PiraeusPortCity

PiraeusPortCity is an innovative research project that highlights the connection between shipping and maritime trade with industrialization and globalization during the 19th century, through the case study of the city of Piraeus. The project examines the maritime history of the city from 1834 to 1914.

In the newly established Greek state, Piraeus was transformed within a few decades into an international maritime center, while simultaneously standing at the forefront of the country’s industrialization. The creation of a city from scratch in Piraeus was a central element of a strategic political plan aimed at serving as both the national and international port of the Kingdom of Greece, owing to its geographical proximity to the new capital, Athens.

The city attracted populations primarily from the traditional seafaring communities of the Aegean and the Ionian Seas, which had formed the cradle of sailing-ship navigation during the 18th century. The settlement of these maritime populations in neighborhoods around the port, the demographic composition of the new city, and the gradual expansion of its urban fabric reflect the inseparable relationship between the port and the city.

Paradoxically, until today, the history of Piraeus in the 19th and 20th centuries has largely overlooked the port, shipping, and maritime trade, while the city’s industrial character has overshadowed its maritime dimension in historiography.

This research project focuses on studying the development and operation of the port and its surrounding waterfront zone, examining how the maritime economy shaped the city and its local industries and contributed to their remarkable growth. For the first time, Piraeus is systematically studied as a maritime center of the 19th century through a comprehensive approach that jointly considers trade and shipping activity, services and enterprises, port installations and infrastructure, shipbuilding industry, and maritime labor.