 BC , the creation of the city's most famous work of art, the Colossus of Rhodes . This statue stood from around 282 BC to 226 BC. The earthquake that knocked over and destroyed the statue that year also damaged large parts of the city. In 164 BC the previously independent city came under Roman administration. In the years that followed, it was still considered the center of education, science and the arts.

Between 330 and 650 AD, Rhodes was part of the Byzantine Empire . During this time the city was the seat of a bishopric and also an important military base. Many churches were built during this period, including several basilicas. In the seventh century, the Arab fleet under Mauawiya first appeared in the waters off Rhodes. They conquered the city in 654 and held it until 678. In 717 the island was sacked by the Saracens and in 807 it was occupied by the Arab fleet for several years. In the following years the city shrank, but was fortified with walls by the resurgent Byzantines. There are few written reports of this period. In 1082 the Venetians established the first trading post on the island, which led to renewed prestige and increased prosperity.

As a result of the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the city fell to the Franks , in 1278 the Byzantines were able to regain control of the city and island for a short time. From 1306 the Order of St. John took possession of the island. The city of Rhodes fell after a long siege in 1309 during the reign of Grand Master Fulko of Villaret . The Order moved its headquarters to the city and became one of the dominant forces in the eastern Mediterranean. Rhodes thrived and grew again under this government. The knights continuously strengthened and expanded the city's fortifications. Between 1421 and 1431 the St. George's Bastion was built to strengthen the medieval city wall, which was reinforced around 1550 according to plans by the master builder Basilio della Scuola. Under the Grand Master Zacosta between 1464 and 1467 the independent St. Nicholas fortress was built on the pier of the Mandraki harbor as additional protection for the order's fleet. The Order of St. John also built numerous churches, the Grand Master's Palace and two hospitals, including the St. Catherine Hospice in 1392. In 1507 the "Kastellania" was built in the center of the medieval market, a building that served as the criminal court of the knights of the order. Despite the ongoing conflicts with the Ottomans and Mamluks, sea ​​trade was a lucrative source of income for the city. Most of the knowledge about this period comes from the very carefully kept archive of the Knights of the Order, which is now kept in the National Library of Malta .

The city fortress withstood a siege by the Mamluks in 1444 and a siege by the Ottomans in 1480 . The last siege of Rhodes by the Turks began on June 26, 1522 and ended on January 1, 1523 with the withdrawal of the Johanniter from the island. The conquerors drove the Christian, Greek population from the fortified city and built mosques, bathhouses and spacious houses. Many buildings have been preserved and adapted to the tastes and habits of the new residents. In the period that followed, Rhodes lost its importance as an international trading center and was primarily a trading center for goods on the island. In the 19th century, several earthquakes shook the city and epidemics broke out. These external disasters coincided with the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the city and its buildings suffered from neglect.

During the Italo-Turkish War , the Italians also conquered the island of Rhodes in 1912, and in 1923 they established the so-called colony of the Italian Aegean Islands . In the city of Rhodes, the Italians destroyed all buildings that were built on or on the city walls during the Ottoman period. They restored many buildings from the age of knights, especially the Grand Master's Palace. The city's infrastructure was also modernized and expanded under Italian rule. The city, especially the Neustadt, was significantly changed according to the urban planning aspects that were valid at the time.

In 1947 the island fell to Greece . In 1960 the entire medieval city center of Rhodes was placed under monument protection by the Greek Ministry of Culture .

Old town

The old town, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988 , is partly located on a hill and is surrounded by a four-kilometer fortress wall that extends to the harbor . At the highest point of the old town is the Grand Master's Palace of the Order of St. John (rebuilt by the Italians from 1937 to 1940), which today houses a museum in which Roman and Greek sculptures are exhibited as well as numerous mosaics that made their way from Kos to under the Italian occupation Found Rhodes. The touristy Odos Sokratou (Socrates Street ) connects the Suleyman Pasha Mosque with the Platia Ippokratou. Opposite the mosque is the Turkish library. On the Platia Ippokratou, in the middle of which there is an owl fountain, borders the square of the Jewish martyrs with a multilingual column in memory of the deportees and the seahorse fountain. The Turkish quarter extends southwest of the Sokratou with narrow streets, mosques, small squares and a Turkish bath .

traffic

Numerous bus connections lead from Rhodes town to the whole island. Ship traffic exists to the islands of Symi and Tilos as well as to the Turkish mainland .

Museums

  • Archaeological museum in the former hospital of the order
  • Decorative Arts Museum in the same building
  • Byzantine Museum in the Church of Our Lady Panagia tou Kástrou
  • Museum of Modern Greek Art in three buildings apart, but one entry fee

Sacred buildings

(Selection)

Churches:

The names in brackets correspond to the designation as a mosque under Ottoman rule.

  • Agios Fanourios , from the 13th century (active parish church )
  • Agios Panteleimon , second half of the 15th century (active parish church)
  • Panagia tou Bourgou , first half of the 14th century (ruin)
  • Panagia tis Nikis from the 15th century (ruin)
  • Panagia tou Kastrou from the 11th century (now serves as an exhibition room)
  • Agia Triada on Ippoton Street (Khan Zade Mescidi), second half of the 14th century
  • St. Johann im Chollachium (ruin)
  • Agios Georgios (Chourmali mesjid), from the 14th century
  • Agios Nikolaos , from the 14th century
  • Agia Kyriaki (Barasani mesjid), second half of the 15th century
  • Agia Ekaterini (Ilk Michrab), from the 14th century
  • Agia Triada in the Jewish quarter (Dolapli mesjid), from the 15th century, former metropolitan church of Rhodes
  • Agios Spyridon (Kavakly mesjid), 11th century

Mosques:

  • Ibrahim Pascha Mosque , built 1540–1541 (mosque still active today)
  • Sultan Mustafa Mosque , built 1764–1765 (mosque still active today)
  • Suleyman Pasha Mosque , 16th century
  • Mehmet Aga Mosque , 18th century
  • Sindrivan Mosque , built in 1888
  • Retzep Pasha Mosque , built in 1588
  • Murat Reis Mosque , with a well-preserved Islamic cemetery and the mausoleum of Murat Reis the admiral of Suleyman I.

Synagogue:

  • Kahal Shalom , built in 1577 (and five other synagogues that are no longer preserved)

Town twinning

For the successful work, Rhodes received the "Golden Star" award of the European Union .

In addition, Rhodes has formal cooperation agreements with the cities of Athens , Olymbos and Muğla .

View from the port, on the left the Jewish quarter, in the middle the Turkish quarter, on the right the knight's quarter with the Grand Master's Palace

Personalities

Picture gallery

  • The Ritterstrasse in the old town

  • Typical old town alley

  • Lion in the courtyard of the Old Town Archaeological Museum

  • Socrates Street with Süleimann Mosque in the background

  • Platia Ippokratu with Socrates Street in the background

  • Mitropoli church with fountain

  • The Islamic Library from 1793

  • Yachts in the port of Marina Mandraki with the fortress Agios Nikolaos Pyrgos and the lighthouse

See also

literature

  • Elias Kollias: The medieval city of Rhodes and the palace of the grand master . Archaeological Receipts Fund, Athens 1998. ISBN 960-214-912-4 .
  • Anthony Luttrell: The town of Rhodes. 1306-1356 . Office for the Medieval Town, Rhodes 2003, ISBN 960-214-208-1 .
  • Jean-Christian Poutiers: Rhodes et ses chevaliers 1306–1523, approche historique et archéologique . Imprimerie catholique / ESTC, Brussels / Araya (Lebanon) 1989.
  • Richard Speicher: Rhodos with Chalki, Simi and Kastellorizo ​​- art and travel guide , Verlag W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1987. ISBN 3-17-009408-4 .

Web links

Commons : Rhodes  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Results of the 2011 census. ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) ( MS Excel ; 2.6 MB) Greek Statistical Office (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ)
  2. ^ Classical Period. (No longer available online.) City of Rhodes, archived from the original on May 5, 2016 ; Retrieved May 5, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rhodes.gr
  3. ^ Roman Period. (No longer available online.) City of Rhodes, archived from the original on April 21, 2016 ; Retrieved May 5, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rhodes.gr
  4. ^ Byzantine Period. (No longer available online.) City of Rhodes, archived from the original on May 5, 2016 ; Retrieved May 5, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rhodes.gr
  5. ↑ Knights' Period. (No longer available online.) City of Rhodes, archived from the original on April 21, 2016 ; accessed on May 6, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rhodes.gr
  6. ↑ Ottoman Period. (No longer available online.) City of Rhodes, archived from the original on April 21, 2016 ; accessed on May 6, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rhodes.gr
  7. ^ Italian Period. (No longer available online.) City of Rhodes, archived from the original on April 21, 2016 ; accessed on May 6, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rhodes.gr
  8. ↑ town twinning. (No longer available online.) City of Rhodes, archived from the original on April 8, 2008 ; accessed on May 9, 2008 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rhodes.gr