Antiparos trivia: 75 amazing facts about this Greek island!

Antiparos is a Greek island that is known for its nightlife and beautiful landscapes. You can visit it from Paros with a ferry!

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about this greek island!

Antiparos is a small island in the southern Aegean
At the heart of the Cyclades
Which is less than one nautical mile (1.9 km) from Paros
The port to which it is connected with a local ferry
Saliagos island is the most ancient settlement in the Cyclades
And Despotiko, an uninhabited island in the southwest of Antiparos, is a place of great archaeological importance
The Community of Antiparos was founded in 1914
It was promoted to a municipality in 2010 with the implementation of the Law “Kallikrates”
Under the principle of “each island a municipality”
It occupies an area of 45.182 square km
Including the island of Antiparos and Despotiko
It has, according to the 2011 census, 1,211 permanent residents and a density of 27 inhabitants per km²
The island’s economy is based on tourism, fishing, farming and less on agriculture in the plains
It is known for its white houses, cobbled streets and the flowers that thrive in the yards of the houses
It is a tourist resort in the summer for Greeks and European visitors
As well as land investors from the United States
The main settlement lies at the northeastern tip of the island
Opposite Pounda on the main island of Paros
Whence a ferry sails for Antiparos harbour
The historical center is located in the Venetian castle of Antiparos
Which is connected through the shopping streets in the picturesque coastal street
Other settlements are the resort of St. George in the southwest edge, Soros and Kampos
Beaches in the wider area of the center are Psaralyki, the Sifneiko, Ag Spiridon and the camping beach
Other beaches include: Soros, Glyfa, Apantima, Monastiria
The ancient name of the island was “Oliaros”
A word probably of Phoenician origin meaning “wooded mountain”
Later the island was named “Antiparos” Situated within walking distance from Paros
The island economy is based largely on tourism
The income from visits to the Cave of Antiparos form a very big part of the budget of the municipality
Most people work in the shops, restaurants and accommodation on the island during the tourist season from Easter to October
With the remainder funded by the Employment Service, or undertaking technical and manual jobs
The island’s economy is also helped by agriculture and animal husbandry, and fisheries
Since the 1970s and 1980s, Antiparos has become a popular holiday destination, particularly for nudists, attracted by the remote and sandy beaches
The best known is the Camping, or Theologians beach, at the north of the island, opposite the uninhabited island of Diplo
The far end of the town beach is also nudist, as is the Perigiali beach
However most of the other beaches on Antiparos are textile
Since the 1990s there has been a steady development due to its proximity to Paros
And the infrastructure has been improved to accommodate the growing influx of tourists
In the center of the island is the cave of Antiparos
One of the most beautiful and mysterious caves in the world
The cave has been used as a natural shelter from the Neolithic period onwards
The area was also used for pottery, and for the worship of the goddess Artemis
While at the entrance to the site is the church of Agios Ioannis Spiliotis
Signs and scratches on the stalactites and stalagmites attest to the passers
As the inscription on the altar of the generals of Alexander the Great and King Otto
The cave is very extensive, and extends at several levels
The lyric poet Archilochus of Paros is said to have left an inscription in the cave
In 1673, marquis de Nointel, French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, visited the cave for three days with numerous companions and celebrated mass on Christmas Day in it
Later visitors who carved their names include Lord Byron and the first modern King of Greece, Otto
During the German occupation, part of the cave was destroyed
The cave was renovated extensively in the second half of the 20th century, using funds from the EU by erecting barriers, building adequate steps, installing lighting, security cameras and loudspeakers to inform visitors
The Venetian Castle of Antiparos is a typical example of the fortified settlements established in the Cyclades during the period of the Latins in 13th-16th century
Its construction dates to the mid-15th century when the Venetian Giovanni Loredano decided to marry Mary Sommaripa of Antiparos
The original version had a ‘motte’ (mound) at the centre and houses round the perimeter
The houses were built as one continuous block construction, the outer walls providing both the defensive wall of the fortified settlement
The only entrance was at the south wing
Inside the main settlement the houses developed as three-storey structures
Each having a separate entrance which leads to an external staircase
In the course of the settlement was extended outside the south wing to form a rectangular ring called “Xopyrga”
And within the original enclosure around the base of the circular tower
In modern times, the original architectural style of the castle has altered
With the church of Christ being inserted as a religious element
While the central mound was used as a water tank tower
Today, the homes retain a satisfactory level of their original features, despite the collapse of the upper floors
And any intervention required permission from the archaeological department
Today most homes are developed in one with two floors and have a maximum ground-like trapdoor
Many now face outwards and have become shops facing onto the main street
An integral part of the castle of Antiparos are the small bats that come with dusk and fly around the tower to the east
The town hall of Antiparos lies with the Multi-alley clinic in a commercial road just before the castle, near the Plaza Roussos
And which took its name from the writer of her film “Madeleine”
Any waste transported to the island a special place in Paros and sewerage and biological treatment
It have been included in the NSRF to sponsor the Egnatia Odos
The island has a modern road construction and rehabilitation of the coastal road
The focus of artistic and political events is the stone square of Agia Marina
The elementary school has a youth club for young people