Lefkada
Encyclopedia
Lefkada, or Leucas or Leucadia ' onMouseout='HidePop("89118")' href="/topics/Ancient_Greek">Ancient Greek
and Katharevousa
: Λευκάς, Lefkás, leu̯kás), is a Greek
island in the Ionian Sea
on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway
and floating bridge
. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Lefkada (city)
. It is situated on the northern part of the island, approximately 20 minutes by automobile away from Aktion National Airport
. The island is part of the peripheral unit of Lefkada
.
's suicide at Cape Lefkada is related to other myths linking the island to the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite
, and to Odysseus
, the hero of Homer
's Odyssey. The German
archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld
, having performed excavations at various locations of Lefkada, was able to obtain funding to do work on the island by suggesting that Lefkada was Homer's Ithaca
, and the palace
of Odysseus was located west of Nidri on the south coast of Lefkada. There have been suggestions by local tourism officials that several passages in the Odyssey
point to Lefkada as a possible model for Homeric Ithaca. The most notable of these passages pushed by the local tourism board describes Ithaca as an island reachable on foot, which was the case for Lefkada since it is not really an island, that it was connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. According to Strabo
, the coast of Acarnania
was called Leucas in earlier times. The ancient sources call Leucas a Corinthian colony, perhaps with a Corcyraen participation. During the Peloponnesian War
Leucas had joined the Spartan Confederation
.
The Ottomans
called it "Ayamavra" (a rendering of the Greek Αγία Μαύρα, the island's medieval name), and ruled it between 1479–1502, 1504–1684 and 1715-1716.
The east coast section of the island has small resorts of Lygia, Nikiana and Perigiali
, all north of Nidri, the largest resort on the island. It is set in a sheltered location with views across to Skorpios
—owned by Aristotle Onassis
, Meganissi and other small islands, as well as the Greek mainland. The main coastal road from Lefkada to Vasiliki runs through the village, although a bypass has now been completed which skirts the village to the west. There are regular car ferries to Kefalonia
, Ithaca
and Meganissi.
20 km south of Nidri is the resort of Vasiliki, a windsurfing
center. There are ferries to Kefalonia and Ithaca from Vasiliki. South of Vasiliki is Cape Lefkada, where the Greek
female poet Sappho
allegedly leapt to her death from the 30 m high cliffs.
The famous beach of Porto Katsiki
is located on Lefkada's west coast. Lefkada was attached to mainland Greece (see above about Homer's Ithaca being Lefkada). The Corinth
ians dug a trench in the 7th century BC on its isthmus.
The municipality covers the island Lefkada and the smaller islands Kastos
and Kalamos
.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
and Katharevousa
Katharevousa
Katharevousa , is a form of the Greek language conceived in the early 19th century as a compromise between Ancient Greek and the Modern Greek of the time, with a vocabulary largely based on ancient forms, but a much-simplified grammar. Originally, it was widely used both for literary and official...
: Λευκάς, Lefkás, leu̯kás), is a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island in the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
and floating bridge
Pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Lefkada (city)
Lefkada (city)
Lefkada is a city and a former municipality on the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital and main town of the island of Lefkada, located in the northern and...
. It is situated on the northern part of the island, approximately 20 minutes by automobile away from Aktion National Airport
Aktion National Airport
Aktion National Airport is an airport serving Preveza and Lefkada in Greece. It is also known as Lefkada Airport. The airport is also used by NATO and Hellenic Air Force Command.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:...
. The island is part of the peripheral unit of Lefkada
Lefkada (peripheral unit)
Lefkada is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Ionian Islands. The capital of the regional unit is the town of Lefkada. The regional unit consists of the islands of Lefkada, Meganisi, Kalamos, Kastos and several smaller islands, all in the Ionian...
.
History
The myth about SapphoSappho
Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet, born on the island of Lesbos. Later Greeks included her in the list of nine lyric poets. Her birth was sometime between 630 and 612 BC, and it is said that she died around 570 BC, but little is known for certain about her life...
's suicide at Cape Lefkada is related to other myths linking the island to the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, and to Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
, the hero of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Odyssey. The German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld
Wilhelm Dörpfeld
Wilhelm Dörpfeld was a German architect and archaeologist, the pioneer of stratigraphic excavation and precise graphical documentation of archaeological projects...
, having performed excavations at various locations of Lefkada, was able to obtain funding to do work on the island by suggesting that Lefkada was Homer's Ithaca
Homer's Ithaca
The location of Homer's Ithaca, i.e. Ithaca as featured in Homer's Odyssey, is a matter for debate.The central characters of the epic such as Odysseus, Achilles, Agamemnon and Hector are generally believed to be fictional characters. Yet there are many claims that some Homeric hero long ago had...
, and the palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
of Odysseus was located west of Nidri on the south coast of Lefkada. There have been suggestions by local tourism officials that several passages in the Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
point to Lefkada as a possible model for Homeric Ithaca. The most notable of these passages pushed by the local tourism board describes Ithaca as an island reachable on foot, which was the case for Lefkada since it is not really an island, that it was connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. According to Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, the coast of Acarnania
Acarnania
Acarnania is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part of the prefecture of Aetolia-Acarnania. The capital...
was called Leucas in earlier times. The ancient sources call Leucas a Corinthian colony, perhaps with a Corcyraen participation. During the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
Leucas had joined the Spartan Confederation
Peloponnesian League
The Peloponnesian League was an alliance in the Peloponnesus from the 6th to the 4th centuries BC.- Early history:By the end of the 6th century, Sparta had become the most powerful state in the Peloponnese, and was the political and military hegemon over Argos, the next most powerful state...
.
The Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
called it "Ayamavra" (a rendering of the Greek Αγία Μαύρα, the island's medieval name), and ruled it between 1479–1502, 1504–1684 and 1715-1716.
Geography
The east coast section of the island has small resorts of Lygia, Nikiana and Perigiali
Perigiali
Perigiali is a seaside village, the seat of the municipality of Assos-Lechaio, in Corinthia, Greece. Its population at the 2001 census was 1,760....
, all north of Nidri, the largest resort on the island. It is set in a sheltered location with views across to Skorpios
Skorpios
Skorpios is a private island in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece and just to the east of the island of Lefkada. The 2001 census reported a population of two inhabitants...
—owned by Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
, Meganissi and other small islands, as well as the Greek mainland. The main coastal road from Lefkada to Vasiliki runs through the village, although a bypass has now been completed which skirts the village to the west. There are regular car ferries to Kefalonia
Kefalonia
The island of Cephalonia, also known as Kefalonia, Cephallenia, Cephallonia, Kefallinia, or Kefallonia , is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece, with an area of . It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit...
, Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
and Meganissi.
20 km south of Nidri is the resort of Vasiliki, a windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
center. There are ferries to Kefalonia and Ithaca from Vasiliki. South of Vasiliki is Cape Lefkada, where the Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
female poet Sappho
Sappho
Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet, born on the island of Lesbos. Later Greeks included her in the list of nine lyric poets. Her birth was sometime between 630 and 612 BC, and it is said that she died around 570 BC, but little is known for certain about her life...
allegedly leapt to her death from the 30 m high cliffs.
The famous beach of Porto Katsiki
Porto Katsiki
Egremni is a remote beach located on the south-western coast of the Ionian island of Lefkada, north-western Greece...
is located on Lefkada's west coast. Lefkada was attached to mainland Greece (see above about Homer's Ithaca being Lefkada). The Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
ians dug a trench in the 7th century BC on its isthmus.
Climate
The island has a typical Mediterranean climate: hot summers and cool winters, especially in the mountains.Municipality
The present municipality Lefkada was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 7 former municipalities, that became municipal units:- Apollonioi
- EllomenosEllomenosEllomenos is a former municipality on the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in the southeastern part of the island, and has a land area of 56.017 km². Its...
- KalamosKalamos (island)Kálamos , is a mountainous island and a former community in the Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies east of Lefkada, near the Greek mainland...
- KaryaKarya, LefkadaKarya is a former municipality on the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies in the central part of Lefkada. It has a land area of 30.867 km² and a population of 1,427...
- KastosKastosKastos is a Greek island and a former community east of the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. Until the mid-1970s, the island was administered under the Kefalonia prefecture...
- Lefkada (city)Lefkada (city)Lefkada is a city and a former municipality on the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital and main town of the island of Lefkada, located in the northern and...
- SfakiotesSfakiotesSfakiotes is a former municipality on the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It is landlocked and located in the northern part of the island, just south of Lefkada. It has a land...
The municipality covers the island Lefkada and the smaller islands Kastos
Kastos
Kastos is a Greek island and a former community east of the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. Until the mid-1970s, the island was administered under the Kefalonia prefecture...
and Kalamos
Kalamos
Kalamos is an ancient Greek word meaning reed or reed pen. The basis for this meaning is the story of the Greek mythological figure Kalamos, son of Maiandros .-Greek mythology:...
.
Persons
(in chronological order)- Aristotelis ValaoritisAristotelis ValaoritisAristotelis Valaoritis was a Greek poet and politician. He was also the great-grandfather of Nanos Valaoritis, one of the most distinguished writers of Greece.-Biography:...
(1824–1879), poet and politician - Lafcadio HearnLafcadio HearnPatrick Lafcadio Hearn , known also by the Japanese name , was an international writer, known best for his books about Japan, especially his collections of Japanese legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things...
(1850–1904), Greco-Irish orientalist and writer, named after the island - Dimitrios GolemisDimitrios GolemisDimitrios P. Golemis was a Greek athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Golemis competed in the 800 metres. He finished second in his preliminary heat to advance to the final. There, he came in last of the three finalists who started the race, as Albin Lermusiaux of France...
(1874–1941), athlete - Aggelos SikelianosAngelos SikelianosAngelos Sikelianos was a Greek lyric poet and playwright. He wrote on national history, religious symbolism, and universal harmony in poems such as The Light-Shadowed, Prologue to Life, Mother of God, and Delphic Utterance...
(1884–1951), poet and playwright - Tzavalas KarousosTzavalas KarousosTzavalas Karousos was a Greek actor.He was born in Lefkada and first acted in the theatre by the Veakis-Nezer theatrical company...
or Karoussos (1904–1969), actor - Panos RontoyannisPanos G. RontoyannisPanos G. Rontoyannis ,Philologist-Historian : the historian of Lefkas.-Main works:*History of the Island of Lefkas, Vol 1,Vol 2*Education in Lefkas 1613-1950...
(1911–1996), philologist and historian - Theodoros StamosTheodoros StamosTheodoros Stamos , was a Greek American artist. He is one of the youngest painters of the original group of abstract expressionist painters , which included Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko...
(1922–1997), Greek-American painter - Apostolos KaklamanisApostolos KaklamanisApostolos Kaklamanis is a Greek politician and member of the Greek Parliament for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement for the Athens B constituency....
(1936), politician - Agnes BaltsaAgnes BaltsaAgnes Baltsa is a leading Greek mezzo-soprano.Baltsa was born in Lefkada. She began playing piano at the age of six, before moving to Athens in 1958 to concentrate on singing...
(1944), opera singer - George Contogeorgis (1947), political scientist
- Elli StaiElli StaiElli Stai is a Greek journalist and talk show presenter on Greek TV. She was a reporter for the newscast of the Star Channel until 2001 before she moved to the Antenna channel, known as ANT1...
(1954), journalist and talk show presenter - Aristotle OnassisAristotle OnassisAristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
, Greek shipping tycoon - Maria VamvakinouMaria VamvakinouMaria Vamvakinou , is an Australian politician. She has been member of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2001, representing the Division of Calwell, Victoria for the Australian Labor Party...
(1959), Greek-Australian politician - Spyros VrettosSpyros VrettosSpyros Vrettos is a Greek poet. He later studied at law school in the University of Athens.-Works:-References:...
(1960), poet - Evagelia AravaniEvagelia AravaniEvangelia Aravani also spelled Evagelia Aravani, born 1985 in Lefkada, is a Greek fashion model. At the Miss Star Hellas pageant, she won the title of Miss Star Hellas in 2005 and was chosen to represent Greece at the Miss Universe 2005 pageant, coming in as a top 15 semifinalist...
(1985), fashion model