Listed 2 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "MITHYMNA Small town LESVOS".
The architectural character of Mithymna is living testimony to a tempestuous
and much-troubled historical continuity. The town, rooted on the rock which is
dominated by the medieval Castle and spreading down to the sea, still retains
its own individual character as that was shaped in the last two centuries of Turkish
rule, particularly in the nineteenth century. It is a traditional type of settlement
which climbs upwards and is flanked by steep cliffs. The medieval Castle is its
point of reference, and it is around this that its fabric is deployed. The castle
itself is not large; it has a perimeter of 310 metres. The development of the
town in a confined space, originally for reasons of defence and also because of
the sharply sloping rock, enforced an exceptional utilisation of the space. Thus,
Molyvos has preserved a complex of paved and cobbled mule paths (kalderimia},
along which the older buildings, often contiguous, make up a dense and cohesive
whole. The amount of open space in the historic nucleus of the town is limited.
The Market lines two streets which converge in a small square. This is the vital
space of the town' s social and economic life. The streets of the market are shaded
with salkimia (foliage) at the dividing line between the ground-floor shops and
the living quarters on the first floor. Most of the traditional buildings are
two-storeyed, with stone and wood as their building materials. Usually the stone
walls have remained unplastered and are pointed with mortar. Often, when the upper
floor is of wood, the walls project beyond the outline of the ground floor and
form sachnisia (oriels). Carved wooden beams support the sachnisia, which serve
to enlarge the central space of the living quarters. In Molyvos, many mansions
dating from the late eighteenth century have survived; examples are the Yannakos
mansion and the building housing the School of Fine Arts (formerly the Krallis
mansion), with elaborate wail-paintings. Many of the town' s buildings have a
neo-Classical morphology. The harmonisation of differing architectural types into
a single organised whole makes Molyvos a place of rare beauty. On the edge of
the town, the picturesque harbour completes the unique picture of Mithymna. The
parish churches are also buildings characteristic of the place. The Basilica of
the Archangel (Taxiarches), which was built in 1795, is one of the most important
architectural monuments of Molyvos. St Panteleimon - built in 1844 - has a number
of neo-classical features. Also a noteworthy example of church architecture is
St Cyriace. In Molyvos, a large number of public fountains, from the time of Ottoman
rule with relief inscriptions and decorations, have been preserved. The Old Baths
building is another architectural monument of the last century. The Mithymna Municipal
Gallery, with an impressive collection of works of art, was set up in 1961. The
Archaeological Collection is housed in the Town Hall, while the Municipal Library
enriches the town's cultural life. Molyvos by providing many limitless sources
of inspiration has always been a point of attraction for many artists, local and
foreign. Many cultural manifestations are organized every year in Mithymna, such
as conventions, lectures, exhibitions of paintings and popular art, theatrical
and folkloric performances.
This extract is cited October 2004 from the URL below, which contains image
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