A brief history of Syros printing

One of the four major printing centers of the modern Greek state, established after the arrival of Kapodistrias as the first Governor of Greece, was the island of Syros.

Everything began in 1828, when two books were printed in Hermoupolis: a cookbook and a translation of Racine’s Phaedra. The first known printing house at the time was that of Sfoinis, in 1830—a teacher who came to Syros from Samos to set up a small printing shop in what today is Miaouli Square. His press was very small and operated by just two people: Sfoinis himself and a printer from Chios, who had learned the craft in his homeland, at a press run under the direction of a German called Bayscheffer.

In 1831, another printing house was established by N. Gravinos and I. Garoufalis. From this press came one of the first arithmetic school textbooks, Anthology of Arithmetic by Georgios Papa Stamatiou Chartoulari, printed that same year. At some point, the business was sold to Ioannis Lekatis, and part of its equipment was later used in the first printing house to operate in Samos from 1832 onward.

In 1834, the “Greek Missionary Society of America”, led by I. I. Robertson, was transferred from Athens to Hermoupolis. Between 1834 and 1838, it printed more than 50 different books. The enterprise, which gave strong impetus to the city—its printing activity keeping pace with the intense rhythms of commercial and social life—was later sold to the publisher Pantelis K. Pantelis. In 1835, the printer Georgios Melistagis settled on the island, followed in 1836 by G. Polymeris. Twenty years later, in 1856, Renieris Printezis established a printing house equipped with the most contemporary machinery, which is estimated to have printed around 1,200 books by 1900. In 1862, Syros acquired its first lithography workshop, where visiting cards, letterheads, calligraphic works, maps, and insurance share certificates were produced.

Printing in Hermoupolis became closely linked with the art of engraving, capturing the history of Syros (around 1870–1970) through illustrated editions. According to the study by Andreas Choumis (1901), “The matrices were made by a man named Hadjis, originally from Epirus, who was a goldsmith. Konstantinos Dimidis, mentioned earlier, and the German Karl Hartmann, a chemical goldsmith and seal engraver, practiced this art in Syros until 1837.”

It is estimated that during the 19th century alone, more than 1,500 titles of books, newspapers, calendars, and labels were published in Hermoupolis, reinforcing the city’s role as a center for the circulation of ideas and news throughout the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. Among the first newspapers printed in Syros were Perierga (1832, only one issue published), the Greek-French Hellenic Bee (1832), Hermes (1837), and Mousa by Georgios D. Rigas (1838).

In Hall 1 of the museum, visitors can discover this fascinating history of Syros printing. Printing presses, paper-cutting machines, type cases, and various printing tools evoke memories of a major center of publishing activity. A prominent exhibit is the press used to print Tharros, one of the longest-running newspapers of Syros.