Monemvasia

Monemvasia
Μονεμβασιά
View of Monemvasia's lower and upper towns from the south
View of Monemvasia's lower and upper towns from the south
Monemvasia is located in Greece
Monemvasia
Monemvasia
Location within the region
Coordinates: 36°41′16″N 23°03′20″E / 36.68778°N 23.05556°E / 36.68778; 23.05556
CountryGreece
Administrative regionPeloponnese
Regional unitLaconia
Area
 • Municipality
949.3 km2 (366.5 sq mi)
 • Municipal unit209.0 km2 (80.7 sq mi)
Elevation
15 m (49 ft)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Municipality
21,816
 • Density23/km2 (60/sq mi)
 • Municipal unit
4,114
 • Municipal unit density20/km2 (51/sq mi)
 • Community
1,626
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
230 70
Area code(s)27320
Vehicle registrationΑΚ

Monemvasia (Greek: Μονεμβασιά, Μονεμβασία, or Μονεμβάσια) is a town and municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located in mainland Greece on a tied island off the east coast of the Peloponnese, surrounded by the Myrtoan Sea. Monemvasia is connected to the rest of the mainland by a tombolo 400 metres (1,300 ft) in length.[2]

In 1890, a small part of the natural tombolo was cut to create an artificial bridge for ships and boats.[3] Its area consists mostly of a large plateau some 100 m (330 ft) above sea level, up to 300 m (980 ft) wide and 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) long.

Founded in the sixth century, and thus one of the oldest continually-inhabited fortified towns in Europe, the town is the site of a once-powerful medieval fortress, and was at one point one of the most important commercial centres in the Eastern Mediterranean. The town's walls and many Byzantine churches remain as testaments to the town's history. Today, the seat of the municipality of Monemvasia is the town of Molaoi.[4]

  1. ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  2. ^ Μονεμβασιά Archived 2022-02-01 at the Wayback Machine (in Greek) Retrieved 10 March 2023
  3. ^ "The bridge of Monemvasia". Monemvasia Municipality. Archived from the original on 2024-02-04. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  4. ^ "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10. Retrieved 2021-09-09.