Kalymnos Island (Greece, Dodecanese)

Kalymnos Island (Greece, Dodecanese) is an island in the southeastern Aegean.  Kalymnos is famous for see-sponge harvesting, wild beauty, and climbing. 

Kalymnos is the 26th largest Greek island with its capital Pothia.  Surrounded by many small islands,  the most important of which are the uninhabited Glaronisia, Kalavros, the inhabited Telendos, the islets Nera, Agios Nikolaos, and Agios Andreas, the habitable Platis, Imia, Pserimos, and finally Pitta and Calolimnos.

 

 

Kalymnos is the island of sponge divers. The profession of sponge bells flourished in the mid 19th century to the early 20th century in the Dodecanese and especially in Kalymnos.

The island was famed for the inhabitants’ sponge, for which there are three museums and a modern archaeological museum on the island today. In Kalymnos, there is an airport where there are daily flights to and from Athens in the last few years. It also has a large harbor in Pothia, which is daily approached by large cargo ships and passenger cars of various categories. Impressive buildings, such as the province and the Town Hall, testify to the Italian occupation’s architectural influences on the island.

 

 

 

Sights 

Archaeological Museum of Kalymnos

A reference point for visitors to the new Archaeological Museum of Kalymnos started its operation in 2009.  The exhibits include antiquities from the Prehistoric to the post-Byzantine period and present the history of the island over a thousand years.

The entrance to the exhibition is made with a brief introduction to the history of the island and followed in a showcase by individual objects, which were products of smuggling or delivered to the Ephorate – their origin is not known – most notably the bronze ritual objects a colonnade, on which is a constitution of Egyptian deities. The room with the statues that came to light during excavations to depositors of the temple of Dalius Apollo.

 

Naval Museum of Kalymnos

 

The Naval Museum of Kalymnos, founded in 1994, presents the naval tradition of the island, the history and methods of sponge fishing, and many objects from shipwrecks of ancient ships. In the four rooms of the museum are exhibited objects related to the sponges and the processing of sponges.

 

 

In the first room, old photos of the early 20th century are exhibited by the city and the events that took place during the departure of sponge-bones, stone, lead, and iron anchors, nautical maps of the 16th-17th century, findings from shipwrecks, stone vaults, shipyards, lanterns, seafood dishes, and miniature caiques.

 

 

In the second and third rooms, there are sponge accessories from the beginning of the 19th century until today, such as scandalopes (marine immersion stones), marine instruments (exandas, compass, barometer, micrometer), diving, and air pumps. Also, sponge processing tools and shells are displayed.

 

 

There are traditional costumes, dishes, scarves, musical instruments, period furniture, bed linen, pillows, woven, textile accessories, breads, and pitchers in the last room.

Kalymnos House

Private folklore museum created by Mrs. Faneromeni Skyla. It is located on the road to Bozidi at the intersection with the road that leads to the monastery of Agios Savvas in Kalymnos.  It has exhibits dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Collections of objects, including traditional costumes and household effects, rebuild the atmosphere of family life of that era.

The visitor comes in contact with a piece of lively history as he is informed about the worldview, customs, and attitudes of the members of traditional island society and the life of the sponge.

 

Religious Monuments

Above the harbor of Pothia is the holy monastery of Saints, in which Saint Savvas was at the beginning of the last century.

 

The view from the monastery is magnificent.