Kaminia, Lemnos


Kaminia is a village in the northeast of the island of Lemnos, Greece. It is a community of the municipal unit of Moudros. From 1918 until 1998, it was an independent community. The community includes the village Vroskopos. It is located in the southeastern peninsula of the island, 5 km east of Moudros, 6 km northwest of Fisini and 7 km south of Kontopouli. Its elevation is about 60 m. Its area is 12.847 km2, of which 7.60 km2 are arable. According to the Köppen climate classification, Kaminia has a Hot-Summer Mediterranean climate.

Population

YearPopulation settlementPopulation community
1951874-
1991321-
2001319347
2011234243
2021170178

History

The village was first mentioned in 1346 in a document of the Great Lavra monastery on Mount Athos. During the Turkish rule, all of its residents were Greek. It had 90 families in 1874, and a community school was opened in that year. After the column of Kaminia was discovered in 1885, the village was visited by many tourists.
In the 1920s and the 1930s, excavations by the Italian Archaeological School revealed the prehistoric settlement of Poliochne. A new school building was built in 1932, which was closed in 1994. Many of its residents emigrated after World War II, mainly to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The inhabitants are mainly farmers and shepherds. At present mainly cereals and wine are cultivated, cotton was grown around 1970.

Localities

Poliochne

The Bronze Age settlement Poliochne has been excavated near the beach of Vroskopos. It is believed to have been one of the most ancient towns in Europe.

Vroskopos

Vroskopos is a small settlement on the coast, 2 km southeast of Kaminia. It was named after the nearby promontory. A settlement at the site of Vroskopos is evidenced by tombs from the 11th to 13th century. It was first mentioned by Florentine traveler Buondelmonti in 1418. A fortress was built in the 13th century. In the 15th century the coastal areas, including Vroskopos, were abandoned, but in the late 16th and 17th centuries the port was used again. The castle and the village were probably destroyed around 1656 in the Fifth Ottoman-Venetian War. Moreover, pirate attacks forced the inhabitants to move to inland villages such as Kaminia. By the 20th century Vroskopos was settled again as the sea port of Kaminia. Tourist facilities were built, and in 2011 Vroskopos had 9 permanent inhabitants.