ZAKYNTHOS, THE FLOWER OF THE EAST

Places to visit: Navagio beach Keri Caves

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Zakynthos provides an ideal holiday location in the Greek Islands for all ages. It will provide great energy for reviving body and soul after busy and stressful, everyday life. The Greek island of Zakynthos, also known as Zante, is an artists paradise. It has been home to many famous poets, artists and writers – it is often referred to as the `Flower of the East`.

Zakynthos is full of charm, colour, flowers and fresh air, not to mention some of the most amazing beaches in the Greek Islands. One of them, that you must visit, is the beach of Shipwreck. 

The beach of Shipwreck is, perhaps, one of the most famous beaches of Greece, located on the island of Zakynthos. It was called after the ship which transported cigarettes illegally and shipwrecked on the shore in 1983. Its shell still lies there, on the beach. The landscape is really impressive. Among the high white rocks, there lies a white beach with deep and beautifully blue waters. The beach is near the village of Anafonitria. The beach can only be accessed from the sea with the caique which departs from the Harbour of Saint Nikolas in Volimes or the Porto Vromi, every day. You can also make the tour around the island with a small boat or cruise ships. Most of them depart from the harbor of Zakynthos and from the beaches of Laganas.

THE WEATHER IN ZAKYNTHOS

The weather in Zante is fantastic for a summer holiday destination. Its Mediterranean climate provides hot, dry, sunny summers and mild winters. In the winter months Zante has a high level of rainfall, helping to maintain a very green landscape in Zakynthos. The greenery of Zante helped the island to earn the title of the `Flower of the East`, as the ruling Venetians used to call it.

Zakynthos is blessed with the most sunshine hours throughout the whole year, which makes it a great place for a beach holiday! Average day time weather temperatures throughout the summer months are: in May it is 26 degrees C, in June 36 degrees C, in July 38 degrees C, in August 40 degrees C, in September 30 degrees C and in October 25 degrees C. 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ZAKYNTHOS

Ancient times Zakynthos, or the `Flower of the East`, as the Venetians used to call it, was inhabited from Neolithic Times, as archaeological excavations have proved. Homer first mentioned the island in the Iliad and Odyssey, stating that the first inhabitants were the son of the King Dardanos of Troy called Zakynthos and his men and that they first came on the island around 1,500-1,600 BC. The island was then conquered by the King Arkeisios of Kefalonia. Because of the island`s strategic position and fertile land, its inhabitants became quite wealthy and established various colonies in Crete, Paros and even Spain. In the 5^th century, during the Persian Wars, Zakynthos remained neutral and during the Peloponnesian War it took part in the Athenian Alliance.

When the Alliance was dissolved after the Athenian defeat in the expedition against Sicily, Zakynthos came under the Lacedaemonian rule, which established an oligarchy on the island and ended the democracy. Later on, the inhabitants of Zakynthos organized a revolution and managed to restore their democratic political system. After the Macedonian Wars, Zakynthos fell under Macedonian rule and later was occupied by the Romans. This last domination marked the history of Zakynthos. In the beginning of the Roman domination, a proconsul organized the administration of the island according to the Roman laws. Later Zakynthos gained some autonomy but had to pay an annual tax to the Romans and to send soldiers to the Roman legion. The islanders had the freedom to establish their own laws and had their own municipality, parliament and coins. For Zakynthos and its inhabitants, the Roman times were a period of great material and cultural development. 

FROM VENETIAN TIMES TILL PRESENT

From Venetian times till present around 31 AD, Christianity arrived on the island and became dominant in the second half of the 3^rd century AD, during the rise of the Byzantine Empire, formed by Constantine the Great. Then, the island of Zakynthos, along with the other Ionian Islands fell under Venetian and Frank domination, followed by the rule of the King of Naples and the Prince of Florence. During the 15^th century, when the rest of Greece was under Turkish rule, the Ionian Islands were still under Venetian domination. They established a rude aristocratic, oligarchic political system. The Venetians promoted the cultural heritage of Zakynthos with the birth of many important Greek poets and writers. such as the renowned Andreas Kalvos, the National Greek poet Dionysios Solomos, the judge Georgios Tertsetis and the theatrical writer Antonis Matessis. A family that played an important role in the local affairs was the Roma family. In 1797 French republicans came on the island promising to change the social, economical and political system, but nothing lasted very long. The oligarchy was re-established when the Russians and the Turks conquered the island. The French managed again to take Zakynthos but the English followed and they stayed on the island from 1814 to 1864. During their domination, the English modernized and developed the administration and public works on the island. Having escaped the Ottoman rule, Zakynthos helped the rest of Greece in the Revolution for Independence against the Turks. Zakynthos and the other Ionian Islands were annexed to Greek State on 21^st of May, 1864.