Thucydides in his tours, when referring to Igoumenítsa, called it “Limín Érimon (Deserted Port)”.
According to mythology, the two islands at the entrance of the port of Igoumenítsa (Ágios Diónysos and Prasoúdi), were the rocks thrown by the Cyclops on the ships of Odysseus, during the Homeric Odyssey.
The first settlement of the island began in the 2nd millennium BC. From 1100 BC until the 1st century BC Igoumenítsa had an oligarchic regime, due to the fact that it was conquered by Dorians and then allied with Sparta.
Igoumenítsa did not participate at all in the Hellenic-Persian wars (499-449 BC). However, later, it took part in the naval battle of Sývota, between Corfu and Corinth, in 433 BC and was on the side of Corinth. In the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the inhabitants of Igoumenítsa were allies of the Spartans.
In 168 BC, Igoumenítsa falls into Roman hands. The Roman general Lucius Emilius Paulus destroyed, looted and deserted the cities of Epirus, including Igoumenítsa, taking those who survived captive. Thus, the area was abandonned for a long time.
During the Byzantine years, Igoumenítsa, along with the other cities of Thesprotía, received many attacks from various enemies, pirates, Avars, Bulgarians, Goths, Vandals and others.
After the Fourth Crusade (1204 AD), Igoumenítsa along with two other cities were given as a dowry for the marriage of Prince Philip Taranto with queen Tamar of Epirus.
When the Venetians came to Igoumenítsa in 1684, they upgraded the Roman fortress but, in the same year, the Ottomans entered Igoumenítsa, took the castle and used it to drive out the Venetians.
The following year, the Venetian admiral Morosini destroyed the castle and the few surviving Ottomans left and never returned (the ruins of the castle remain to this day). In addition, Morosini, after destroying the castle, took its 12 cannons and transported them to Corfu, so that it would not be used again.
The next rulers of Igoumenítsa were the French, together with the Venetians, until 1797 when the Ottoman Ali Pasha took Igoumenítsa from French-Venetian hands. Igoumenítsa remained in the Turkish yoke until 1913, when it was reunited with the rest of Greece.
In 1944 the city was destroyed by Nazi arson and after that it only had few houses, few roads and a small fishing port. The road network, the city and the large international port we see today began to be built in 1960.
Archaeological Museum of Igoumenítsa: A small museum, but which has all the history of the area of Thesprotia.
Venetian Castle: A castle built by the Romans and later upgraded by the Venetians. Today, unfortunately, only a few ruins remain.
Sagiáda: A small, beautiful fishing village with a long history. They come from all the surrounding areas for its fish taverns.
