Poros (Kefalonia), Greece
Encyclopedia
Poros is a picturesque small town located in the municipal unit of Eleios-Pronnoi
, some 40 km SE of Argostoli
, 28 km SE of Sami and 12 km NE of Skala, in the southeast of Cephalonia, one of the Ionian Islands
of Greece
.
Poros is effectively divided into three parts. Poros port, with its couple of tavernas and bars, connects the island with Kyllini
on the Peloponnese
area of mainland Greece via regular year-round ferry service. During the summer months a ferry may connect Poros with Zakynthos
and a couple of tourist caiques offer cruises to Ithaca
and the Blue Caves of Zakynthos
. The harbour is also home to the local fishing boats which supply the area with fresh fish.
Separated from Poros port by a small hillock lies the shingle town beach, backed by a taverna-fringed square (plateia
) and main services: bank, chemist (pharmacy), doctor’s surgery, post office, police station and local shops. More tavernas and bars lie along the award-winning 'Blue Flag' beach, Aragia, separated from the centre of Poros by the Vohinas river which, although used as a car park in summer, can be a raging torrent in winter.
The Vohinas almost certainly gave Poros its name. The word ‘poros’ in Greek means ‘ford’ or ‘crossing’ and where the Vohinas enters the sea is the only natural crossing point, although two bridges now cross the river further upstream where the Vohinas exits the impressive Poros gorge, an 80-metre deep rugged ravine which, until a road was cut through to Skala around 1996, was the only land route out of Poros. Local legend has it that the gorge was ‘cut’ by Heracles
when he stood on, and flattened, this part of the mountain.
Another local legend concerns the large rocks just off the beach between Poros and Skala. Apparently these were thrown at early invaders by the Cyclops
. The coastline on the other side of Poros, facing Ithaca
, is one of the last refuges of the endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus).
Just out of the Poros gorge a rough vehicular track leads to the Atros monastery, the oldest on Cephalonia, with impressive views across Poros. Further along is another track leading to the Mycenaean
tomb of Tzanata
.
The area around Poros was certainly inhabited during the period when Mycenae
was all-powerful, evidenced by the discovery, in 1991, of a tholos (Beehive tomb
) in nearby Tzanata
. The size of the tomb, the nature of the burial offerings found there and its well chosen position point to the existence of an important Mycenaean town in the vicinity. In the Archaeological Museum of Argostoli one can admire the major findings of the tholos tomb like golden bull horns, a golden double axe and engraved seals of precious stone.
Although other tombs from the Mycenaean
period have been found on the island, notably at Mazarakata and Lakithra, the Tzanata
tomb is the most impressive yet to be discovered on Cephalonia or Ithaca
.
During the classical period Poros was probably the port for the city of Pronni (above present-day Pastra, administrative centre for the area).
Successive occupiers - Romans, Franks, Venetians, Italians, French, Russians, Turks (very briefly) and finally the British (until 1834) - controlled Cephalonia and, under the governorship of Sir Charles Napier
, settlers from Malta were re-located into the fertile area around Poros in an attempt to implement a model agricultural settlement and re-populate this part of the island. However, the plan didn’t work and Poros remained no more than a small cluster of fishermen’s huts until 1953, when people built new homes there following the earthquake which devastated the surrounding villages, establishing Poros as a village community and, subsequently, an important port for the island.
(mainland), (possible) summer service to Zakynthos
.
Fairly reliable but infrequent bus service to Argostoli. Reliable bus service to Athens
, via Kyllini
, Patras
and the Corinth Canal
bridge. Infrequent summer bus service to Skala and, possibly, on to Katelios.
Taxis tend to work out of Skala during summer. Car and motorcycle/scooter hire in Poros.
Eleios-Pronnoi
Eleios-Pronnoi is a former municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kefalonia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,840 . The seat of the municipality was in Pastra . The municipal unit contains...
, some 40 km SE of Argostoli
Argostoli
Argostoli is a town and a former municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kefalonia, of which it is a municipal unit...
, 28 km SE of Sami and 12 km NE of Skala, in the southeast of Cephalonia, one of the Ionian Islands
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Geography
The municipal district of Poros consists of the villages:- Poros, pop. 971
- Asprogerakas, pop. 26
- Kampitsata, pop. 44
- Riza, pop. 20
- TzanataTzanataTzanata is a village in the Eleios-Pronnoi municipal unit in the southeast of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of Greece. It sits at the junction of the roads to Argostoli , Sami and Poros ....
, pop. 174
Poros is effectively divided into three parts. Poros port, with its couple of tavernas and bars, connects the island with Kyllini
Kastro-Kyllini
Kastro-Kyllini is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a municipal unit. Its seat of administration is in the small port town of Kyllini...
on the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
area of mainland Greece via regular year-round ferry service. During the summer months a ferry may connect Poros with Zakynthos
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
and a couple of tourist caiques offer cruises to 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 the Blue Caves of Zakynthos
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
. The harbour is also home to the local fishing boats which supply the area with fresh fish.
Separated from Poros port by a small hillock lies the shingle town beach, backed by a taverna-fringed square (plateia
Plateia
Plateia or platia is the Greek word for town square. Most Greek and Cypriot cities have several town squares which are a point of reference in travelling and guiding...
) and main services: bank, chemist (pharmacy), doctor’s surgery, post office, police station and local shops. More tavernas and bars lie along the award-winning 'Blue Flag' beach, Aragia, separated from the centre of Poros by the Vohinas river which, although used as a car park in summer, can be a raging torrent in winter.
The Vohinas almost certainly gave Poros its name. The word ‘poros’ in Greek means ‘ford’ or ‘crossing’ and where the Vohinas enters the sea is the only natural crossing point, although two bridges now cross the river further upstream where the Vohinas exits the impressive Poros gorge, an 80-metre deep rugged ravine which, until a road was cut through to Skala around 1996, was the only land route out of Poros. Local legend has it that the gorge was ‘cut’ by Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
when he stood on, and flattened, this part of the mountain.
Another local legend concerns the large rocks just off the beach between Poros and Skala. Apparently these were thrown at early invaders by the Cyclops
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
. The coastline on the other side of Poros, facing 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...
, is one of the last refuges of the endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus).
Just out of the Poros gorge a rough vehicular track leads to the Atros monastery, the oldest on Cephalonia, with impressive views across Poros. Further along is another track leading to the Mycenaean
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
tomb of Tzanata
Tzanata
Tzanata is a village in the Eleios-Pronnoi municipal unit in the southeast of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of Greece. It sits at the junction of the roads to Argostoli , Sami and Poros ....
.
History
Archaeological finds from the Drakaina cave in the beautiful gorge of Poros, which was excavated in recent years, confirm human habitation in Poros since 5,700 B.C. Interesting finds brought to light - tools made of stone and bone, figurines, pottery - tell us a good deal about the use of the cave in prehistoric and historic times. Finds from the Classical period indicate that the cave was then associated with the cult of the Nymphs. The name Drakena (She-Dragon) refers to the local legend of a dragon that lived in the gorge of Poros. In the popular imagination certain marks in the rocks on the side of the gorge were believed to be the dragon's foot prints.The area around Poros was certainly inhabited during the period when Mycenae
Mycenae
Mycenae is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 11 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north...
was all-powerful, evidenced by the discovery, in 1991, of a tholos (Beehive tomb
Beehive tomb
A beehive tomb, also known as a tholos tomb , is a burial structure characterized by its false dome created by the superposition of successively smaller rings of mudbricks or, more often, stones...
) in nearby Tzanata
Tzanata
Tzanata is a village in the Eleios-Pronnoi municipal unit in the southeast of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of Greece. It sits at the junction of the roads to Argostoli , Sami and Poros ....
. The size of the tomb, the nature of the burial offerings found there and its well chosen position point to the existence of an important Mycenaean town in the vicinity. In the Archaeological Museum of Argostoli one can admire the major findings of the tholos tomb like golden bull horns, a golden double axe and engraved seals of precious stone.
Although other tombs from the Mycenaean
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
period have been found on the island, notably at Mazarakata and Lakithra, the Tzanata
Tzanata
Tzanata is a village in the Eleios-Pronnoi municipal unit in the southeast of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of Greece. It sits at the junction of the roads to Argostoli , Sami and Poros ....
tomb is the most impressive yet to be discovered on Cephalonia or 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...
.
During the classical period Poros was probably the port for the city of Pronni (above present-day Pastra, administrative centre for the area).
Successive occupiers - Romans, Franks, Venetians, Italians, French, Russians, Turks (very briefly) and finally the British (until 1834) - controlled Cephalonia and, under the governorship of Sir Charles Napier
Charles James Napier
General Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
, settlers from Malta were re-located into the fertile area around Poros in an attempt to implement a model agricultural settlement and re-populate this part of the island. However, the plan didn’t work and Poros remained no more than a small cluster of fishermen’s huts until 1953, when people built new homes there following the earthquake which devastated the surrounding villages, establishing Poros as a village community and, subsequently, an important port for the island.
Agriculture
Situated beneath steep mountains, there is virtually no arable land in Poros. However, through the Poros gorge lays a fertile valley stretching between Tzanata, Agia Eirini and Agios Nikolaos.Fishing
Poros is a working fishing port, albeit for a handful of local ‘caique’-type boats which supply the local area. A new ice producing unit was added in 2006.Transportation
Year-round car-ferry service to KylliniKastro-Kyllini
Kastro-Kyllini is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a municipal unit. Its seat of administration is in the small port town of Kyllini...
(mainland), (possible) summer service to Zakynthos
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
.
Fairly reliable but infrequent bus service to Argostoli. Reliable bus service to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, via Kyllini
Kastro-Kyllini
Kastro-Kyllini is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a municipal unit. Its seat of administration is in the small port town of Kyllini...
, Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
and the Corinth Canal
Corinth Canal
The Corinth Canal is a canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland, thus effectively making the former an island. The builders dug the canal through...
bridge. Infrequent summer bus service to Skala and, possibly, on to Katelios.
Taxis tend to work out of Skala during summer. Car and motorcycle/scooter hire in Poros.
Historical population
| Year | Population village | Population municipal district |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 728 | - |
| 1991 | 756 | - |
| 2001 | 971 | 1237 |