The chief town on the island of Lesbos, Mytilíni (or Kástro; pop. 24,000), lies in a bay on the east coast, on the site of ancient Mytilene. A breakwater, which is also a popular promenade, protects the harbor, on which the commercial activity of the town is centered. Above the tiled roofs of the low houses, some of them fronted by colonnades, rises the characteristic dome of the church of Áyios Therapón (late 19th C.), the architecture of which betrays western influence. Between the present south harbor and the ancient harbor to the north is an area of low ground, once traversed by a canal, which separates the main part of the town from the massive Gattelusi castle.
Above the north harbor at Mytilíni, to the west, is the ancient theater (third century B.C.), which gave Pompey the idea of building the first stone theater in Rome.
Most of the construction of the fortress at Mytilene is from the Byzantine years. It was one of the strongest castles in the East Mediterranean during its time.
In the early 1900s some of the castle material was used to build refugee dwellings and as a result the castle suffered some damage.
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Good Friday - Christian, Easter - Christian
Tips: Admission is free on Sundays from November to March.
The small Archeological Museum at Mytilíni, chief town of Lesbos, contains, among other things, a number of capitals of the rare Aeolian type and mosaics dating from late antiquity.
The Archaeological Museum of Mytilíni is housed in two buildings, the Old Building and the New Building. The Old Building belonged to the Achilleas Vournazos family and was built around 1921. The New Building, built in a more modern style, was constructed in 1995.
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Greek National Day (March 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian, Good Friday - Christian
Tips: Admission is free on Sundays between November and March.
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
In the Vária district on the southern outskirts of the town of Mytilíni are two interesting museums. The first, devoted to the naïve painter Theofilos, was founded by Stratis Eleftheriadis (1897-1983), a native of Mytilíni who worked in Paris as an art writer, publisher and patron under the name of Tériade. He also founded in 1979 the neighboring Tériade Museum, which contains works by modern artists, including Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger and Pablo Picasso.
Read More
Read Less
