Lemnos is one of the largest islands in Greece. It is located in the North-Eastern part of the Aegean between Thassos and Lesbos with an area of 476 sq.km. The island was associated with Hephaistos as the inhabitants come according to the legend, from the union of the god of metallurgy with the nymph Caveiro. Myths are associated with Lemnos and show the importance of the island in the development of metallurgy in the Aegean. Excavations in Poliochni and Myrina confirm the myths as metalworking remains dating back to the early Bronze Age were found there.
Myrina & Western Lemnos
The territory of Lemnos has a wide variety of landscapes and unique geological formations. The capital of the island is Myrina, which is famous for its well-preserved castle that is built on a rocky peninsula in the heart of the city. It was built by Venetians and Genoese on earlier Byzantine walls. On the waterfront you will find beautiful neoclassical buildings such as the ecclesiastical museum and the mansion of Sir John Antoniadis.
Not far from Myrina you will find the chapel of Panagia Kakaviotissa, a special chapel without a rock roof.
A little further north are Therma, thermal baths and a spring with healing properties, which date back to the 16th century and were renovated in 1780 by Gazi Hassan Pasha Tzazaerlis, when he occupied the island after the Orlovics. Further south you will come across Kontias, a picturesque village with windmills. The Gallery of Contemporary Balkan Art is housed there. Continuing towards Nea Koutali, you will find Portianou, a village with picturesque houses and a folklore museum. In Nea Koutali you will find the Museum of Maritime Tradition and Spongalia. Finally, in the north-western part of the island you will find the Ammothines or Pachies Ammoudies, an unusual landscape by Greek standards. It is a small sandy slope that looks like a desert.
Eastern & Central Lemnos
On the isthmus, in the center of the island are five villages. On the north coast, Kotsinas is famous for the medieval fortress that was created in 1210 and at the top of the hill you will find the church of Zoodochos Pigi. To the east is Moudros, which is the second largest settlement of the island. It was the base of the Greek army during the First World War, while in October 1918 the Treaty of Mudros was signed which marked the end of the First World War. In the north-eastern part of the island you will find Hephaistia, an important city of antiquity with continuous habitation from the Late Bronze Age until Byzantine times. The sanctuary of the Great Goddess (Artemis) as well as the ancient theater have been excavated. Finally, at the south-eastern end of Lemnos, near the long beach of Lourii, a prehistoric settlement of the end of the Paleolithic Era (11 millennia BC) was found.
Hiking Routes
Ascent to Panagia Kakaviotissa
The path to Kakaviotissa starts from a dirt road, 2.5 km east of the Myrina ring road. At first it is steeply uphill with steps in many places. Higher up the slope decreases and then you reach a plateau with interesting geological formations. Then you go up the last hill and you end up at the beautiful chapel of Kakaviotissa.
Ascension to the Prophet Elias
To climb to Prophet Ilias you follow a dirt road for 1700 meters that starts south from Therma and from there another kilometer on a wide path to the top. From the chapel of Prophet Ilias you can admire a panoramic view of the island.