Piraeus is about six miles southwest of Athens. Humans have lived there since the 26th Century BC. In the late 6th Century BC, Hippias fortified the peninsula, and the Port of Piraeus became an important deep-water harbor.
Port History
Piraeus was a separate city from ancient Athens, but it has long served as Athen's port. Themistocles built fortifications and turned the Port of Piraeus into a military harbor in 493 BC. Shipyards were also created, and Athen's powerful fleet was built there. The Port of Piraeus was a naval base for centuries. However, it suffered greatly during the Peloponnesian War and could not compete with the Port of Rhodes. Still, in the 4th Century BC, it included three arsenals that could contain almost 400 ships.
Piraeus?fate is inextricably linked to that of Athens. When Sparta occupied Athens, its rage fell on the Port of Piraeus. The city's walls and 搒hips?houses?were destroyed and its warships surrendered. In 393 BC after democracy was restored, Conon rebuilt the walls and built new temples and structures. Reconstruction continued during the reign of Alexander the Great.
When Rome captured the Port of Piraeus in 86 BC, it destroyed the city once again. Then in 395 AD, the Goths brought further destruction and 15 centuries of decline. Its name was even forgotten. The Port of Piraeus was used occasionally by the Turks, but it remained for the most part deserted until a permanent settlement was established there in 1829. Even then, it was only a collection of huts and farm buildings populated by fishermen.
When today's Greek state was created in 1832 with Athens as its capital, The Port of Piraeus once again blossomed. Established as a municipality in 1835, its 300 inhabitants elected their first major. It soon became the main port and second biggest city in Greece. The Port of Piraeus benefited from its proximity to Athens, from 1869 rail connections, industrial development, and the 1893 opening of the Corinth Canal. By the end of the 1800s, over 50 thousand people lived there.
Port Commerce
The Port of Piraeus Authority was established in 1930 to manage growing traffic and port development. In the early 1900s, population exploded. By 1928, over 250 thousand people called it home. But Greece's involvement in World War II brought progress to a halt. After the war, the city started growing again, and the port and city were repaired.
Today, the Port of Pireaus is the third largest city and the largest port in Greece, although it's been absorbed into Athens. Many areas of the ancient port and shipbuilding yards have been excavated, and parts of the old Themistoclean wall survive in seaside promenades.
The Port of Piraeus?Container Terminal has throughput of 1.4 million TEUs, making it the main container port in the East Mediterranean. The terminal occupies over 900 thousand square meters, including 626 thousand square meters. The terminal offers docks of 763 meters at depths from 11.5 to 16 meters. The Port of Piraeus also has car terminals for handling, storing, and shipping vehicles. Conventional cargo passes through the facilities at the nearby Hercules Port in Keratsini, also in Athens.
Cruising and Travel
The Port of Piraeus is Europe's biggest passenger port and one of the largest in the world, serving 20 million passengers a year. It's a major hub between inland Greece, the Aegean Islands, Crete, and the southeastern European Union. The Port can berth 12 vessels at the same time, including the largest of today's cruise ships. It boasts a state-of-the-art infrastructure for cruise ships, and all popular cruise lines visit the port. You can find a comprehensive
list of cruises visiting the Port of Piraeus on the Cruise Compete website.
