Kea
Kea or Tzya, is the most western inhabited
island of the Cyclades with an area of 131,693 square kilometres, with the coastline
of the island reaching 88 kilometres.
This is one of the largest islands of the
Cyclades. In addition, the island has one of the largest natural harbours of
the Mediterranean, which bears the name of St. Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos).
Infrastructure
Travel by ferry from the port to the capital of
the island takes one hour.
Picturesque and quiet coves, wonderful service
and cosmopolitan atmosphere make the island popular among yacht owners and boat
travel enthusiasts. This is the reason why Kea serves as a finish line for the
regatta of the Saronic Gulf.
The island has several resort towns with many
family hotels, shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bars. The town of Korissia
has the Medical Centre of Kea.
The annual festival of fairy tales is the unique
event in the island. It includes performances, art exhibitions and musical
shows with traditional Greek dancing.
Nature
The island is mountainous. The highest point of
the island is the Mount of Prophet Elijah (Profitis Ilias) with the height of
560 meters. In inland areas of Kea have wonderful oak groves with a network of
specially laid routes for walking and cycling, for which the island received
the award of DAFNI.
The coast of the island has about forty large
and small beautiful beaches surrounded by picturesque rocks or secluded coves,
which enjoys the array of music beach bars.
The underwater world of Kea is also very
interesting. Famous French explorer Jacques Cousteau discovered the sunken
ocean liner “Britannica” at a depth of 120 metres. The liner had 269 metres in
length and was sunk by a German submarine in 1916.
In addition to the English ship, diving fans
will be able to dive to the wreckage of the French 183-meter ocean liner
“Burdigala”, which was also torpedoed by a German submarine in 1916, one week
before the “Britannica”.
Other ships complete the collection of the
museum: Greek steamship “Patris”, which was sunk in 1986 and the German
warplane “Dzhankers-52”, which was used in military operations in Crete in 1943
and shot down over the strait.
History and landmarks
In ancient times, the island of Kea was very
rich and influential. This is evidenced by the fact that, among all Greek
islands, only Kea and Delos could afford the organization of Panhellenic
sports.
Considerable interest is dedicated to the
archaeological site of Agia Irini with ruins of the temple of Dionysus and
fortifications dating back to 2000 BC, and also the excavations of the ancient
polis Kartea, which includes columns of Athena and Temple of Apollo, part of arena,
public institutions and drainage system.
The capital of the island, Ioulida (or Chora),
has an operating archaeological museum containing a rich collection of unique
finds of Cycladic culture. The town itself is situated on three hills in the
centre of the island; it is decorated with classical buildings, Venetian
fortress of 1210 and traditional white houses with tiled roofs.
Any point of the island offers beautiful
panoramic views. Particularly noteworthy is the monastery of Panagias Kastriani
located near Kastri. In 1700, local shepherds saw light on the hill. After
climbing to its top, astonished peasants found an icon of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary coming out of earth. A couple of years later, this place
founded a small church and in the early twentieth century it built a modern
temple.
In addition to the monastery, the island has the
church of St. Haralambos who saved the island from the plague, the chapel of
the Holy Apostles of the XIII century, the Byzantine Monastery of St. Anne and
the other temples.
