Second World War

During World War II, Zakynthos and the rest of Greece was occupied first by Italy and then by Germany from 1941 until its liberation in September 1944. But the inhabitants of Zante resisted the effects of fascist domination and even harbored a community of Jews on the island. The community numbered 275 Jews and all survived the war. They owed this to the courageous action of Bishop Chrysostomos and Mayor Carrero, who were ordered to hand over a list of the names of the Jews living on the island, and they wrote only their names. Meanwhile, the local Jews were hiding in the mountain villages.

Earthquakes

After the war, however, the island received another shock, in 1953 Zakynthos was hit by a very destructive earthquake of 7.2 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was at the southern edge of the neighbouring island of Kefalonia and a total of three tremors were recorded.

The earthquake virtually destroyed the nearby island of Kefalonia and caused considerable damage to Zante. The town of Zakynthos was razed to the ground and the earthquake was followed by major fires which resulted in the loss of a significant amount of the island's cultural heritage. Ancient and unique buildings were also destroyed and almost nothing of the beautiful architecture of the island remains. Only three buildings remain intact - the Cathedral of St Dionysus, the National Bank building and the Church of St Nicolas.

However, there was an immediate wave of solidarity from other countries, especially the USA, Britain, France and Norway, which provided the affected islands with cash donations, medical supplies and other forms of aid. The story goes that the first ship to reach Zante was from Israel, carrying aid with the message "The Jews of Zakynthos have never forgotten their mayor, their beloved bishop and what they did for us." Thanks to the help of the government, donations from other countries and above all the great efforts of the residents, the town was rebuilt.

The Capital City Museum of Art owns a unique scale model of the city before the earthquake.

Modern era

Today's Zakynthos is characterized by a lively tourism, which began to develop here in the 1960s and especially in the 1980s, when the first organized tourist tours arrived on the island. Tourism is now the largest component of the island's economy, while agriculture remains an important employment sector for the people of Zante.

Zakynthos is known for its beautiful nature, where you will find many protected plants and animals. Unfortunately, the development of tourism is taking its toll in this area. It's a vicious circle - the natural environment would be helped by fewer tourists, but on the other hand, it's the unique nature of the island that attracts them here. One example is the sighting of the protected Caretta caretta turtles, which are the attraction of most of Zante's promotional material.

Even in the modern era of Greek history, several earthquakes have hit the island. The most significant of these hit the area in 2008, when an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale was measured. Fortunately, this event was without major damage to the health of the inhabitants and their property.