Lesvos, Economy

The warm climate, the rich soil and the plentiful waters have created the shades of blue and green Lesvos that the visitor enjoys today. The vast areas planted with olive-trees are interspersed with dense pinewoods. The island is said to have more hours of sun than any of the other Greek islands. The economy of Lesvos is mainly based on agriculture and stock breeding. The main products are olive oil, cheese and ouzo.
In former times Lesvos was a station for ships travelling from Istanbul to Smyrna, during that era oil presses, tanneries and mills were busy working around the clock. It had a flourishing economy, especially around the Gulfs of Kaloni and Yera where old factories are still a silent witness to that prosperous time.
Other witnesses to the former wealth are the large neo-classical houses you can still find in Mytilini, Petra and Molyvos. Around Mytilini you find the so called tower-houses which were the country houses of rich landowners during the 18th and 19th centuries.
According to mythology, Lesvos, son of Lapithes, King of Thessaly, and grandson of Aeolus, sailed to Lesvos where he married Mythimna, one of the daughters of the ruling and legendary king Makaras who had four other daughters: Mytilini, Pyrrha, Antissa and Arisvi. The children of Makaras later gave their names to the most important towns of Lesvos, not all of which have survived to this day.
The tourist business took off in the nineteen eighties. Though tourism flourished, the island has never developed big tourist centres as on the popular islands of Crete, Rhodes or Corfu. Lesvos is still a relatively original Greek island where beauty, serenity and moderation is everywhere to be found.