The Port of Argostoli: From Past to Present

Table of Contents

How it all started

De Bosset Bridge before the earthquake of 1953

De Bosset Bridge: From the 1953 earthquake
until today

The Obelisk of De Bosset Bridge: a landmark
of Argostoli

De Bosset Bridge: Then and Now

Sea turtles in the port of Argostoli

Spotting some Careta Careta turtles in the bay

The Old Port of Argostoli

The Old Market

The market shortly after 1953

The port of Argostoli today

The Cruise Ship Terminal (“Bastouni”)

Memorials at "Bastouni"

The statue of Nikos Kavvadias

The Lighthouse of Saint Theodore

Lighthouse of Saint Theodore: Then and Now

References - Πηγές

Our team

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How it all started...

Argostoli is the capital town of Kefalonia, with a population of about 10,000 people. It is situated on the south-west coast of the island, upon a sheltered bay which blends into the Koutavos Lagoon, home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. As a natural harbour, one of the few in the entire Mediterranean, it became the capital of the island in 1757. But how did this happen?

Before that 1757, the capital of the island was the Venetian Castle of St George. The castle, originally built by the Byzantines in the 12th century, was fortified by the Venetians who occupied the island in 1500. It became the island's capital and administrative centre as it offered protection against frequent pirate attacks.

St George's Castle

Gravour of Argostoli, 1757

After the Naval Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the Meditteranean coasts became safer and Greek commerce and shipping started growing. As a result, people gradually moved to coastal areas that offered natural protection, such as the the coastline around Koutavos Lagoon, at the east end of Argostoli bay. Gradually, the small fishermen's village in the area expanded and became more organised, including a dock, proper houses that replaced the old huts and churches.

An aerial view of Argostoli bay

It took some time for the Venetian government to realise that the sheltered bay upon which the small town of Argostoli sat, providing protection as well as trading opportunities, was the ideal spot for building the new capital of the island. In 1757, despite numerous objections by the nobles and locals, the administrative centre was moved from the St George's Castle to Argostoli.

Argostoli developed into one of the busiest ports in Greece, leading to prosperity and growth. Today the municipal unit of Argostoli comprises an area of 157.670 km2 and a population of 10,633 according to the 2011 cencus.

De Bosset Bridge before the earthquake of 1953

De Bosset Bridge is a stone bridge built in 1813 over the bay of Argostoli. At 689.9 meters, it is the longest stone bridge over the sea in the world. When the the Ionian Islands were under British patronage, part of the occupation costs were reimbursed in the form of infrastructure projects. In 1810, the Swiss engineer Charles Philip de Bosset, who was appointed as the island governor by the British who occupied the Ionian Islands at the time, placed emphasis of his activity on the road and bridge construction. Numerous connections were shortened with bridges. The biggest project, however, was the bridge over the bay of Argostoli to Drapano, which shortened the way to Lixouri and the north of the island. It separates Koutavos lagoon from the rest of Argostoli bay.

In 1812, De Bosset presented his idea of a bridge to the island council, which had to confirm the construction. Counterargument was that the bridge could give robbers a slight escape route, since its northern end is (then as today) unpopulated. In a meeting, De Bosset struck a sword on the table and proclaimed that if necessary he could cut treaties with his sword.

When Ch. J. Napier (1822-1830) was surveyor on the island, he finished the bridge, but the bridge took its final form several years later, under the surveillance of British Baron C. J. D' Everton (1842-1848). The administration, having recognized its usefulness, decided to completely reconstruct it piece by piece with stone. The bridge pavement was loaded on 16 low stone arches.

The first cars appeared on the bridge in the 1920s. In 1931, the regional road of Koutavos was built, so fewer cars crossed bridge.

During World War II, the bridge was further damaged. In 1940, the Italian bombing caused cracks in the bridge. In 1944, the Germans placed explosive devices along the waterfront and the bridge of Argostoli. They intended to set them on fire, when they would leave the island in September of the same year. However, they were watched by local militants in collaboration with Italian and Slovenian soldiers, who cut the cables and saved the bridge and the city.

De Bosset Bridge:
From the 1953 earthquake until today

The earthquake of 1953 caused significant damage to the bridge, such as extensive deck collapses, intense sedimentation and local collapses. During the 1960s and 1970s, parts of the bridge were completely rebuilt.

In 2005, a study of the strengthening and restoration of the bridge was carried out by the Laboratory of Soil Engineering, Foundations and Geotechnical Seismic Engineering of the University of Athens, under the auspices of the Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments of the EPAO.
"The interventions proposed," the researchers say, "were recently implemented, prior to the strong earthquakes that hit Kefalonia on 26/01/2014 and 03/02/2014, respectively, contributing to the very good behavior of De Bosset bridge without observed damage or failures, despite the high acceleration values recorded".

Today, the bridge has been pedestrianised and is open to the public. Locals and tourists can go for a walk and enjoy the green surrounding landscape combined with the calm waters of Koutavos lagoon. At sunset, the sky is filled with shades of fire. When it gets dark, two rows of street lights light up that form the way to the bridge.

The iconic Obelisk or "Colona" (Greek word for 'column') was built by De Bosset, who wished to set up a monument in honour of the British nation, under whose command the most important work of the bridge was carried out.

The Obelisk of De Bosset Bridge:
a landmark of Argostoli

Where the waters are shallower, a square stone base was formed, which was surrounded by 12 columns, and in the middle of it an obelisk was placed in two tiers made of pieces of hard stone, with the inscription " ΤΗ ΔΟΞΗ ΤΩΝ ΒΡΕΤΤΑΝΩΝ ΟΙ ΚΕΦΑΛΛΗΝΕΣ ΑΩΙΓ" in Greek, Latin, English and Italian on its four sides, which means "to the glory of the British, the people of Cephalonia 1813".