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Pythagorio

Municipality

It’s a village built on the seaside, on the east part of Chora plain and south of the capital Samos town at a distance of 13 km from it.

Pythagoreio is built on the ruins of the ancient city of Samos, capital of the island and one of the most famous Greek cities of antiquity. It is built on the lower part of the city that was amphitheatrically built around the harbour. It's reported by Herodotus to be one of the most magnificent structures on Samos, second only to the Tunnel of Efpalinus. During the years of Ottoman occupation only a guard remained at the spot, with the sole duty to inform the Ottoman administrator cited at Chora village each time a ship entered the harbour.

The cite began to be inhabited in the middle of the 19th century when Miltiades Aristarchus was Hegemon of the island (1859-1866). On the footings of the old port, the new bay was contracted, which with the help of a mole, protects the harbour.

In the earler days the village was called Tigani (frying pan) because of the shape of it’s circular harbour as Ep.Stamatiades mentions. Nik.Dimitriou gives us also the explanation that it might come from the French word doine that means customs office, or that it might even derive from the surname “Tiganos” which existed then in Pythagoreio and Mitilinioi villages.

It’s current name, Pythagoreio, was given to the village in 1955 by the International Organization of Pythagoreans in honour of the great philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras who was born here.

Pythagoreio, which once was a picturesque fishermen’s village, is today the most developed tourist area of Samos with excellent infrastructure.

Above the village, still remain parts from the fortification walls of the ancient city, the ruins of Polycrates palace (ancient Tyrant of Samos), the ancient theatre, the Roman baths and many other ancient sites. Most important is probably the Efpalinio tunnel or double-edged tunnel. It’s 1026 meters long and it penetrates the mountain over Pythagoreio at an altitude of 246 meters. It was designed by the archtect Efpalinus from Megara in order to ensure the water supply of the city. The builders began digging on the opposite sides of the mountain and met in the center with a deviation of less than a meter!

In between Pythagoreio and the tunnel you will find the ancient theatre and above it the monastery of Holly Marry. There’s a cave with a chapel next to it.

On the southwest end of Pythagoreio you’ll find the castle of Lykourgos which was built in 1824 for the protection of Samos against the Turks and next to it the church of Metamorphosis that was built in the same era.

Pythagoreio has three settlements, Karbovolos with 23 residents, Nea Poli with 211 and Pounta with 81 residents.

Most of its residents are occupied in tourism.

Its highest ever-recorded population was recorded in the 1928 census, 2501 residents.
 

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