History
Sightseeing 
Local Gastronomy
Useful information Skiathos is believed to have taken its name from the Pelasgians, the first inhabitants of the island, who were impressed by the shade that covered the island. Then, Skiathos was inhabited by Cretans and Mycenaeans, while in the 7th and 6th century BC, the inhabitants of Chalkida, Evia, colonized Skiathos and created the first fortified city of the island. During the Persian Wars, Skiathos helped the Athenians a lot and its port was used as a fleet base. After the Peloponnesian War, in 404 BC, Skiathos became officially autonomous and independent. But the years of prosperity in Skiathos ended when the Athenians turned it into a military base against Philip II of Macedonia. When the Macedonians conquered Skiathos, they brought tyranny to the island where democracy returned only in 341 BC. After the death of Alexander the Great, a succession of leaders followed throughout Greece and Skiathos during which the Skiathians suffered a lot. In 197 BC, Skiathos regained its democracy. In 325 AD, Christianity appeared in Skiathos, while in the 7th century, Saracen pirates destroyed the island. In 1204, the Crusaders occupied the territories of the Byzantine Empire as well as the Aegean islands and Skiathos that they gave to the Venetians. The Venetians built a castle in Skiathos, known today as Bourtzi. Fast forward in the most recent history, after the Greek Revolution, the city in the Castle (Κastro) was abandoned and the locals moved to the port, where they built a new city. During the German occupation, the city of Skiathos suffered great damage, while it began to develop economically and socially after the wars.
