Kefalonia
The island received its name from the mythical hero Cephalus, who arrived to the island as a refugee from Athens, displacing the island's initial inhabitants who were known as Taphians (Teloboes or Taphioi).In the 16th to 18th centuries, it was one of the largest exporters of currents in the world, providing with Zakynthos and owned a large shipping fleet, even commissioning ships from the Danzig shipyard.The towns and villages mostly were built high on hilltops, to prevent attacks from raiding parties of pirates that sailed the Ionian Sea during the 1820s.In 1864, Kefalonia, together with all the other Ionian Islands, became a full member of the Greek state.In World War II, the island was occupied by Axis powers. Until late 1943, the occupying force was predominantly Italian -- the Acqui division plus Navy personnel totalled 12,000 men -- but about 2,000 troops from Nazi Germany also were present. The island was largely spared from the fighting, until the armistice with Italy concluded by the Allies in September 1943. Confusion followed on the island, as the Italians were hoping to return home, but the Germans did not want the Italians' munitions to be used eventually against them. The Italian forces were hesitant to turn over their weapons for the same reason. As German reinforcements headed to the island the Italians dug in and, eventually, after a referendum among the soldiers to choose between surrender or fighting, they fought against the new German invasion. The fighting came to a head at the siege of Argostoli, where the Italians held out for around 6 hours. Ultimately the German forces prevailed, taking full control of the island. Six thousand of the 9000 surviving Italian soldiers were executed.While the war ended in central Europe in 1945, Kefalonia remained in conflict due to the Greek Civil War. Peace returned to Greece and the island in 1949.
The Great Earthquake of 1953 - Kefalonia is just to the east of a major tectonic fault, where the European plate meets the Aegean plate at a slip boundary. This is similar to the more famous San Andreas Fault. There are regular earthquakes along this fault.A series of four earthquakes hit the island in August 1953. As a result these caused widespread destruction, with virtually every house on the island being destroyed. The third and most destructive of the earthquakes took place on August 12, 1953 at 09:24 UTC (11:24 local time) and had a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the quake was directly below the southern tip of the island. The entire island was raised as a result of this quake by 60cm and remains that much higher to this day. This can be seen in water marks on rocks around the coast.Almost every house was destroyed in the 1953 earthquake, with only regions in the north escaping heavy shaking. Damage was estimated in tens of millions of dollars, equivalent to billions of drachmas. However, the real damage to the economy occurred when residents left the island. It is estimated that 100,000 of the population of 125,000 left the island soon after the earthquake looking for a new life elsewhere.The forest fire of the 1990s caused damage to the island's forests and bushes, especially a small scar north of Troianata, and a large area of damage extending from Kateleios north to west of Tzanata, ruining about 30 square kilometres of forest and bushes and resulting in the loss of some properties. The forest fire scar was seen for a couple of years.Kefalonia's profile was greatly increased in the late 1990s thanks to the novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin, by English author Louis de Bernières. The novel is believed to be based on events that occurred in the picturesque village of Farsa, just outside of Argostoli. The love story that is the theme of the book takes place during the events of the Second World War, and is based on historical facts. A film adaptation was released in 2001.The strong Lefkada earthquake of August 14, 2003 -- 50 years to the week after the 1953 quake -- also shook the entire island. However, little damage was reported on Kefalonia and Ithaca.Three months after the Lefkada earthquake, another mid-November earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale caused minor damages to business, residential property, and other buildings within the Argostoli periphery. Damages were in the $1,000,000 range (300,000,000 drachmas).On the morning of Tuesday September 20, 2005, an early-morning earthquake shook the southwestern part of the island, especially near Lixouri and its villages. The earthquake measured 4.9 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was located off the island in the sea. Service vehicles took care of the area. No damage was reported.Between January 24 and 26 of 2006, a major snowstorm blanketed the entire island causing extensive blackouts.
we spent a two week holiday here many years ago and it was nice to revisit.its a nice peaceful island with lovely scenery and beaches
Argostoli
