Skyros at the southern part of the Sporades island cluster lives its own life somewhere between the past and the future. Its geographical position was simultaneously a disadvantage and advantage during its history. In the heart of the Aegean Sea it maintained its natural beauty and its rich traditions in popular arts.

Today, Skyros, by maintaining its local architectural style, its local color and folklore traditions is a living museum of the old life style of the island. The cube - shaped houses are distinguished not only for their beauty but also for their economy of space. Its popular art lives creatively in the field of handicraft, ceramics and embroidery. The natural and social environment inspires the ornamental motives. Many customs record the popular conscience of the inhabitants.

The Skyrian carnival festivity is one of the most important events. This is a tradition, which goes back to the worship of Dionysus, but also to the eternal desire of man to provoke the creative powers of nature.

Skyros has been inhabited from the Stone Age as evidenced from the findings from the area of Kastro. . It was an important center in the copper age (2500-1800 bc) verified by the archeological excavations at Palamari. The first inhabitants of the island were ?Kares?, ?Pleazyi? and ?Dolopes?. This is why it was first called Pelazya or Dolopia but also the island of magnets.

According to Greek mythology, Thetis the goddess mother of Achilles, had sent her son to Skyros to avoid taking part in the Trojan campaign so that the prophesy that the would be killed would not come true. At Skyros, King Likomidi brought up Achilles among his daughters and he himself was dressed as a girl. He fall in love with one of the King’s daughters, Diidamina and they had a son called Neoptolemo. When Kalchas prophesied that Troy wouldn’t be captured without the participation of Achilles, the ingenious Ulysses came to Skyros and using a cunning trick discovered where Achilles was. Afterwards, Achilles became the leader of the Myrmidons and he led them to Troy.

After the death of Achilles in Troy, Ulysses returned to Skyros, this time seeking Neoptolemo. According to a prophesy of Elenou Troy would not fall unless the son of Achilles fought under its walls.

In sprite of King Likomidi’s reluctance to let him go, Neoptolemo was determined to fight because, like his father, he craved for war and glory.

At Skyros, according to mythology the King of Athens, King Likomidis threw Thiseas, from the cliffs into the sea because he has feared for his throne.

During the time of the First Athenian Alliance general Kimon campaigned to expel the Dolopes from the island. The latter were pirates and were a threat to the commercial fleet in the north - east Aegean. Kimon wanting to occupy Skyros on behalf of the Athenian Alliance expelled the Dolopes and distributed the land among the Athenians. As this was the beginning of the Alliance, it was political expedience for the Athenian aristocrats to be given divine sanction for their activities. This is why, obeying the old oracle of Delphi, Kimon transferred the bones of the hero Thisea with great pomp and ceremony, to Athens where they were placed at Thiseon.
During the Macedonian, rule, Skyros belonged to the Athenian allotment holders. It came under the rule of the Macedonians and then the Romans who donated it back to the Athenians. During the early Byzantine period the island didn’t flourish but in the middle Byzantine period it benefited from its economic prosperity and became a Bishopric.

After the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders (1204) Skyros was ruled by the Venetians. At the end of the 14th century it was occupied by the Turks but a little later through a treaty it was handed over the Byzantium again. After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453, it surrendered to the Venetians and became a colony of the state of Venice.

During the first Turkish - Venetian war Skyros set fire to by the Turkish fleet who were not able to capture the castle, but after the raid by the notorious pirate Hairentin Barbarosa, Skyros submitted to the Turks. During the 2nd Turkish - Venetian war the Venetians ruled again for some years, but the island was soon under Turkish rule again.

During the Greek revolution of 1821 the participation of the inhabitants of Skyros was significant in both land and sea operations and the island became a refuge for refugees. Skyros was liberated, together with the rest of the Sporades, in 1829.

Municipality of Skyros

The municipality of Skyros was established on the 24th of November 1835 as a municipality of the Arctic Sporades province. It had a population of 1500 inhabitants and the capital city was the town of Skyros. The local people where named ?Skyrianoi?.

Skyros belongs to the cluster of islands of the North Sporades. It is the largest of these islands (around 27km long and with an area of 225 sq. km. It has a minimum width of 2km and a coastline length of 130km.) on the east of Island Evoia from witch it is 18 nautical miles apart.

The island is comprised from three large mountain bodies witch are separated from two level stretches, once being the sea. One starts from Achili and ends at Kalamitsa for a distance of 4 kilometers and a width of 2,5 kilometers. In the south region the mountain of Kohlias raises to a height of 794 meters and to the north the mountain of Olympus to 390 meters.

The northern part of the island gathers the largest part of the rural cultivations and natural vegetation while the southern part is usually used as pasture fields. The whole island occupies an area of 215 sq. kilometers, has a minimum width of 2 kilometers, a coastline length of 129,6 kilometers. At the center of the island and to the east side the city of Skyros is built amphitheatrically on the slopes of the ancient castle.

The island has two main plains, the flat land and the plain of Trahi, both on the northern side of the island. Smaller plains exist at Agalini-Aherounes and Kalikri. Recently on the flat land of Trahiou a big airport was build.

Skyros abounds in water, which affords pasture to a few oxen and to numerous sheep and goats. Wheat, oranges, lemons, honey and wine are among the exports and crayfish are caught in large numbers off the coast. More than 30 tiny islets, many with magnificent caves and stunning rock formations, surround Skyros.