Kontias is one of the biggest villages of Lemnos.Its name, according to tradition, comes from Konteas, a landowner of the region during byzantine times. It is situated at the southwest of the island, 9klm east of the capital Mirina and 14klm from the airport. The visitor that approaches the village from the beautiful Evgatis beach is impressed by the church of Agios Athanasios, which is built on the summit of a hill with pines, and by the windmills with the traditional faucet.
As someone is walking in the village, he/she gets charmed by the houses that are stone built, the traditional manors and the narrow streets. The architecture totally respects the natural environment. You can see small houses everywhere in the surrounding hills next to big rocks covered with pines .You will be surprised by the magic of the landscape, the wisdom of the Creator.
The tall plane trees, which were planted in 1912, remind us the island’s birthday, the year that it was liberated from Turks.Originally the village was built by the sea but in 1600AD the inhabitants were forced to move to the present location because of the pirates.The Castle, also called Vriokastro, was known during the Middle Ages and the turkish occupation and there are traces of the old stronghold.
East of Kontias,in Trohalia, there were found traces of pre-historic settlement.