18th-Century Cannon

At the entrance to the village of Agios Efstratios stands an 18th-century muzzle-loading cannon, raised from the sea during restoration works on the harbor after the 1968 earthquake. Made of cast iron, it has three unequal bands separated by broad rings. At the front is the muzzle, in the center the trunnions are visible, and at the rear the cascabel with the vent for the fuse. An inscription on the trunnion records the year 1764 and the Swedish foundry Stafsjö Bruk, then under Von Berchner. The gun likely comes from the wreck of a warship or pirate vessel, perhaps linked to the Orlov Revolt (1770–71) or the War of 1821, in which Agios Efstratios’ sailors played an active part. Beside the cannon is a large-caliber shell from a German artillery piece of World War II, recalling later conflicts in the NE Aegean.