History

The origins of the islanders of Kalymnos are lost in the mists of time but we do know that in about the 2nd millennium B.C. the Phoenicians conquered and colonized. Evidence of the island’s prosperity in these ancient times are ruins at Emporios in the north and Vathi in the east. 

Later, Kalymnos was occupied by the Persians, the Genoese, the Knights of St John and the Ottoman Turks. In 1912 the Italians took control until nearly the end of the Second World War.

Kalymnos was finally liberated on 31st March 1947 and, along with the rest of the Dodecanese islands, was incorporated into the Greek State in 1948.

You can also read a more detailed text about the history of Kalymnos.

.