Merichas is a seaside settlement and a port in
Kythnos
Kythnos (, ), commonly called Thermia (), is a Greek island and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in the Western Cyclades between Kea (island), Kea and Serifos. It is from the Athenian harbor of Piraeus. The municipality Kythn ...
,
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. It is the main port of the island. According to the 2011 Greek census Merichas population was 369 people.
General information
Located on the W part of Kythnos, 7 kilometers from
Chora
Chora may refer to:
Places Greece
* Chora, old capital of the island of Alonnisos
* Chora, village on the island of Folegandros
* Chora, Ios, capital of the island of Ios
* Chora, Messenia, a small town in Messenia in the Peloponnese
* Chora, p ...
, Merichas is the island's main port connected to
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) 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 Gulf in the Ath ...
,
Lavrion and other ports. Developed during the last decades, Merichas became the second most populous settlement in Kythnos after Chora and offers a variety of tourist facilities (hotels, shops, supermarkets etc.). It is also the seat of the island's Port Authorities.
Its name can be eventually traced back to the myrrh plant. The bay has been mentioned in the 16th century by the Greek seaman and cartographer
Antonio da Millo under the name Merza. In the 19th century Merihas was considered a safe and spacious port and it was considered as the seaport of
Dryopida. Around that time the first pottery kilns made their appearance and some continued to operate until the middle of the next century.
In the 1940s Merihas evolved into the most important seaport of the island with several fisher families as permanent residents. In the 1970s the port construction started in order to allow for boats to dock and in the 2000s restoration and expansion works were undertaken.
Nowadays Merihas is the main port of Kythnos and connects the island to the ports of Piraeus, Lavrion, and the rest of the
Cycladic islands. It is one of the main residential areas of Kythnos and a tourist attraction during the summer months.
Administratively, after the 1940s, Merihas was under the jurisdiction of the province of Dryopida. In the 1997, as a result of the
Kapodistrias Plan reform it was placed under the municipality of Kythnos where it remains until today. To the North of Merihas one can find the archaeological site of Vryokastro, the ancient capital of Kythnos, and the rocky islet of Vryokastraki.
Gallery
File:Kythnos02.JPG, alt=, View of Merichas' port
File:Merihas-harbor.jpg, alt=, View from Merihas of the harbor at sunset
File:Άγιοι Ακίνδυνοι Μέριχας εσωτερικό 1.jpg, alt=, Interior of Saints Akindynoi church
File:ΜΕΡΙΧΑΣ, Κύθνος.jpg, alt=, A view of Merichas
File:Φάρος Μέριχας από μακρυά.jpg, alt=, Merichas' lighthouse
References
Bibliography
* Freely, John (2006). ''The Cyclades. Discovering the Greek Islands of the Aegean''. London: I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd.
* Hiliadakis, Stelios, ''Κύθνος'', Εκδόσεις Μαθιουδάκη
* Valindas, Antonios (1882). ''Κυθνιακά ήτοι της νήσου Κύθνου χωρογραφία και ιστορία μετά του βίου των συγχρόνων Κυθνίων εν ω ήθη και έθη και γλώσσα και γένη κλπ''.
* Veloudaki, Chrysanthi Anna (2020). ''Oria Kastro, an insular medieval settlement and fortress on Kythnos: an architectural, archaeological, and historical investigation''. The University of Edinburgh-Thesis.
* Venetoulias, Giorgis, ''Τα κεραμικά της Κύθνου'', Enplo Editions, 2004.
{{coord, 37, 23, 17, N, 24, 23, 49, E, display=title, region:GR_type:city
Populated places in Kea-Kythnos
Kythnos