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HYDRA, under the quidance of its glorious ancenstors ...
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Hydra
has been maned after the Island's plentyfull waters, which
gushed from the founts that existed in the ancient times.
Historians mention the island by the name Hydrea.
In the interior of the Island
have been found traces of ancient living quarters, according
to chaeological excavations that took place in the
location
of "Episkopi". The first residents of the island
where called Dryopes. |
Hydra was used as a service
station for the Greek navy, and as a result, it starred
in the sea commerce with neighbouring countries and in
communications.
Towards the end of the 18th century, Hydra
was bloomming in export
trade and commerce.
It
was that time which people of Hydra took advantage of the
English-French
war and earned for themselves great profits, by controling
the sea commerce
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Important
was the help of Hydra to the liberation of Greece in 1821.
During the war, Hydra was in full alert and ready for battle
with the turkish troop.
It had got 130 battleships of 30.000
ton
each, 5.400 soldiers and
2.400 cannons.
The Captain of turks Hibraim called Hydra "Little
England".
The Hydrian fleet dominated the
sea during the seven year war with the turks, contributing
this way
to the liberation of Greece, sacrificing many human lifes, battleships
and money. |
Hydra
contributed to the Nation by giving to Greece
one President, five Prime
Ministers and Ministers.
George Koundouriotis,
who served as President of the Executive council during the
Greek revolution.
He was also council member
during the Presidency of Kapodistrias and Othonas and also
served as Prime Minister and Minister of Navy. Antonios
Kriezis, Prime Minister of Greece. Dimitrios
Voulgaris, seven times Prime Minister. Athanasios
Miaoulis, three times Prime Minister. Petros
Voulgaris, Prime Minister. |
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Other
personalities who came from Hydra, where the heroes of
1821, brothers Vokoi, I.
Matrozos and A. Pipinos, the
Admiral A. Miaoulis,
the Captain A. Oikonomou, who rouse revolt
to the Island, Iakovos and Manolis Topazis and
the Captains A. Tsamados, G.
Saxtourhs and G. Saxinis. |
In
1912, the Hydrian admiral Pavlos Koundouriotis, as Captain
of the Greek fleet, won the turks.
In 1924, Pavlos
Kountouriotis was announced
the first President of the Hellenic Republic.
In the same period, Nikolaos Votsis,
torpedoed a turkish battleship outside the port of Thessaloniki. |
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For
over half a century, admiralties were administered by Hydrians.
Also, we have to mention that Hydra gave birth to eminent
personalities such as the Archbishop of Greece, Dorotheos
Kottaras, and the Bishops Patsis, Parisis, Epiphanios, Kalaphatis and Prokopios Georgantopoulos.
In sciences, the Academicians A. Lignos, I.
Xaramis, N.
Hatzikiriakos-Gkikas, P.Tetsis and
the painter N.
Nikolaou.
Hydra
reformed, developed and established
during the 18th and
19th century. |
Then,
the peopole of Hydra emigrated from the old town of Kiafa
and settled in the port, around the Temple of Holy Virgin
Mary.
This part of the port and a part of Kiafa created
the city that exists today.
The settlement has got defensive
character, as we see from the continuous building, the tall
stone fences
and the narrow
paths.
Many people from there are deserting the Island and
immigrate to Athens and Piraeus, around the Church of Saint
Nicolas,
creating
their own community. |
Neolithic Period - Mycenean period - Archaic
period
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According
to various archeological findings in the place Episkopi of
Hydra, scientists have concluded that the emigration to the
island had begun long before the Homeric period, meaning
the after Neolithic time (3000 - 2600 B.C.). Hydra didn't
manage, to the centuries that followed, to evolve in a place
socially and historically capable of being.
Hydria, as Herodotus used to call the island of Hydra, around
the 13th century, is becoming the place of Driops farmers,
fishermen and shepherds, who used to live to the Parnassus
and Oiti. Two centuries later, with the descent of Dorians,
Driops are disappearing and so the life in the island.
During Archaic times, Hydra didn't have to offer anything of
Historical value. The island was probably under the command
of the king of Mycenae , then it was bought from Hermions until
525 B.C and then again it was bought from political
refugees from Samos to be given to trizinians, who wanted the island
for farming and forager.
A small number of Historians make references to Hydra. Among
them are Herodotus, Ptolemaios the Geographer, Pausanias and
the lexicographers, Stefanos the Byzantios and Isixios.
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Classic times - Roman times - Byzantine
times
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The only testimony that we have for Hydra in Classis times
is that of Stefanos the Byzantine, who refers to one of
the inhabitants of the island by the name Euagis.
We do not have enough information for Hydra in Roman and
Byzantine times. This fact gave the impression that the
island was uninhabited, but archaeological findings in
the place Episkopi show different. It looks like that,
because of pirate evasions from which most of the citizens
left from the Island and others gone to the interior
of
it. |
15th Century
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In
the beginning of the 15th century, Hydra was inhabited by
a few shepherd families.
From 1460, Orthodox Albanian refugees, who fought to the side
of the Venetians against the Turks, came to the island and
became fishermen. It is the time that the building spree starts
in Hydra and the first town in the hill of the place Kiafa
is created.
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16th - 17th Century
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Because
of the hostile climate in greek cities in conjunction with
the pirates in Mediterranean, immigration becomes more intensive.
Greek families immigrate to Hydra. Some of them were the Lazarou
and Zerba family (from Hiperus), Mitarou family, Nega family,
Gini family and Gouma family (from the island of Kythnos),
Tompazi family (from Smirni), Tsamados family (from Kranidi),
Oikonomou family (from Epidauros).
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18th Century
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More
immigrants are coming to the small island of Hydra during
the 18th century.
That period we had the Venetian - Turk
War and the Russian - Tyerk war. That's why in the start
of the Greek revolution the island of Hydra had a population
of 27.000 people. That had got positive results, especially
in sea commerce and in shipping.
To the end of the 18th century Hydra became a great nautical
power with 150 ships. The island is in its peak.
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19th Century
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In
1802 the administrative System in Hydra changes with the
dispatch in the island of George Dimas Boulgaris, who was
protigi of the Captain of the Turkish fleet.
Boulgaris was
assigned as commander of Hydra to call for order. Boulgaris's
wise command and the Othoman likeness to his face, helped
the island to be in the favour of the Turks.
The pirate restraint
and the economical blooming that Boulgaris managed to bring,
gave the opportunity to the citizens of Hydra to organize
their island the way they wanted, and because of the continuous
battles they had to give with the pirates, all these turned
them into fearsome sailors.
The eve of the Greek revolution finds the Island of Hydra economic
and in terms of war, ready. It has got 120 battleships, 5.400
men and 2.400 cannons.
The Revolution in Hydra was declared officially at the 16th
of April 1821 from Antonio Ekonomou and the people that broke
the reservations of the first.
The island contributed to the
naval efforts by sacrificing human lives, ships and money and
bringing out leaders and fighters, like A. Miaoulis, A.Pipinos,
M. Tobaziz, A.Tsamados, G.Saxinis, G.Saxtouris, Kriezis and
many more.
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20th Century - Present times
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During
the 20th century the habitants were involved more systematically
with fishing and sponges collection, an activity that gradually
came to a total decline and did not manage to slow down the
financial and population deterioration of the island.
From
the decade of 1950 Hydra was discovered by artists and producers
of movies and since then the island was transformed to a
cosmopolitan and most beautiful tourist center.
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The tourist site of Hydra island |
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