The town of Zakynthos, with a population of 10,000 inhabitants, is the capital, situated in the eastern part of the island. Most of the old town was ruined in 1953, during the earthquake which shocked the Ionian Islands and from which only a few buildings and churches servived. Upon the ruins, the new town was built, preserving the traditional architecture of the Ionian Islands. It was only fair to call Zakynthos "Fioro di Levante" (Flower of Lavender), because of the town's beauty and gentility. The crowded highway by the sea, Strata Marina, and the surrounding alleys concentrate the biggest part of the island's commercial and cultural life. The town's most significant churches that survived the 1953 earthquake, are: Panagia Agelon, Panagia Faneromeni, Agios Nikolaos Molou and the church of the island's protector - saint, Agios Dionissios. One should also visit the town' s museums: the Museum of Dionissios Solomos and of other prominent Zakynthians, the Byzantine Museum, the Museum of Occupation and Resistance against the Germans and the Municipal Library. From the town, one should visit the hill of Strani, where Dionissios Solomos stood and gazed at the sea. In the central square one will admire the statue of Dionissios Solomos. On top of the hill around which the town is built, one will admire the ruins of a Venetian fortress. From the hill's slope where Bohari is situated, one will admire the majestic view.