Rhodes (city)

Rhodes (Greek: Ρόδος, Ródos [ˈroðos]) is the principal city and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.[2] It has a population of approximately 50,000 inhabitants (near 90,000 in its metropolitan area). Rhodes has been famous since antiquity as the site of Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The citadel of Rhodes, built by the Hospitalliers, is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, which in 1988 was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today, the city of Rhodes is an important Greek urban center and popular international tourist destination.

Geography

The city of Rhodes is situated in the north-east tip of the island and forms a triangle from north to south. The municipal unit has an area of 19.481 km2.[3] It is the smallest municipal unit of the island in terms of land area and the largest in population. It borders the Aegean Sea to the north, the east and the west and with the municipalities of Ialysos and Kallithea in the south.
History

For the History of the Citt See History of Rhodes

Government

Rhodes City is the capital of the island of Rhodes which since 2011 became a single municipality and of the Rhodes regional unit. It was the capital of the former Dodecanese Prefecture and currently hosts many offices and services of the South Aegean region.

As an administration centre, the city also hosts numerous offices and services such as:

Dodecanese Police Headquarters
Rhodes Fire Department
Dodecanese Courthouse
Dodecanese Port Police/Coastguard
95 ADTE (Hellenic Army Division Headquarters)
Rhodes Public Tax Office
Rhodes Urban Planning Office
Rhodes Land Registry Office
Rhodes Hellenic Post Office headquarters
Rhodes Municipal Water & Sewage Company
Dodecanese Chamber of Commerce
Rhodes Manpower Office (OAED)
Rhodes Social Security Institute (IKA)
Public Power Corporation (DEI)

Main sights
View of the moat
Interior of the palace

The city is home to numerous landmarks. Some of them date back to antiquity and most of the others remain from the Knights' Period.

Grand Master's Palace (15th century)
Knights Street
La Juderia, including the Kahal Shalom Synagogue
Acropolis of Rhodes
Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent
Medieval walls, created in the mid-14th century on a previous line and remade after the Ottoman siege of 1480 and the earthquake of the following year. In 1522 Suleiman entered the city from the gate of St. Anastasius
Gothic buildings in the historical upper town.
Recently, the Byzantine harbor was excavated, discovering unique medieval shipwrecks.
St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Rhodes

Demographics
Rhodes courthouse (Di Fausto)
Medieval fountain at Hippokratous Square.
The entrance to the Rhodes Archaeology Museum.
Kahal Shalom Synagogue

Both city and island population continue to grow contrary to national levels; the city has an official permanent population of 49,541 in 2011 census but its estimated that some 65–70.000 reside permanently within city limits. During summer population reaches 100.000 due to some 25–30.000 hotel beds operating within city limits as well numerous seasonal workers that migrate from rest of Greece due to high unemployment mostly in peninsular parts of the country.
Year Population Change ±
1951 24,280 -
1961 28,119 +3,839
1971 33,100 +4,981
1981 41,425 +8,325
1991 43,558 +2,133
2001 53,709 +10,151
2011 49,541 -4,168
Education

State facilities by category:

Primary Education: 21 primary schools
Secondary Education: 7 high schools and 7 lyceums
Higher Education: Some departments of the Aegean University, Higher and Lower Tourism Schools and some private institutes

The last years two private schools were also established and offer classes from primary to lyceum education with one located within city limits, Rodion Paideia. The Music School of Rhodes (Greece) can be located just outside Rhodes, in Koskinou village.
Health

Rhodes state general hospital is located in the southwestern district of Agioi Apostoloi. Erected less than 20 years ago, it is a modern facility with many departments as well the base for EKAV ambulances serving the city and island's northern part. Hospital is also equipped with a helicopter landing zone being able to accept urgent cases via airlifts from the rest Dodecanese islands.

A private hospital, Euromedica, also operates just off city limits, in Koskinou western edge. Numerous private medical facilities also operate within city while many private doctors keep their clinics in and around city centre.
Transportation
Air

Both the city and the island of Rhodes are served by Diagoras International Airport, situated 14 km (9 mi) south west of the city. It is connected to all other major Greek airports and to Cyprus throughout the year. During tourism season, international flights connect the island with numerous European cities and with Israel, Egypt and Lebanon.
Sea

The city hosts 3 major ports that each serve a different purpose. Kolona serves intra-Dodecanese traffic, Central serves cruise ships and international traffic and Akandia domestic as well cargo traffic.

Ferries connect daily the island with several nearby islands within the Dodecanese Islands, as well as with the Cycladic Islands and the Greek mainland (Pireaus) while twice weekly a ferry goes to Heraklion, Crete. There are also frequently routes to opposing Turkish coast towns such as Marmaris and Fethiye. Rhodes is also a popular port of call for cruise itineraries, especially in the summer months.

City also hosts two marinas, a municipal one in downtown Mandraki and a private one next to Akandia port.
Surface

The city's public transit system is served by municipal bus company RODA (blue and/or white buses) and consists of a bus network which connects city centre to districts but also connects the city to outlying resorts and towns (Faliraki in the east and Ixia, Ialysos, Tholos in the west) as well Rhodes International Airport. The city centre is also the point of departure for KTEL buses (orange buses) that serve island's east coast suburban routes. There is a proposal for KTEL buses to relocate in available space next to Akandia port but its still unknown if and when this will happen.

Taxis are widely available in the city and usually can be found in designated taxi ranks or via phone call. It is normal during high season rush hours to queue in ranks due to increased demand.

Plans for a 16 km tram network consisting of 2 lines and 13 stations were presented years ago but since then nothing further emerged probably due to lack of funds.

City's road network is mostly old consisting mainly of narrow and one way streets and major arteries can't really cope with increased traffic making congestion unavoidable especially rush hours. Parking especially around city centre and during market hours as well summer season is extremely difficult due to lack of free spaces although it is monitored by the municipality imposing a fee. The municipality is currently redeveloping certain free areas near the centre to parking lots which are expected to lower traffic burden. A ring road also exists but it is unfinished connecting currently Rhodes Port to Rhodes-Kallithea Avenue. City is also the starting point of 3 of island's 5 main avenues connecting it with Faliraki through Rhodes-Kallithea Avenue, Lindos through Rhodes-Lindos Avenue and west coast (Ialysos, Airport, Tholos, Kamiros) through Rhodes-Kamiros Avenue.
Media
Television and radio

Most major nationwide television stations broadcast in the city. There are also five local television stations and a number of local and national radio stations.
Newspapers

There are two daily newspapers issued that deal with both the city and the whole region. Moreover, there are few others with specific themes.

I Rodiaki [1] (translated "The Rhodian", daily exc. Mondays)
I Dimokratiki [2] (translated "The Democrat", daily exc. Mondays)

Sports

The city after a long dark period of almost 15 years is reviving in many team sports. Football and basketball are the most popular but a wide variety is also in development during the last years with the most noticeable in rugby.
Football

The city has two major football teams; Diagoras GS and AS Rodos after a long period are back in national level and competed in Greek National Second Division (Football League) during 2017–18 season with the latter being relegated to local league. Rest of the city-based teams compete in the local Amateur Divisions and include teams that once competed in national level such as ARS Rodiakos and DANS Dorieas.
Basketball

The last 15 years basketball is represented in national level by Kolossos Rodou BC which competes in National A1 Ethniki since 2007. Other teams, either active or defunct, are AS Diagoras Rhodes with notable presence some years ago in national lower-level leagues C and B, Rodion Athlisis, Galazia Akadimia and now defunct ASK Ibiskos, DANS Dorieas and AS Rodos. City also hosts AS Dodekanisos, the pride of the Aegean that competes and stars in the national basketball league for handicapped people.
Volleyball

Rodion Athlisis competes successfully during the last years in A2 Ethniki Volleyball and lost promotion to top tear A1 Ethniki Volleyball for 2 consecutive seasons (2017 and 2018) in playoff games. Rest of city based teams compete in local level.

Other

A variety of other sports is also available and in development in the city. In rugby the recently formed Colossoi of Rhodes reached the top league finals for the second time in a row. The Nautical Club of Rhodes and Ygros Stivos of Rhodes have water polo teams in low level national divisions; the Rhodian Tennis Club play tennis and ping-pong in its privately owned facilities; AS Diagoras Rhodes have competitive teams in cycling and in track and field athletics. Finally, jiu jitsu, karate, tae-kwon-do and other Eastern oriented sports are available with local teams that enjoy sporadic national success.
Sports venues

The city has three major sports venues; the Rhodes Municipal Stadium and the Kallipateira National Athletic Center serve all outdoor activities while the Municipal Indoor Hall of "Venetokleio" serves indoor sports. Agioi Apostoloi municipal stadium serves solely football while privately owned indoor sports arenas are held by Diagoras and Rodion Athlisis clubs with the latter owning and operating also a 25-m indoor swimming pool as well.
Climate

In Köppen climate classification, it is classified as hot-summer Mediterranean climate. The lowest recorded temperature −3 °C (27 °F) and the highest recorded temperature was 42 °C (108 °F).
Climate data for Rhodes

Climate data for Rhodes
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	22.0 (71.6)	22.0 (71.6)	27.4 (81.3)	30.6 (87.1)	34.8 (94.6)	36.2 (97.2)	39.0 (102.2)	41.2 (106.2)	35.4 (95.7)	33.2 (91.8)	28.4 (83.1)	22.8 (73.0)	41.2 (106.2)
Average high °C (°F)	15.1 (59.2)	15.2 (59.4)	16.8 (62.2)	20.0 (68.0)	24.2 (75.6)	28.4 (83.1)	30.5 (86.9)	30.7 (87.3)	28.2 (82.8)	24.5 (76.1)	20.1 (68.2)	16.6 (61.9)	22.5 (72.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	12.0 (53.6)	12.0 (53.6)	13.5 (56.3)	16.3 (61.3)	20.0 (68.0)	24.2 (75.6)	26.4 (79.5)	26.7 (80.1)	24.4 (75.9)	20.7 (69.3)	16.7 (62.1)	13.5 (56.3)	18.9 (66.0)
Average low °C (°F)	8.8 (47.8)	8.8 (47.8)	10.1 (50.2)	12.5 (54.5)	15.8 (60.4)	19.9 (67.8)	22.3 (72.1)	22.7 (72.9)	20.5 (68.9)	16.9 (62.4)	13.2 (55.8)	10.4 (50.7)	15.2 (59.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−4.0 (24.8)	−1.6 (29.1)	0.2 (32.4)	5.2 (41.4)	8.6 (47.5)	12.6 (54.7)	16.8 (62.2)	17.0 (62.6)	10.6 (51.1)	7.2 (45.0)	2.4 (36.3)	1.2 (34.2)	−4.0 (24.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	149.6 (5.89)	105.7 (4.16)	75.6 (2.98)	27.8 (1.09)	18.6 (0.73)	2.3 (0.09)	0.4 (0.02)	0.2 (0.01)	5.8 (0.23)	65.5 (2.58)	94.1 (3.70)	157.4 (6.20)	703 (27.68)
Average rainy days	15.5	12.7	10.5	7.6	4.6	1.2	0.2	0.1	1.5	6.7	9.5	15.4	85.5
Average relative humidity (%)	70.1	69.1	68.7	66.5	64.4	58.5	57.6	59.9	61.4	67.5	71.4	72.4	65.6
Mean daily sunshine hours	5.0	6.0	7.0	9.0	11.0	13.0	14.0	13.0	11.0	8.0	6.0	5.0	9.0
Percent possible sunshine	50	55	58	69	79	87	100	100	92	73	60	50	73
Source 1: Hellinic National Meteorological Service ^[10]
Source 2: NOAA (Record temperature),^[11] Weather Atlas (sunshine data)^[12]

Climate data for Rhodes
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average sea temperature °C (°F)	17.9 (64.2)	17.0 (62.6)	17.1 (62.8)	17.6 (63.7)	20.1 (68.2)	23.4 (74.1)	25.9 (78.6)	27.2 (81.0)	26.7 (80.1)	23.8 (74.8)	20.9 (69.6)	18.8 (65.8)	21.4 (70.5)
Mean daily daylight hours	10.0	11.0	12.0	13.0	14.0	15.0	14.0	13.0	12.0	11.0	10.0	10.0	12.1
Average Ultraviolet index	2	3	5	7	8	10	10	9	7	5	3	2	5.9
Source: Weather Atlas ^[12]

International relations
The Avenue of the Knights.
Consulates

The city of Rhodes is also home to many foreign consulates.[13]

Austria Austria
Belgium Belgium
Denmark Denmark
Finland Finland
France France
Germany Germany
Hungary Hungary

Italy Italy
Netherlands Netherlands
Spain Spain
Sweden Sweden
Turkey Turkey
United Kingdom United Kingdom

Twin towns — sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Greece

Rhodes is twinned with:[14]

Spain Ávila, Spain
United States New Braunfels, United States
France Conches-en-Ouche, France
Sweden Gotland, Sweden
Cyprus Limassol, Cyprus
Australia Perth, Australia
Italy Pisa, Italy
Mexico Puebla, Mexico
United States Rhode Island, United States
Spain Roses, Spain
Malta Valletta, Malta
Ukraine Yalta, Ukraine

Notable people
Panagiotis Rodios

Ancient

Diagoras of Rhodes
Apollonius of Rhodes, poet
Dinocrates, architect
Hieronymus of Rhodes, philosopher
Panaetius, philosopher

Modern

Panagiotis Rodios, military officer, fighter during the Greek War of Independence
Reşit Galip, Turkish politician
Oreste Lionello, Italian actor
Giorgos Skartados, football player
Niki Xanthou, Greek athlete

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