The Piraeus history: Piraeus is surrounded by the sea and this influences the pace of life here. During the ancient times it was an island and the travelers were transferred from the inland. The town planning was realized by architect Ippodamos in mid-5th century B.C. The plans of Ippodamos were used as guidelines for the second planning of the town in 1834. Themistocles was the first one to realize its importance for the city of Athens and to promote it to be the major port in order to replace the Faliros Bay, which was used by the Athenians until the 5th century B.C.Aiming to create a fortified port for the city of Athens, within the period from 493 to 479 B.C. he constructed the Piraeus Wall.