{"id":10827,"date":"2024-02-16T13:38:52","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T11:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pp.314tester.eu\/olpa-sa-patras-port-authority\/historical-review\/"},"modified":"2024-08-06T15:11:25","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T12:11:25","slug":"historical-review","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patrasport.gr\/en\/olpa-sa-patras-port-authority\/historical-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Historical Review<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Brief History of the Port of Patras<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The port of Patras has played, and continues to play, an important role in the socio-economic life and development of the wider Patras city area.<\/p>\n

Patras is a representative example of a Greek commercial centre. A city characterized as a “port city”, it flourished mainly because of the raisin trade and, in general, because of its import and export trade. Its main export product was raisins. The ships that arrived at the port of Patras loaded mainly wheat, oil and raisins, transporting them to Trieste and other Italian cities and from there, via land crossings, to the markets of Northern Europe. <\/p>\n

With the passage of time and the development of Piraeus, traffic began to decrease in the port of Patras.<\/p>\n

In 1893, the opening of the Corinth Canal connected the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea and thus reduced the sea distance between Patras and Piraeus, as the circumnavigation of the Peloponnese was no longer obligatory.<\/p>\n

The port made a major contribution to overseas immigration, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main means of transport for immigrants until the 1960s, before the competition with airplanes became unequal, were the ocean liners that often called at Patras. The Greek migratory wave to America was transported by foreign steamship lines until 1907, when the first Greek ocean-going passenger line was established. Two such companies whose ocean-going vessels called at Patras were the German ‘Hambourg American Line’ and especially the Austrian ‘Austro Americana’ which predominantly transported Greek immigrants to America until 1907. <\/p>\n

In the first years after the Second World War the port was in decline until 30 years ago when the Greece-Italy connection with F\/B started to operate. Already during the summer season on this line more than 40 F\/B are operated. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/i><\/div><\/div>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>

The Port in Ancient Times and until the end of the Ottoman occupation<\/h3>
<\/div>

The first examples of maritime and coastal activities, during prehistoric times, have been identified in the area of Agia, which functioned as a port of the Aigialos township, located at Amygdalia in Voudeni. From the rudimentary port of Agia, however, the ships of the Ionian Aegiales sailed towards Aegio, where they would meet the Mycenaean fleet of Achaeans, in order to campaign together against Troy. After the foundation of Patras in the 11th century BC, in a position closer to the sea - in relation to the prehistoric location of the city of Aegialos - the city's port was organized in the eastern coastal area, where the temple of the goddess Demeter, who was the patroness of the 'Achaean League', was later erected. Today, on the site of the ancient temple stands the famous church of Agios Andreas, who has been declared the patron saint of Patras. In this location, the port operated until the end of the 13th century, receiving several interventions to protect ships and transit trade from pirates and various invaders. During the Frankish occupation, in the 13th century, the Port of Patras was moved to the northern side of the city, to the point where the Magna Ruga (today's Agios Nikolaos Street) ended, so that it was in a straight line from the city's Castle and under its protection.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1100 BC - 1927
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>

The first post-liberation activities<\/h3>
<\/div>

The liberation from the Turks in 1928 created the need for the people of Patras to turn their attention to the sea once again. The purpose of this movement was to come into contact with European culture and to feel the attraction of their ancient ancestors towards the sea. However, due to the movement of the coastal events to the northern side of the city already since the Frankish rule, the revival of the ancient Patriots' cult of their shore seemed rather impossible and so slowly the 19th century Patriots converted the coastal areas into places of entertainment and recreation. However, even after its liberation, Patras, situated on the commercial axis leading to the ports of Western Europe, rapidly regained its activities in transit trade. The first post-liberalization activities started at the end of October 1928. The coastline of Patras was deserted until then as no urban planning had yet been initiated. Thus the first temporary spaces, covered huts, for entertainment and catering, mainly for the French, began to be set up. In some cases these places also functioned as improvised theatres providing entertainment for the French soldiers. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1928 AD -
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>

Strong commercial traffic<\/h3>
<\/div>

The development of the port of Patras from the 18th century until the first decades of the 19th century was determined by parameters of both local and international character. Among these, its geographical position within a natural area which, including the western and south-eastern Peloponnese, Central Greece and the Ionian Islands, ended in a number of bays, natural harbours and coves and opened up to the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, is considered particularly important. During the period of the Greek Revolution it was referred to as the main commercial centre of the Peloponnese and a transport hub to Trieste, Ancona, Livorno and Marseilles. Thus, in addition to being the most important port in the region, it became the most important urban centre in Western Greece By the mid-19th century, Patras had established itself as the first staple export port and generally as the main export and import centre with the West. However, the opening of the Corinth Canal (1893) dealt a severe blow to local trade. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1100 BC - 1927
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>

A historic decision<\/h3>
<\/div>

The newer period of the port begins in 1836 with the beginning of the construction of an artificial harbour, which was decided by the City Council of the city. In 1838, the first part of the (wooden) pier was built, 35 m long (without a light source). Two years later, it was extended by 20 m, but without satisfying the needs of navigation. Despite the suggestion of the necessity of building the lighthouse, it would be built 17 years later (1858). \"\"<\/p>\n

The harbour works continued in the 1850s (breakwater, dock), but were ineffective due to the shallow depth of the sea which did not allow the approach of large sailing ships.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1928 AD -
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>

Construction of an artificial harbour<\/h3>
<\/div>

Only in 1880 a contract with French engineers for the construction of an artificial harbour was ratified and after many problems the work was completed in 1889. In the same year a new contract was signed for the construction of a quay, but in the end it was not built. The port, until 1927, when the port issue was raised again in its entirety, remained without piers and with many problems. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1100 BC - 1927
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>

Continuation of port works<\/h3>
<\/div>

In 1930, a technical construction company was commissioned to carry out port works (excavation of the port at 9.5m, 1,400m long and 80m wide piers as a land zone, widening of the Kalavryta pier at 42m, 120m long Astigos pier). In the 1930s the whole coastal zone was transformed into a vast multi-human construction site which was stopped with the declaration of World War II. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1928 AD -
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>

Recent past<\/h3>
<\/div>

It was not until 1956 that the port issue was brought back to the fore with the northward extension of the port. Expansion and modernization projects of the port have continued until today, in recent years with emphasis on the infrastructure for ferry services. The importance and role of the port has been significantly upgraded in the last decade and it has become the main gateway to\/from the West, following the problems that arose regarding land routes through the former Yugoslav states. Today, the modernisation and improvement works of the existing port and the construction works of the new Southern Port, on the Dymaion Coast, have been completed. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1100 BC - 1927
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
<\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>