Karlovasi ( el, Καρλόβασι) is a town, a municipal unit, and 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 ...

on the island of

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a sepa ...

North Aegean The North Aegean Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Βορείου Αιγαίου, translit=Periféria Voríou Eyéou, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, and the smallest of the thirteen by population. It comprises the isl ...

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 wi ...

. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality

West Samos West Samos ( el, Δυτική Σάμος ''Dytiki Samos'') is a municipality on the island of Samos in the North Aegean region in Greece. The municipality was formed at the 2019 local government reform, when the pre-existing municipality of Sa ...

, of which it is a municipal unit and the seat. It is located on the northwest side of the island and it is considered the commercial center of the island. According to the 2011 census, the population of the municipal unit was 9,855 inhabitants. Its land area is 100.330 km². The municipal unit shares the island of Samos with the municipal units of Vathy, Pythagoreio, and Marathokampos. Karlovasi-Agios Nikolaos

The School of Sciences of University of the Aegean is located in the town and currently there are three academic departments: * Department of Mathematics * Department of Information and Communication Systems Engineering * Department of Statistics and Actuarial - Financial Mathematics There are over 1,000 active students living in the town throughout the year., by the University of the Aegean Karlovasi is a town with a rich cultural and industrial history, being a flourishing tannery and tobacco manufacturing center in the early 1900s. Many magnificent neoclassical mansions can be seen from that period as well as the remains of the large stone-built factories at the "Ormos" seaside. The town's economy shifted to trade after World War II and the collapse of the leather market. Pottery and brick-making became a flourishing business due to the rare quality of the soil in the environs of Karlovasi while the town's market was continuously growing to become the largest and most important in the Island. The connection of the Karlovasi Port with Seferihisar's Sığacık, in Turkey, brings a large number of travelers in the island. Lykourgos Logothetis, the island's 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 ...

was born here in 1772. Karlovasi is also closely linked to

Yiannis Ritsos Yiannis Ritsos ( el, Γιάννης Ρίτσος; 1 May 1909 – 11 November 1990) was a Greek poet and communist and an active member of the Greek Resistance during World War II. While he disliked being regarded as a political poet, he has b ...

, one of the country's most important poets, who spend most of his summers in his Karlovasi house, now the residence of his daughter, author Eri Ritsou. Karlovasi has an unusually large number of almost cathedral-size churches, due to the fact that the modern town was formed by the unification of four smaller ones, all of them hometowns of wealth patrons such as tannery moguls and ship owners. The main touristic sights are the Tannery Museum, the Folklore Museum, the 11th century church of Metamorfosis, the church of Agia Triada at Paleo Karlovasi and the adjoining Venetian castle at Potami. The waterfalls of Potami and the nearby beaches of Mikro and Megalo Seitani are among the islands most popular attractions.

Communities

The municipal unit contains ten communities (κοινότητες, ''koinótites'').

References

External links

Official Website

School of Sciences (University of the Aegean)

My Samos directory - Historye-samos webpage - History & Culture Visit Samos
{{Authority control Populated places in Samos