Places to visit - Sightseeings
Chora was once the capital town of Kalymnos in the center of the island. Above the town stands a big fortress of a Byzantine construction, built 300m above sea level. It comprises ruins of houses and cisterns and nine churches, two of which are renowned for their frescos.
The view from the fortress is one of the most beautiful. Below you spread the valley of Pothia and the port, the gleaming sea and the island of Kos in the distance.
Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum of Kalymnos is located at Pothia, at the district of Agia Triadha and was inaugurated in the year 2009 Β .The museum building was constructed by the Ministry of Culture, in a property donated for the purpose by the Solonian Home for the Elderly in 1997. In the same property is located the Vouvalis Mansion, an exceptional example of 19th century urban architecture, where a small part of the Prehistoric and Byzantine collection were previously housed
Maritime and Folklore museum of Kalymnos
The Maritime Museum of Kalymnos was founded in 1994 and it is located in the coastal zone of Pothia, in the building of the former Vouvaleios Technical School, next to the Town Hall. At the museum you can see and learn about the island's sponge diving tradition, history and methods of sponge fishing .Also if you visit the museum you'll see many artifacts from the wrecks of ancient ships as well as articles on sponge diving and sponge treatment.
The exhibition is divided in three different parts where the visitors have the opportunity to see objects with reference to sponge diving profession and a great number of exhibits related to sponge- fishing as well as the elaboration of sponges.
Museum of marine life and findings - Valsamidis Museum
It is located at the coastal village Vlichadia. It is a private museum, a life's work of Valsamidis brothers, who were born and live in Kalymnos, with exhibits related to sponge fishing, a big variety of sea plants and sea animals and a collection of trade amphorae and other finds from ancient shipwrecks.Β
It is one of the richest private collections in Greece and they needed over forty (40) years to collect these findings. Various kinds of sponges, corals, shells, fish, strange sea creatures, sponge diving equipment, World War II findings, pictures, documents, coins, ancient amphora and even an ancient wreck, are included in their collection .
Traditional Kalymnian House
It is located in the southern outskirts of the monastery of Aghioi Pantes and Aghios Savvas 1, 5 km from Pothia Town, in the region Vothynoi. It is a private Folklore Museum established by Mrs Faneromeni Skylla with objects of popular culture and household items of old houses.
The exhibits include local costumes, bridal dresses, houseware, a loom, a spindle, a hand mill, pottery jugs and traditional furniture, like the krevatos, the large family bed with a baby cot above it. Visitors can also see old coins, books, letters, weapons and swords. The staff of the museum will offer you the local wine anama and bread. Here the visitor has the opportunity to see the way life was organized in a traditional urban house towards the end of the19th and beginning of 20th century. The Traditional Kalymnian House has been rewarded recently by Hata 2004.
Kalymnos Sponge Factory
The Sponge Factory in Kalymnos, Greece: Sponges are strongly related to Kalymnos, known as the Kalymnian Gold. This barren rocky island located in the southeastern Aegean Sea could not offer anything to the Islanders to make their living. The villagers thus turned towards the sea for their survival and sponge fishing became particularly popular on this island.
Because it was hard for the locals to stay underwater, a rubberized diving suit called skafandro with a bronze helmet became popular allowing the sponge hunters to stay underwater for more time. Though the process was very risky, the spongers could harvest sponges in large numbers. They were later collected in warehouses for processing.
Temple of the Kalydnian Apollo
Not far from Chora stands the Temple of the Kalydnian Apollo, a remnant of the Hellenistic period, built in Doric style. Parts of this ancient temple were used to build the church of “Jesus Christ of Jerusalem” believed to have been commissioned by Saint Helen or by the Byzantine Emperor Arcadius.
Other sites of interest
There are many other sites of interest; among them the fortress of Kastelli, just past the resort of Massouri, the picturesque island of Telendos, where the ruined Byzantine fortress of St. Constantine is situated and the gigantic Neolithic fort of Emporio. On the other side of the island in Vathi, within Hellenistic walls stand the ruins of a Paleo-Christian basilica. Also, worth visiting are the tombs at Damos, the church of Saint John in Argos and many others. Local sponge factories will undoubtedly brief you on the sponge fishing and processing methods which are known to be friendly to the environment.