The Statue of Hippocrates in Kos Town is one of the newest monuments on the island where the father of Western medicine was born. It was unveiled on 1 October 2023 beside the path that leads from the harbour to the Plane Tree of Hippocrates, and it shows him holding a staff with a serpent wound around it, the ancient symbol of medicine. The unveiling ended with a performance of the Hippocratic Oath.
The Statue of Hippocrates at a glance
- Where: in Kos Town, close to the harbour, on the way from the port to the Plane Tree of Hippocrates and Nerantzia Castle.
- Unveiled: on 1 October 2023.
- By: the sculptor Giorgos Kikotis. The statue was donated by Dimitris Tassios, a Greek-American whose family comes from Kos.
- What it is today: an open-air monument to Hippocrates in his home town, which you can see at any time of day.
- Time needed: 5–10 minutes, longer if you walk on to the plane tree.
The doctor from Kos
Hippocrates was born on Kos around 460 BC and is often called the father of medicine. He and his followers explained illness through natural causes rather than the anger of the gods, and they insisted on careful observation of the patient. Dozens of medical texts, known together as the Hippocratic Corpus, were later gathered under his name, although they were written by several authors over a long period. The same goes for the Hippocratic Oath: it carries his name, but historians doubt that he wrote it himself.
Kos has honoured him for a very long time. The Asklepieion, the healing sanctuary of the god Asclepius just outside the town, was built mostly after his death. A large ancient statue usually identified as Hippocrates stands in the Archaeological Museum on Eleftherias Square. The 2023 statue adds a modern figure in the open air, paid for by a member of the Kos diaspora. Local officials, hundreds of residents and guests came to the unveiling.
What to look for
- The staff with a single serpent wound around it: the rod of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. It is still the symbol of medicine today, used for example by the World Health Organization.
- Compare it in your mind with the caduceus, the winged staff with two snakes carried by Hermes, which is often used by mistake as a medical symbol. Hippocrates holds the right one.
- The setting by the harbour: fishing and excursion boats in front, and the walls of the Knights' castle only a short walk away.
- The path itself: the statue stands on the way to the plane tree where, legend says, Hippocrates taught. Follow it to see the two together.
Legend: teaching under the plane tree
A few minutes' walk away stands the Plane Tree of Hippocrates, with a huge trunk and branches held up by supports. Legend says Hippocrates taught his pupils in its shade. It is a legend: the tree you see is far younger than Hippocrates, probably a few centuries old, although it may descend from older trees on the same spot. Seeds and cuttings from it have been planted at medical schools around the world.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning or towards sunset, when the harbour front is cooler and the light is softer for photos.
- Combine the statue with the plane tree and Nerantzia Castle: all three are within a few minutes' walk of each other.
- For the ancient Hippocrates, visit the Archaeological Museum on Eleftherias Square, then head out to the Asklepieion, ideally in the morning before the heat.
Nearby
- Plane Tree of Hippocrates: the enormous old plane tree where, legend says, Hippocrates taught his students.
- Nerantzia Castle: the Knights' fortress at the harbour entrance, joined to the town by a bridge over what was once a moat.
- Ancient Agora: the excavated market place of ancient Kos, with columns, shops and the remains of temples, at the edge of the old town.
- Archaeological Museum: on Eleftherias Square, with Roman mosaics and the ancient statue thought to show Hippocrates.
See Kos with World City Trail
Our Kos scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route takes around 2 hours, with about 33 minutes of walking. Among the places it includes are Nerantzia Castle and the Plane Tree of Hippocrates, both a few minutes from the statue. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch and Greek.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Kos.
Take the self-guided walking tour of Kos →
Play the outdoor escape game in Kos →
Facts checked in October 2026.