25 Facts About Piraeus

Piraeus is a port city within the Athens urban area, in the Attica region of Greece.

Piraeus has a long recorded history, dating back to ancient Greece.

Today, Piraeus is a large city, bustling with activity, and an integral part of Athens.

The University of Piraeus is one of the largest universities in Greece, and includes the country's second-oldest business school, as well as the oldest academic department dedicated to the study of finance.

Piraeus has been inhabited since at least the 26th century BC.

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Piraeus is a rocky outcropping on the Greek coast that features the steep hill of Munichia and modern-day Kastella.

Although, in modern times, Piraeus is connected to the mainland by a land bridge that is consistently above water, in prehistoric times, it was an island connected to the mainland only by a low-lying stretch of land that was flooded by sea water most of the year.

Meanwhile, Piraeus was rebuilt, based on the famous grid plan of architect Hippodamus of Miletus, known as the Hippodamian plan.

Piraeus was to suffer the same fate as Athens and bear the brunt of the Spartans' rage, as the city's walls and the Long Walls were torn down; the Athenian fleet surrendered to the victors, some of the triremes were burnt, and the neosoikoi were pulled down.

The reconstruction of Piraeus went on during the period of Alexander the Great, but this revival of the town was quashed by Roman Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who captured and totally destroyed Piraeus in 86 BC.

The destruction was completed in 395 AD by the Goths under Alaric I Piraeus was led to a long period of decline which lasted for fifteen centuries.

When Piraeus was taken by the Ottoman Empire in 1456, it became known as Aslan Liman, a translation of the existing Venetian name.

Under Ottoman rule, especially before the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, Piraeus was mostly deserted, except for the monastery of Saint Spyridon and a customs house, and it was only used occasionally as a commercial port.

The port of Piraeus is an important international port, and the largest in the country.

Piraeus is situated in the southwest part of the central plain of Attica, widely known as the Athens or Attica Basin, which the Athens urban area sprawls across.

Piraeus is bounded by the Mount Aigaleo to the northwest, and the Saronic Gulf to the south and west, and connected with the rest of the Athens urban area to the east and northeast.

Under Koppen climate classification Piraeus has a hot semi-arid climate and according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service climate atlas it is the only area in Greece with this type of climate.

Municipal Theater has been the center of the arts in Piraeus, hosting a variety of cultural events including theater, dance and music events.

Piraeus is home to several museums and other institutions of great interest within their field.

Piraeus is still a major centre for Greek and international shipping, and bi-annually acts as the focus for a major shipping convention, known as Posidonia, which attracts maritime industry professionals from all over the world.

Piraeus is currently Greece's third-busiest port in terms of tons of goods transported, behind Aghioi Theodoroi and Thessaloniki.

Piraeus is served by buses and trolleybuses, Proastiakos, the Metro and the Athens Tram.

Piraeus station refers to the two railway termini located next to the seaport.

Piraeus is marked by the diversity of culture among its neighbourhoods.

The Municipal Theater in the center of Piraeus was built in 1885 and remains an impressive neo-classical building.

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