Myrina is a former municipality on the island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lemnos, of which it is a municipal unit. It covers the west coast of the island, and has a land area of, about 17.2% of the island's area. Its municipal seat was the town of Mýrina, located in the middle of the island's west coast. The town is also the capital of Lemnos, as well as the seat of the Metropolitan of Lemnos. In addition to the town of Myrina, the municipal unit includes the communities of Káspakas, Platý, Thános, and Kornós. The 2011 census recorded 5,711 residents in the town and 8,006 residents in the municipal unit. The municipal unit's economically active population in 2001 was 3,007. Of them, 14.5% were employers, 12% self-employed, 65.4% wage-earners, 4.1% unpaid, auxiliary family members, and 4% did not declare line of occupation. Of the economically active population, 6.7% worked in agriculture, 4% in light manufacturing, 12.3% in construction, 8.5% in hotels & restaurants, and the rest in other lines of business.
Climate
The climate in Lemnos is mainly Mediterranean. Winters are generally mild, but there will be a snowfall occasionally. Strong winds are a feature of the island, especially in August and in winter time, hence its nickname "the wind-ridden one". The temperature is typically 2 to 5 degrees Celsius less than in Athens, especially in summertime.
History
According to Herodotus, when the Chersonese on the Hellespont came under Athens' rule, Miltiades the son of Cimon came from Elaeuson the Chersonese to Lemnos where he proclaimed the Pelasgians must submit. The Hephaestians obeyed, giving up their city, but the Myrinaeans from the city Myrina would not be as easily pursued until they too submitted to Athens, thus given control of the island to Miltiades and the Athenians. The ancient town also garnered notice of Pliny the Elder who wrote that the shadow of Mount Athos could be seen in the town's forum on the summer solstice. Other authors of antiquity who note the town include Ptolemy and Stephanus of Byzantium.
The town of Myrina
Modern day Myrina is built upon a shallow bay split into two by a promontory jutting out to sea and carrying the ruins of a Venetian castle. To the north of the promontory lies the so-called Roman Shore, along which the Greek community had their homes during Ottoman times. The name "Roman" dates to the Byzantine Empire, when Greeks were called Romans. To the south of the promontory lies the Turkish Shore, along which the Turkish community similarly had their homes, before the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey. In 2001 the town had 3,022 regular dwellings, of which 30.4% were stone-built, and 75.6% had pitched roofs made of red tiles.
Town quarters
Behind the fronts of the two Shores, the town is divided into 4 parts: the old town core, referred to as Kastro ; Androni, to the north ; Tchas, just behind the harbour area; and Nea Madetos, a new settlement of workers´and fishermen's houses on the hill overlooking the Turkish shore from the south. The heart of the town is the market street, running north to south, and joining the Roman Shore to the Turkish Shore. Other landmarks are the OTE square, also called the bank square because it is the hub of all bank branches of the island, halfway along the market street, and the Perivola square, behind the Roman Shore, where the Lemnos bus station is. The Town Hall building is located in the harbour, near the Port Authority building. Myrina also boasts a good provincial hospital, in the Tchas quarter, while presently is in the process of modernising its sewage system.
Town features
Many of the town's streets are stone-paved alleys. The Roman Shore in particular is quite beautiful, aligned as it is with stone-built houses of neoclassical design, where the island's rich Greeks lived. The archaeological museum displays numerous exhibits from the island's remote past. With its clean, long, and sandy beaches, and its own Castle to boot, Myrina is a tourist attraction. Visitors and locals like bathing in the Roman Shore, and having dinner at one of the fish taverns circling the traditional harbour in the Turkish Shore, enjoying the caiques there and a view of the castle at night. During the summer Myrina holds various outside theatrical and musical events.
