The houses of Ano Syros
The houses of Ano Syros are of folk architecture and
they are divided in ground-floor, upper-floor and two-storey houses, which
appeared after the first two. They have the ground floor with the kitchen or
other auxiliary rooms and strorage rooms. On the upper-floor, where someone climbs
passing by the yard, there is the parlour and the bedrooms.

“Themonies” (small farm houses)
They were sets of rural buildings which consisted of the main “themonia”, the “kalyvi” (hut) and the so-called “apoklistra” (the surrounding wall). All the Syrians had “themonies” inside
their farmlands in order to store their tools or so as they can protect
themselves from the heat, the cold and the rain. Later on from “themonies” came
the “katikies”, the rural houses of the Syrians. The materials they used were
the wood, the reeds, the black rock, the stone and the iron in order to
construct the crossbars in the houses.

“Mitata” (stone huts)
It was the main livestock building and it had a
curved shape. They were built under rocks or on their side and they seemed to constitute
unified buildings. Around them there was the fold in which the sheep used to
gather.

Neorio of Ermoupoli
In the past at
Neorio there was a lazaretto and around it there were the old tanneries.
Between 1970-1973 it got extended and the old pier built between 1856-1857 by
designs of G. Metaxas disappeared. In the centre there is still the initial
factory, which was built in 1860, by designs made in Europe under the
supervision of P. Sapmo. The old foundry is still housed in one of its wings.
The first iron steamboat was built here in 1892 and the second one between
1903-1904.Its cranes stand out from afar and the activity in the
area is increased. Neorio of Ermoupoli is considered
one of the most important shipbuilding and repair units in Greece.
The factories
Apart from the shipyards, Ermoupoli had mechanical tanneries,
smithies, saw mills, and soap industries which operated circa 1860. There were
also mills, glass industries, “loukoumi” industries etc. When the port
declined, in the 1880s, these industries were shrinked. In late 19th
century the textile industry flourished and up to 1910 at least 24 factories
were created. Today many of the old factories have been demolished, and others
have changed their use.
You will find interesting data about this topic at the site of the
Municipality of Syros www.hermoupolis.gr and
at www.ketepo.gr,
the site of the Industrial
Museum of Ermoupolis.
