Shipping flourished on Andros especially during the 19th century. The most important families of sailors and shipping magnates of Andros were the Embirikos, Polemis, Palaiokrassas, Goulandris, Kambanis and Vogiatzidis families. These families played an important role on the island, as their shipping companies had the monopoly on the sea transport of people and goods to India, America, the Danube countries and other places. The people of Andros became sailors mainly during the interwar period and the capital of the island was the second largest port in Greece in terms of registered vessels. After Chora’s bombing during World War II, this golden age came to an end. The Maritime Museum of Chora is an ark of knowledge about the island’s nautical history. It was founded in 1972 through a donation by the family of Nikolaos I. Goulandris. It houses many kinds of exhibits, such as uniforms, navigation instruments, ship’s manifests and logbooks, handwritten maritime training manuals, portraits and ship models. Tel.: +30 22820 22275 (open only during the summer).
Andros Maritime Museum
