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Greek Islands
> Saronic
Gulf
>
Hydra
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Hydra
island in Greece
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Hydra related
sites
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 Hydra is perhaps the most beautiful port village in
all of Greece. A tiny harbor ringed with cafes, restaurants
and gold shops is surrounded by a village of stone houses
and villas that rise up the hills like an amphitheatre. But
one of the best things about Hydra is that there are no
cars. Everything is moved by donkey, including groceries,
building supplies, people and their luggage.
Hydra is the former home of Leonard Cohen and stomping
grounds of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Pink Floyd and many other famous and not so famous
people. Is a little expensive island, but not as much as Mykonos or
Santorini and there
are still bargains to be found on the back streets in the way of food,
hotels and entertainment. |
refreshing the page will bring up more
Hydra Island related sites
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Hydra's history |
Hydra's past is
obscure. There is not much written about the island until around the 15th
century after the fall of Constantinople when people began moving to the
more inaccessible heights of the most mountainous islands to escape
pirates and the Turks. Around 1460 the island of Hydra was settled by
Albanian refugees as well as Orthodox Christians, who were later joined by
settlers from Epirus, Crete, Evia, Kythnos and Asia Minor. Then in the
18th century Hydra welcomed a large number of refugees from the Peloponesse
during the Russo-Turkish war.
The island during the
Ottoman occupation of Greece was largely left alone by the Turks most
likely because of its lack of water. In 1792 the town was almost
completely abandoned when the plague killed much of the population. But by
the end of the 18th century Hydra had become quite prosperous because of
its commercial fleet which was trading as far as France, Spain and even
America.
During the Napoleonic wars it was the Hydriotes ships which broke
the English blockades and were able to feed the hungry people of France
and Spain. The island was quite wealthy at this time and was in a
position to contribute their ships and supplies to the cause of
Independence from the Turks.
However when Greece did finally achieve independence
in 1821 Hydra was economically isolated and did not receive its fair share
of assistance from the new state and a period of hardship and unemployment
set in causing many of the inhabitants to abandon it leaving behind
large mansions and beautiful residences that fell into ruin.
With the success of the
Hydriot sponge-fishing fleet at the end of the 19th century the island
again began a period of prosperity which lasted until 1932 when Egypt
forbade fishing along it's coast and corruption in the industry caused
profits to dwindle and loans to mount. By the second world war the
Hydriotes were again leaving the island, many of whom went abroad.
In the 1950's Hydra was
discovered by the early tourists, many of whom had read of it in Henry
Miller's Colossus of Marousi. Since then the island has prospered, living
off its beauty as the mansions and homes have been restored. It is a
popular place with artists as well as writers who come for inspiration and
sometimes never leave. Hydra is truly one of the most beautiful islands in
Greece. |
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Hydra island today |
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There are many paths
through the hills that lead to small settlements, monasteries and churches
and a walk in springtime will introduce you to the islands large array of
wildflowers. The walk to the Monastery of Profiti Illias will take you an
hour but the view is worth it. There are still monks living there. You may
also enjoy walking to Moni Zourvas on the far eastern point of the island.
It's a three hour trek that passes the monasteries of Agia Triada and
Agios Nikolaos along the way.
Dozens of cafe's,
restaurants, bars, jewelry shops and tourist shops in general are spread
and can be found in the narrow streets of the town and one can spend
endless hours just walking in these streets.
Sandy beaches is the weak
point of the island as they simply don't exist with the exception of
Madraki bay. Swimming in Hydra -in the rather clear and deep waters-
can be done only rock diving and that is what everybody, locals and
tourists, does. |
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Hydra hotels
Visit this page to find more about
Hydra
hotels
or, if you like me to assist you with
your choice, please
send me an e-mail with your questions and enquiries. I will be glad to reply and
assist you, wherever I possibly can. |
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