The capital and port of the island is Myrina, with a population of 5,000 inhabitants.
It is built on the same position which was the ancient city with the same name. Stretched out in front on two beaches which have between them, a steep and rocky peninsula, with the imposing castle and a wonderful view to the sea.
It is a beautiful town built in a traditional style. The sights of the city are: Karatzadeios Library, the Cathedral dedicated to the Holy Trinity with two wonderful belltowers, the Archaeological – Byzantine Museum with the largest collection of archaeological findings.
The harbor is one of the major points of interest in the city in which located several services, too.
From here starts the shopping street that connects the two bays.
Myrina divided in two settlements: the “Chas” and the “Andronis”. The “Chas” is a Russian word that means “station” and maintained by the years in which the brothers Orlof, had beleaguered Turks in the castle of Myrina. For the name of the settlement “Andronis”, there are two points. The first is based on the relative myth according to, women of Lemnos cast all men of the island, from the Cape Petassos because they had dropped out them because of the stench of their bodies. At first, the area was named “Androfonion” and later “Andronion (Andronis). Although, most likely is the second version in which the settlement received the name of Andronikos III Palaiologos (1328-1341).
The castle: It dates from the 12th AD century and was built on the ruins of earlier Pelasgians wall. It is a registered trademark of the settlement and its’ view is phantasmagorial when illuminated at night. The view that is breathtaking is unique since everyone can see even Athos, according to the verse of Sophocles’ “scare away Limnia buff”. In the castle, there are freely around 200 deer, which is another special touch to the landscape. The present castle view dates up to 1207, when the Venetian hegemonies of the island, repaired it.
The Romeikos Gialos: North of the castle, Romeikos Gialos is one of the two main districts of the city with fabulous neoclassical mansions, all built in the second half of the 19th century. It was the “Greek quarter” of the years of Ottoman domination and was named with this name, as opposed to the Turkish Yialos, located east of the castle and was the place where the Turks lived. These houses, testify to the strength and the richness of the inhabitants of Lemnos who worked as traders in the cosmopolitan centers of the season, Odessa, Trieste and Alexandria.
The Archaeological Museum: The Archaeological Museum situated At the Romeikos Gialos, with very interesting exhibits from the excavations of the Archaeological Service and of the Italian Archaeological School. Its’ rooms are extremely elegant and attentive. The museum idea for the presentation of exhibits from the prehistoric to the Byzantine period is very impressive.
The Museum includes the following collections:
– Prehistoric finds in Poliochni
– Archaic – Roman finds in Kaveirio
– Geometrical – Hellenistic finds in Hephaestus
– Prehistoric Finds in Koukonisi
– Findings in the rescue excavations in Lemnos.
The Ecclesiastical Museum: In a short distance located the Metropolitan Building which houses the Ecclesiastical Museum of the island with many dishes, icons, vestments and other sacred relics. Just beyond is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity which was built with fishers’ money inhabitants of Lemnos in the position of an old wooden church, in which Metropolitan of the island, Ioakim hanged by the Turks in 1870.
The Temple of Artemis: Near the city and into the area of the hotel complex “Porto Palace”, situated the Temple of Artemis, which discovered in 1993. The Sanctuary (in various phases of the Archaic to the Hellenistic period) except the main building has an outdoor paved area, each of which there were rooms, auxiliary worship.