When somebody travels around Greece, he can find almost everywhere a charming harmonious marriage between history and natural beauty. The Municipality of Mithimna has the privilege to be one of these places. The Municipality of Mithimna has 1500 inhabitants. It is 62 kilometres from the island' s capital. This Municipality is consisted of five villages: the village of Vafio, the village of Sykamnia, the village of Skala Sykamnias, the village of Lepetymnos and the village of Argenos.

    As far as the history of this place, we learn from the mythology and the history that the tribe of Pelasgi were the first colonists of Lesvos. Homer calls the island the King' s Makaros kingdom. Mytilini, Mithimna, Antissa, Arisvi, Pyrra and Eresos were said to be the children of this mythic king. The homonymous towns on the island were named after them. According to mythology, Mithimna was married to Lesbos, a hero from Thessalia. According to another version, she was the wife of Lepetymnos, another hero who gave his name to the homonymous island's mountain. During the War of Troy, the town of Mithimna has been damaged many times by the attacks that the tribe of Acheon made. In one of these attacks, Achilles had besieged the town, which he conquered after the betrayal of Pisidiki, the King' s daughter. She sent a message to Achilles with her nurse, that she would surrender the town if Achilles took her to be his wife. After the conquest of Mithimna though, Achilles punished Pisidiki by killing her because she betrayed her country.

    The ruins of the ancient quay show to us that the ancient port was situated at the same place, where the new one is. The main cemetery of the ancient town of Mithimna was situated to the south of  the city' s wall. The graves, which have been found along the road that starts from Petra and goes to Mithimna, are a proof that this road already existed in the past. Graves have been also found out of the other sides of the wall too.

    Ruins that belong to a town reveal that the town had been later expanded out of the fortified zone, towards the south. As it seems from the ruins of the ancient aqueduct' s conduits, Mithimna was being supplied with water from the springs situated on the slopes of the mountain Lepetymnos. The system that had been applied shows that the aqueduct had been constructed during the Hellenistic era or a little bit earlier. Mithimna has been throughout the centuries the motherland of great writers, such as the poet Arion, who perfected the dithyramb and the writers Ilia Venezi and Argyres Eftalioti.

    This is one of the most ancient towns on the island. It has been, because of its beauty, a place of inspiration for many poets, writers and artists. Anyone who visits this town is amazed every time he sees it appearing in the calm scenery of the olive groove, at the foot of the rock on the top of which the medieval castle dominates. The solid traditional buildings, made of stone or of painted wood, are situated in a labyrinth of narrow streets. On the far side of the town, there is a picturesque small port that completes this unique image. The Municipality of Mithimna is also a place of a deep cultural life. This is obvious from its rich cultural past and from its actual cultural activity. Its cultural tradition that is expressed in various ways is a part of the Greek Civilization that has been developed to the east Aegean. The buildings, the popular art, the painting, the literature, the poetry, the dance and the songs reflect all over the island this cultural activity.

    The visitor discoveries in Mithimna the traditional rhythms that characterize the life when living on an island. The visitor is welcome to be a part of those rhythms thanks to the hospitality of the inhabitants. Tourists have plenty of reasons to visit Mithimna such as the sunrise, the walking around the traditional streets and the venetian castle, the museum, the gallery, the small port and the beach of Eftalou. Many producers and stage managers have chosen Mithimna for their works. One of them was James Parish, who made an excellent presentation of Mithimna through his work, in 1960. The poet Phedonas Theophilos, who comes from Mithimna, expresses the best way, through his work, the beauty and the function of Mithimna