Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a 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 ...

Corinthia Corinthia ( el, Κορινθία ''Korinthía'') is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Geography Cori ...

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

, which is located in south-central

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 has been part of the municipality of Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is the capital of Corinthia. It was founded as Nea Korinthos (), or New Corinth, in 1858 after an earthquake destroyed the existing settlement of Corinth, which had developed in and around the site of

ancient Corinth Corinth (American English: ) (British English: ) ; grc-gre, Κόρινθος ; grc, label=Doric Greek, Ϙόρινθος; la, label=Latin, Corinthus) was a city-state (''polis'') on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that jo ...

Geography

View of the Gulf of Corinth and the modern city of Corinth from the Castle of Acrocorinth

Located about west of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Corinth is surrounded by the coastal townlets of (clockwise)

Lechaio Lechaio ( el, Λέχαιο) is a village in the municipal unit of Assos-Lechaio in Corinthia, Greece. It is situated on the coast of the Gulf of Corinth, 8 km west of Corinth and 12 km southeast of Kiato. The Greek National Road 8 passes ...

, Isthmia,

Kechries Kechries ( el, Κεχριές, rarely Κεχρεές) is a village in the municipality of Corinth in Corinthia in Greece, part of the community of Xylokeriza. Population 238 (2011). It takes its name from the ancient port town Kenchreai or Cenchr ...

, and the inland townlets of

Examilia Examilia ( el, Εξαμίλια) is a town in the municipality of Corinth, Greece. It is situated about 5 km south of Corinth, and 6 km west of Kechries (ancient Cenchreae). History The town was first attested in 1676 by French archaeologi ...

and the archaeological site and village of ancient Corinth. Natural features around the city include the narrow coastal plain of

Vocha Vocha ( el, Βόχα) is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, 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 lo ...

, the

Corinthian Gulf The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf ( el, Κορινθιακός Kόλπος, ''Korinthiakόs Kόlpos'', ) is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea, separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece. It is bounded in the east by the Isth ...

, the

Isthmus of Corinth The Isthmus of Corinth (Greek: Ισθμός της Κορίνθου) is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The word "isthmus" comes from the Ancien ...

cut by its

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

, the

Saronic Gulf The Saronic Gulf (Greek: Σαρωνικός κόλπος, ''Saronikós kólpos'') or Gulf of Aegina in Greece is formed between the peninsulas of Attica and Argolis and forms part of the Aegean Sea. It defines the eastern side of the isthmus of Co ...

, the

Oneia Mountains The Oneia Mountains ( el, Όνεια Όρη or ''Oneia Ori'') are a low mountain range in Corinthia, northeastern Peloponnese, Greece. The range extends 9 km from west to east, starting west of the village of Solomos, passing south of the vill ...

, and the monolithic rock of

Acrocorinth Acrocorinth ( el, Ακροκόρινθος), "Upper Corinth", the acropolis of ancient Corinth, is a monolithic rock overseeing the ancient city of Corinth, Greece. In the estimation of George Forrest, "It is the most impressive of the acropolis ...

, where the medieval

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

was built.

History

Corinth derives its name from

Ancient Corinth Corinth (American English: ) (British English: ) ; grc-gre, Κόρινθος ; grc, label=Doric Greek, Ϙόρινθος; la, label=Latin, Corinthus) was a city-state (''polis'') on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that jo ...

, a

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

of antiquity. The site was occupied from before 3000 BC. Historical references begin with the early 8th century BC, when Corinth began to develop as a commercial center. Between the 8th and 7th centuries, the Bacchiad family ruled Corinth.

Cypselus Cypselus ( grc-gre, Κύψελος, ''Kypselos'') was the first tyrant of Corinth in the 7th century BC. With increased wealth and more complicated trade relations and social structures, Greek city-states tended to overthrow their traditional her ...

overthrew the

Bacchiad The Bacchiadae ( grc, Βακχιάδαι ''Bakkhiadai''), a tightly knit Doric clan, were the ruling family of ancient Corinth in the eighth and seventh centuries BCE, a period of Corinthian cultural power. History Corinth had been a backwater ...

family, and between 657 and 550 BC, he and his son

Periander Periander (; el, Περίανδρος; died c. 585 BC) was the Second Tyrant of the Cypselid dynasty that ruled over ancient Corinth. Periander's rule brought about a prosperous time in Corinth's history, as his administrative skill made Corinth o ...

ruled Corinth as the Tyrants. In about 550 BC, an oligarchical government seized power. This government allied with

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

within the

Peloponnesian League The Peloponnesian League was an alliance of ancient Greek city-states, dominated by Sparta and centred on the Peloponnese, which lasted from c.550 to 366 BC. It is known mainly for being one of the two rivals in the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC ...

, and Corinth participated in the

Persian Wars The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the ...

and

Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of th ...

as an ally of Sparta. After Sparta's victory in the Peloponnesian war, the two allies fell out with one another, and Corinth pursued an independent policy in the various wars of the early 4th century BC. After the Macedonian conquest of Greece, the

was the seat of a Macedonian garrison until 243 BC, when the city was liberated and joined the

Achaean League The Achaean League (Greek: , ''Koinon ton Akhaion'' "League of Achaeans") was a Hellenistic-era confederation of Greek city states on the northern and central Peloponnese. The league was named after the region of Achaea in the northwestern Pel ...

. Nearly a century later, in 146 BC, Corinth was captured and was completely destroyed by the Roman army. Sack of Corinth by Thomas Allom 1870

As a newly rebuilt Roman colony in 44 BC, Corinth flourished and became the administrative capital of the Roman province of

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaïa'' ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ...

. In 1858, the old city, now known as Ancient Corinth (Αρχαία Κόρινθος, ''Archaia Korinthos''), located southwest of the modern city, was totally destroyed by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake. New Corinth (''Nea Korinthos'') was then built to the north-east of it, on the coast of the Gulf of Corinth. In 1928, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake devastated the new city, which was then rebuilt on the same site. In 1933, there was a great fire, and the new city was rebuilt again.

Demographics

The Municipality of Corinth (Δήμος Κορινθίων) had a population of 58,192 according to the 2011 census, the second most populous municipality in the

Peloponnese Region The Peloponnese Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Πελοποννήσου, translit=Periféria Peloponnísou, ) is a region in southern Greece. It borders Western Greece to the north and Attica to the north-east. The region has an area of about ...

after

Kalamata Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia reg ...

. The municipal unit of Corinth had 38,132 inhabitants, of which Corinth itself had 30,176 inhabitants, placing it in third place behind Kalamata and

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

among the cities of the Peloponnese Region. The City of Corinth - Wordsworth Christopher - 1882

The municipal unit of Corinth (Δημοτική ενότητα Κορινθίων) includes apart from Corinth proper the town of Archaia Korinthos (2,198 inhabitants in 2011), the town of

(2,905 inhabitants), and the smaller settlements of Xylokeriza (1,316 inhabitants) and

Solomos Dionysios Solomos (; el, Διονύσιος Σολωμός ; 8 April 1798 – 9 February 1857) was a Greek poet from Zakynthos, who is considered to be Greece's national poet. He is best known for writing the ''Hymn to Liberty'' ( el, Ὕμ� ...

(817 inhabitants). The municipal unit has an area of 102.187 km².

Economy

Industry

Corinth is a major industrial hub at a national level. The

Corinth Refinery Corinth Refinery is an oil refining complex in Greece, the largest industrial complex in the country with a capacity of , operated by Motor Oil Hellas. Facilities Fuels production Crude oil is processed in the crude distillation unit, from whic ...

is one of the largest

oil refining An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...

industrial complexes in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Ceramic tiles, copper cables, gums, gypsum, leather, marble, meat products, medical equipment, mineral water and beverages, petroleum products, and salt are produced nearby. , a period of Economic changes commenced as a large pipework complex, a textile factory and a meat packing facility diminished their operations.

Transport

Roads

Corinth is a major road hub. The A7

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use ** Shadow toll, ...

motorway for

and

, (and Sparta via A71

), branches off the A8/

European route E94 European route E 94 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe. The E 94 starts in western Greece in Corinth, Greece and through Attiki Odos (A6) runs east through Megara and Eleusis and en ...

motorway from Athens at Corinth. Corinth is the main entry point to the Peloponnesian peninsula, the southernmost area of continental Greece.

Bus

KTELbr>Korinthias
provides intercity bus service in the peninsula and to Athens via the Isthmos station southeast of the city center. Local bus service is also available.

Railways

The metre gauge railway from Athens and Pireaeus reached Corinth in 1884. This station closed to regular public transport in 2007. In 2005, two years prior, the city was connected to the

Athens Suburban Railway The Athens Suburban Railway, ( el, Προαστιακός Αθήνας, Proastiakós Athínas) is a commuter rail service that connects the city of Athens with its metropolitan area and other regions beyond Attica, including Corinthia, Boeotia, Eu ...

, following the completion of the new

Corinth railway station Corinth railway station ( el, Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Κορίνθου, Sidirodromikós Stathmós Korínthou) is a station in Corinth in the northern Peloponnese, Greece. It was opened on 27 September 2005, replacing an old ...

. The journey time from Athens to Corinth is about 55 minutes. The train station is 5 minutes by car from the city centre and parking is available for free.

Port

The port of Corinth, located north of the city centre and close to the northwest entrance of the

Corinth Canal The Corinth Canal ( el, Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου, translit=Dhioryga tis Korinthou) is an artificial canal in Greece, that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the ...

, at 37 56.0’ N / 22 56.0’ E, serves the local needs of industry and agriculture. It is mainly a cargo exporting facility. It is an artificial harbour (depth approximately , protected by a concrete

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

(length approximately 930 metres, width 100 metres, mole surface 93,000 m2). A new pier finished in the late 1980s doubled the capacity of the port. The reinforced mole protects anchored vessels from strong northern winds. Within the port operates a

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

office facility and a

Hellenic Coast Guard The Hellenic Coast Guard ( el, Λιμενικό Σώμα-Ελληνική Ακτοφυλακή, Limeniko Soma-Elliniki Aktofylaki, Port Corps-Hellenic Coast Guard) is the national coast guard of Greece. Like many other coast guards, it is a par ...

post. Sea traffic is limited to trade in the export of local produce, mainly citrus fruits, grapes, marble, aggregates and some domestic imports. The port operates as a contingency facility for general cargo ships,

bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, econom ...

s and

RORO Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their o ...

s, in case of strikes at

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 ...

port.

Ferries

There was formerly a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

link to

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Canal

The Corinth Canal, carrying ship traffic between the western

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

and the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

, is about east of the city, cutting through the

that connects the Peloponnesian peninsula to the Greek mainland, thus effectively making the former an island. The builders dug the canal through the Isthmus at sea level; no locks are employed. It is in length and only wide at its base, making it impassable for most modern ships. It now has little economic importance. The canal was mooted in classical times and an abortive effort was made to build it in the 1st century AD.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

and

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

both considered digging the canal but died before starting the construction. The emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

was the first to attempt to construct the canal. The Roman workforce responsible for the initial digging consisted of 6,000 Jewish

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. Modern construction started in 1882, after Greece gained independence from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, but was hampered by geological and financial problems that bankrupted the original builders. It was completed in 1893, but due to the canal's narrowness, navigational problems and periodic closures to repair landslips from its steep walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic anticipated by its operators. It is now used mainly for tourist traffic.

Sport

The city's

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team is Korinthos F.C. (''Π.Α.E. Κόρινθος''), established in 1999 after the merger of Pankorinthian Football Club (''Παγκορινθιακός'') and Corinth Football Club (''Κόρινθος''). During the 2006–2007 season, the team played in the Greek Fourth Division's Regional Group 7. The team went undefeated that season and it earned the top spot. This granted the team a promotion to the Gamma Ethnikí (Third Division) for the 2007–2008 season. For the 2008–2009 season, Korinthos F.C. competed in the Gamma Ethniki (Third Division) southern grouping.

Twin towns/sister cities

Corinth is twinned with: *

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Notable people

Costas Soukoulis Costas M. Soukoulis ( el, Κώστας Μ. Σούκουλης) is a Senior Scientist in the Ames Laboratory and Distinguished Professor of Physics Emeritusat Iowa State University. He received his B.Sc. from University of Athens in 1974. He obtain ...

(1951–), Professor of Physics at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

* George Kollias (1977–), drummer for US technical death metal band

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

. * Ioannis Papadiamantopoulos (1766–1826), revolutionary leader during the

Greek War of Independence 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 ...

. *

Georgios Leonardopoulos Georgios Leonardopoulos (; 1867–1936) was a Greece, Greek army major general who fought in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, the Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, and leader of a failed coup attempt in 1923. Life H ...

, army officer *

Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas ( el, Ειρήνη Παππά, Eiríni Pappá, ; born Eirini Lelekou ( el, Ειρήνη Λελέκου, Eiríni Lelékou, link=no); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred ...

, Greek actress *

Macarius Macarius is a Latinized form of the old Greek given name Makários (Μακάριος), meaning "happy, fortunate, blessed"; confer the Latin '' beatus'' and ''felix''. Ancient Greeks applied the epithet ''Makarios'' to the gods. In other languag ...

(1731–1805), Metropolitan bishop of Corinth *

Anastasios Bakasetas Anastasios "Tasos" Bakasetas ( gr, Αναστάσιος "Τάσος" Μπακασέτας; born 28 June 1993) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and occasionally as a forward, for Turkish Süper Lig club Trabz ...

(1993–), Greek footballer * Evangelos Ikonomou (1987–), Greek footballer * Panagiotis Tzanavaras (1964–), Greek footballer and football manager * Nikolaos Zafeiriou (1871–1947), Greek artillery officer * Konstantinos Triantafyllopoulos (1993–) Greek footballer *

Panagis Tsaldaris Panagis Tsaldaris (also Panagiotis Tsaldaris or Panayotis Tsaldaris; el, Παναγιώτης (Παναγής) Τσαλδάρης; 5 March 1868 – 17 May 1936) was a Greek politician and the 48th Prime Minister of Greece. He was a revered conse ...

(1868–1936), Greek politician and prime minister of Greece

Other locations named after Corinth

Due to its ancient history and the presence of St. Paul the Apostle in Corinth some locations all over the world have been named Corinth.

Gallery

File:Pegasus Square in New Corinth.jpg, Pegasus Square in New Corinth File:Squarecorinth.jpg, View of the Central Square of the city File:Istmo de Corinto ESC large ISS011 ISS011-E-13188.JPG, Aerial photograph of the

References

External links

City of Corinth official website

Kórinthos FC official website
{{Authority control Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Populated places in Corinthia Ports and harbours of Greece Populated coastal places in Greece Populated places established in 1858 1858 establishments in Europe New Testament cities

Geography

History

Demographics

Economy

Industry

Transport

Roads

Bus

Railways

Port

Ferries

Canal

Sport

Twin towns/sister cities

Notable people

Other locations named after Corinth

Gallery

See also

References

External links