History meets beauty

History meets beauty

Greece
Aegean Sea
Dodekanesos complex
Leros island

Leros is a tiny little marvel in the Dodekanesian complex of Aegean Sea. not much laurated by current turistic fame as Myconos or Santorini but loaded with history and beauty. The bay of Lakki is considered as the deepest natural harbor in Mediterranean Sea serving as a perfect anchorage for italian and german battleships during world war ii. Mussolini adored the island and had it as his summer resort building a wonderful villa there. In 1943 after Italy's withdrawal from Axis the famous battle of Leros took place ther with the island suffering terrible airaids by Luftwafe Stukas with German parashutist troops invading the island and eventually getting command. the island subsequently, as German anchorage, suffered new airraids by the Allied forces till it was finally evacuated by the Germans at the end of the war.
Nowadays, when someone sitts peacefully by the shore sipping a drink and enjoying the beauty and bliss of Lakki bay instead of sirenes and bombing he can only hear the creeping of the flying seagulls....

In the photo the castle built in the Byzantine era and the capital town of Platanos underneath.