Messolonghi, the Holy City as it is called, a source of inspiration for Dionysios Solomos and Lord Byron, is built on a peninsula, between the lagoon of the same name and that of Kleisova, at the mouth of Evinos and Acheloos. >
Messolonghi, with the golden lagoon at sunset, is the capital of the Regional Unit of Etoloakarnania and seat of the Municipality of the Holy City of Messolonghi and has been identified more than any other Greek city with the Struggle of 1821.
The Exit Gate, the earthen fence, the Garden of Heroes with the tomb, where the bones of fighters, statues and busts of fighters and philhellenes are buried, such as Markos Botsaris, Kyriakos Mavromichalis and Lord Byron are just some of evidence of the role played by the city in the struggle for independence.
The Municipal Gallery, which is housed in the City Hall, permanently houses a collection of paintings by Greek and foreign painters of the 19th and 20th century, lithographs and various objects related to 1821: leaves of the Greek Chronicles of Mager, objects of Byron, who died in Messolonghi etc.
To the northwest of Messolonghi there are the ruins of Plevrona (“Asfakovouni”), a city which is mentioned in the works of Homer. He participated in the Trojan War and was destroyed by Demetrios of Aetolia. The new city, built on the ruins of the old one, was one of the most important in Aetolia and had 30 towers and 7 gates. The ruins of an ancient theater still exist.
The name Messolonghi was first mentioned by Venetos Paroutas, who described the naval battle of Lepanto near Nafpaktos. Several historical sources state that the name Messolonghi comes from the union of the two Italian words, Μezzo / messo and langi which means “a place in the middle of lakes” or “a place surrounded by lakes”.
From the settlement of the fishermen who lived there, a small naval center was formed, which within a few decades developed into an important commercial port. In 1726 the sub-consulate of Venice was founded in Messolonghi with Naxios Spyridon Barotsis as its first consul.
From 1804 to 1820, the historic city was under the rule of Ali Pasha of Ioannina. The most important page of its history was written with the heroic Exodus (April 10, 1826) of the Messolonghi after a months-long siege by the Turks, a fact that sealed the modern Greek history. The city remained under Turkish rule until 1829 and then reconstruction began. In 1937 Messolonghi was designated as a “Holy City”.
The Exit of Messolonghi
After the conquest of the islet of Vasiladi, the inhabitants of which took refuge in Messolonghi, aggravating the food problem of the city with their movement, Ibrahim sought to exhaust the besieged by cutting off all communication and supply routes. Miaoulis did not succeed despite his efforts this time to end the blockade and supply Messolonghi with food and weapons. George Karaiskakis, although he undertook to attack from the slopes of Zygos, hoping to create a distraction to the besiegers, finally failed to fulfill his promise, since Ibrahim had been informed of the plans of the besieged by an independent foreigner.
Thus, on the night of April 10, 1826, they organized the forces into three corps, under the command of Notis Botsaris, Dimitrios Makris and Kitsos Tzavelas, in the middle of the triangle, which would form these forces, the women and children were placed. Ibrahim’s surprise caused great confusion on the other side and the unequal struggle that followed was overwhelming. However, the vanguard of the Exodus corps advanced, crossing the Turkish ranks and reaching the decimals of Zygos and from there to Amfissa.
Messolonghi remained under Turkish rule for about 3 years, while on May 2, 1829 the city was surrendered by treaty to the new Greek state.
The lagoon of Messolonghi
The shallow lagoon of Western Central Greece is the most important of those formed due to the alluvium of the rivers Evinos and Acheloos. The area is famous for its rich bird and fish fauna. Its shallow waters help to develop a rich flora of vultures and sea urchins, which are food for tens of thousands of ducks, divers, egrets, cormorants, gulls while regular is the presence of birds of prey, such as scissors and king eagle (Aquila helia). p>
Messolonghi is known for its fishery products, especially the famous roe, mullet, since the adjacent lagoon is an ideal place for fish farming. The lagoon with its picturesque “pelades” – the small wooden houses on stilts, in the water – is protected by the well-known Ramsar Convention and is an environmental park and ecosystem.
Museum of History and Art of Messolonghi
The two rooms on the ground floor house memorabilia, personal items and the statue of the Philhellene poet Lord Byron, as well as paintings and lithographs with themes from the life and work of the poet during the revolution of 1821. Documents are also on display. and objects from the twinning of the city of Messolonghi with the city of Gendling of Lord Byron.
The museum is housed in a two-storey neoclassical building built in 1931 [11]. The entrance to the museum is dominated by the busts of two of the five prime ministers from Messolonghi, Charilaos Trikoupis and Epamineondas Deligeorgis.
The rooms on the first floor house the gallery’s collection of about 450 works of oil paintings, lithographs, watercolors, copperplates and rich photographic material. The gallery’s collection also includes works of great artistic and historical value for the city of Messolonghi, such as the “Exodus of Messolonghi” and the “Arrival of Lord Byron in Messolonghi”, copies of Angelos Kasolas and Giannis Kasolas, respectively, of the originals Theodorou Vryzaki, “The explosion of Christos Kapsalis” and the valuable work of the French painter De Lasanc, entitled “The sacrifice of the mother”, which depicts a Mesolonghi woman, who, during the siege of the city by the Turks, has kill the child she holds in her arms and prepares to kill herself.
In the same space are also exhibited weapons of fighters of 1821, ecclesiastical objects from the same period, such as the chalice and the cross of the sanctification of Metropolitan Rogon Joseph, a series of post-Byzantine icons and documents from the twinning of Messolonghi with the city of Sheffield birthplace of the publisher of the first newspaper in liberated Greece (Greek Chronicles) by Johann Jacob Mager.
Salt Museum
The first and only thematic salt museum in Greece operates in Tourlida of Messolonghi, in the salt flats and next to the lagoon.
The museum was founded on the initiative of the speech and art center “Diexodos”, whose founder is Nikos Kordosis. The visitor of the museum will learn everything related to salt from its first appearance on the planet, until today, ie its relationship with the economy, health, agriculture, animal husbandry, the environment, tourism and religion.
Culture
In the city are, among others, the residence of the Trikoupi family, the poet Kostis Palamas, the Valveios library, which is also the public municipal library of the city with rare books and documents, the contemporary art gallery of Christos and Sofia Moschandreou with a number of works by important Greek authors.
Trikoupi family home
At the site of this mansion, the ancestor of the family Georgakis Trikoupis built the ancestral home of the family in 1730. Again, around 1850, the uncles of Charilaos, Apostolis and Themistocles, built the current house in which the descendants of the latter lived, until the middle of the eighties. In 1992, the last male to bear the surname Trikoupis, the former Secretary General of Ministries and Minister, Konstantinos, donated it to the Municipality of I.P. Messolonghi. It has been operating as a museum since 1994.
Palama House
In this house was born in 1722 the ancestor of the Palamas and teacher of our nation Panagiotis Palamas. Our national poet Kostis Palamas stayed in the same house. The house is located just opposite the Trikoupi house. Its facade is decorated with domes and a glass veranda, which gives it a special tone and makes it stand out from the other mansions. In his rooms there are exhibits (printed and photographic material, personal items, utensils, etc.) from the life and work of the Mesolonghi poet.
When he was just 6 years old, he lost his parents in 40 days. Together with his older brother, they were transferred to Messolonghi, to the house of their uncle Dimitris Palamas. He lived in Messolonghi, where he loved and sang so nostalgically, until 1875, when he left for Athens and enrolled in the Law School. It did not take him long to realize that his real inclination was poetry and leaving his studies he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the art of speech and especially poetry. After all, from the age of nine he wrote lyrics and read Greek and foreign poets.
Valve House
This house housed the politician Zafirios-Zenovios Valvis. It was built with the same architectural austerity that the house of Charilaos Trikoupis was built. This building together with the remarkable library of the prime minister was donated by his heirs to the Municipality of Messolonghi (in 1962) and today it is used as a municipal library.
Also there, the Center of Speech and Art, the Exit is one of the most important cultural cells not only of the city, but of the whole of Western Greece, which is responsible for organizing most events such as exhibitions, seminars, video screenings, presentations, scientific and the Museum of History and Art in Markos Mpotsari Square with rich memories of the Struggle of 1821. The walls and the gate of the city remain imposing, while in the Garden of Heroes are buried many known and unknown heroes who fought in the Heroic Exodus. >
Beaches
Tourlida
An island, 5 km south of Messolonghi, connected to the city by a narrow road. The road, which starts from the port and crosses the lagoon, will give you a magical route, which you can enjoy by car, bicycle and even on foot. It got its name from a species of seabird that existed there, the Tourlides.
Arriving in Tourlida, you can swim in its beautiful beach, where the open sea meets the waters of the lagoon, but also admire the settlement with wooden houses (pelades). On the island you will see one of the two salt flats of Messolonghi, the so-called “Black Salt”.
Διονι
It is located on the north side of the Acheloos estuary. To get there one passes through the plain of the Occupation and from Oiniades, covering a distance of about 16 kilometers. It offers stunning sunsets and views of the Ionian Islands. It is part of the famous ecosystem of the area. The beach is sandy and shallow.
Louros
Louros is one of the best beaches in the prefecture of Etoloakarnania. It is located 17 kilometers southwest of Neochori and is about half an hour from Messolonghi. It is a vast sandy beach, about 7 km long and is a protected wetland, having been protected by the RAMSAR Convention since 1974.
The route followed to reach the beach of Louros is extremely interesting. There you will meet cows and pigs grazing freely and wild horses proudly enjoying their walk in nature. A landscape of wild natural beauty, a unique natural zoo.
