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| 1925 Mykonos - Kato Mili in Chora |
Posted on 29.09.2015, 12.10.2016
Nicknamed The Island of the Winds, Mykonos is one of the Cyclades islands, which neighbour Delos in the Aegean Sea. It rises to an elevation of 341m, and has about 10,000 inhabitants, most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, also known as Chora (i.e. the Town in Greek). There are two seasonal winds in Mykonos. The one in winter, the Sirocco, a famous southern wind, which carries sands from the deserts that border the Mediterranean. In the summer a cooling wind comes from the north, the Meltemi. As a result, the windmills are a defining feature of the Mykonian landscape.
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| 2815 Mykonos - Panagia Paraportiani in Chora |
There are many windmills around the island, but most are concentrated in Chora. The famous "Kato Mili" (Greek for lower mills), stand in a row on a hill overlooking the sea to harness the strong northern winds. With a round shape, white colour and capped with wood and straw, the windmills were built by the Venetians in the 16th century to mill flour, and remained in use until the early 20th century. Many have been refurbished and restored to serve as homes to locals and vaults to numerous Mykonian heritage documents.
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