Ermoupoli ( el, Ερμούπολη), also known by the formal older name Ermoupolis or Hermoupolis ( el, < "Town of

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

"), is a town and former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

on the island of

Syros Syros ( el, Σύρος ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and it has 21,507 inhabitants (2011 census). The largest towns are Ermoupoli, A ...

, in the

Cyclades The Cyclades (; el, Κυκλάδες, ) are an island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The nam ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Syros-Ermoupoli, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is also the capital of the

South Aegean The South Aegean ( el, Περιφέρεια Νοτίου Αιγαίου, translit=Periféria Notíou Eyéou, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It consists of the Cyclades and Dodecanese island groups in the central and ...

region. The municipal unit has an area of 11.181 km².

History

Ermoupoli was founded during the

Greek Revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

in the 1820s, as an extension to the existing

Ano Syros Ano Syros ( el, Άνω Σύρος, “Upper Syros”) is a town and a former municipality on the island of Syros, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Syros-Ermoupoli, of which it is a muni ...

township, by refugees from other Greek islands because of the War. It soon became the leading commercial and industrial center of Greece, as well as its main port. The renowned

Greek Steamship Company The Greek Steamship Company (sometimes, The Hellenic Steam Navigation Company) was the first steamship company in modern Greece. Established on the Aegean island of Syros, the company provided transportation links within Greece and to Europe and ...

was founded in the city in 1856. Thousands of ships were built in the various Syros

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

s. Eventually Ermoupoli was eclipsed by

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...

in the late 19th century. In the following decades the city declined, remaining the administrative center of the Cyclades islands. In the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, its economy has significanty improved, based on the sectrors of services, industry, education and turism. Syros emoupolis agios nikolaos 240707

Geography

Climate

Notable people

Emmanouil Benakis Emmanouil Benakis ( el, Εμμανουήλ Μπενάκης; 1843 in Ermoupoli, Syros – June 20, 1929 in Kifisia) was a Greek merchant and politician, considered a national benefactor of Greece. After studying in England, Benakis emigrated ...

(1843–1929), merchant and politician *

Olga Broumas Olga Broumas (born 6 May 1949, Hermoupolis) is a Greek poet, resident in the United States. She has been Poet-in-Residence and Director of Creative Writing at Brandeis University since 1995. Biography Born and raised on the island of Syros, Brouma ...

(1949), poet and translator *

Manos Eleutheriou Manos Eleftheriou ( el, Μάνος Ελευθερίου; 12 March 1938 – 22 July 2018), was a Greek poet, lyricist and prose writer. He had written poetry collections, short stories, a novella, two novels and more than 400 songs. At the same ...

, lyricist * Stelios Mainas (1957), actor *

Michael Melas Michael Friedrich Benedikt Baron von Melas (12 May 1729 – 31 May 1806) was a Transylvanian-born field marshal for the Austrian Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in Radeln, Transylvania (nowadays Roadeș, part of Bunești commun ...

, father of

Pavlos Melas Pavlos Melas ( el, Παύλος Μελάς, ''Pávlos Melás''; March 29, 1870 – October 13, 1904) was a Greek revolutionary and artillery officer of the Hellenic Army. He participated in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and was amongst the first ...

, fighter of the

Greek Struggle for Macedonia Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Emmanuel Rhoides Emmanuel Rhoides ( gr, Ἐμμανουὴλ Ῥοΐδης; 28 June 1836 – 7 January 1904) was a Greek writer and journalist. Biography Born in Hermoupolis, the capital of the island of Syros, to a family of rich aristocrats from Chios — ...

(1836–1904), writer and journalist *

Georgios Souris Georgios (, , ) is a Greek name derived from the word ''georgos'' (, , "farmer" lit. "earth-worker"). The word ''georgos'' (, ) is a compound of ''ge'' (, , "earth", "soil") and ''ergon'' (, , "task", "undertaking", "work"). It is one of the most ...

, poet *

Markos Vamvakaris Márkos Vamvakáris ( el, Μάρκος Βαμβακάρης; 10 May 1905 – 8 February 1972), was a ''rebetiko'' musician. He is universally referred to by ''rebetiko'' writers and fans simply by his first name, Márkos. The great significance ...

(1905–1972),

rebetiko Rebetiko ( el, ρεμπέτικο, ), plural rebetika ( ), occasionally transliterated as rembetiko or rebetico, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek music which have come to be grouped together since the s ...

musician *

Demetrius Vikelas Demetrios Vikelas (also Demetrius Bikelas; el, Δημήτριος Βικέλας; 15 February 1835 – 20 July 1908) was a Greek businessman and writer; he was the first President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), from 1894 to 189 ...

(1835–1908), businessman, writer and the first president of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

Gallery

File:Posidonos, Ermoupoli 841 00, Greece - panoramio (1).jpg, Ermoupolis File:Syros Ano Syros u Ermoupolis140707.jpg, Ano Syros und Ermoupolis File:Syros1904.jpg, Postcard of Ermoupoli, 1904 File:Syros emoupolis rathaus 240707.jpg, The City Hall,

Miaoulis Square Miaouli Square ( el, Πλατεία Μιαούλη) is a square in the city of Ermoupolis, Syros island in Greece. History The square was designed by the Bavarian architect Wilhelm von Weiler in the early 19th century. It is the main square o ...

File:Dimarxeio Ermoupolis night.jpg, Ermoupoli town hall at night, Syros, 2019
File:Street in Ermoupolis, Syros, Greece 2.jpg, Eleutheriou Venizelou street File:Apollon Theater.JPG,

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

File:Ermoupoli, a view of the city and Didymi.jpg, Ermoupoli, Agios Nikolaos & Didymi File:St. Nicolas and Vaporia district, Syros island, Greece - panoramio.jpg, Seaside view of Saint Nicholas Cathedral File:Ermoupoli in syros.jpg, Vaporia district File:Syros ermoupolis 140707.jpg, City view from the port File:ERMOUPOLIS-SYROS.jpg, Ermoupolis & Ano Syros File:Anastaseos Church, Ermoupolis, Syros (September 28, 2014).jpg, Resurrection Church File:Ermoupolis panorama, Syros, Greece - panoramio.jpg, Ermoupolis panorama, Syros, Greece

References

External links

Official website of Ermoupoli

University of the Aegean in Ermoupoli
{{Authority control Greek prefectural capitals Greek regional capitals Populated places in Syros Populated places established in the 1820s