Kastellia
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| Kastellia Kastelia |
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|---|---|
| Location | |
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| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Time zone: | EET/EEST (UTC+2/3) |
| Elevation (center): | 450 m (1,476 ft) |
| Government | |
| Country: | Greece |
| Periphery: | Central Greece |
| Prefecture: | Phocis |
| Mayor: | Athanasios Mananas |
| Population statistics (as of 2001[1]) | |
| City Proper | |
| - Population: | 549 |
| - Area:[2] | 47.4 km² (18 sq mi) |
| - Density: | 12 /km² (30 /sq mi) |
| Codes | |
| Postal: | 330 57 |
| Area: | 22650 |
| Auto: | ΑΜ |
| Website | |
| kastellia.org.gr | |
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The town of Kastellia is part of the Municipality of Gravia of Prefecture Fokida. It will be found on the road axis Lamia-Amfissa-Naypaktos at a distance of approximately 40 km from Lamia city and 35 km from Amfissa, then on to Delphi and Arachova. The town is built on the foothills of Giona and Oiti Mountains with its north-east aspect facing the Boiotikos basin.
For the traveler, Kastellia are served by train through Bralos railway station situated 2 hours from Athens. At the station you will find taxis to transport you to the town or the rest of the Municipality of Gravia. If someone wants to reach Kastellia town from Athens, they can use the old highway Athens-Thessaloniki. From Kastellia a new by-pass road leads to the mountainous villages of the Municipality of Sklithros which are Oinohorion Kaloskopi up to the villages of the next Municipality of Kallieon.
Kastellia extents appx. 37.468 acres and a weighted average altitude of 450m. The ground is semi-highland and it consists of: 1) 8.914 acres, trees and cultivating land, 2) 11.368 acres of partial-forestry land, 3) 13.925 acres of forestry quality land, 4) The remainder of the land is allocated for housing and roads.
If we go back to the population inventories we can see the followings: in the inventory on 1928 the town had population of 1.066 inhabitants, on 1961 had population of 827 inhabitants, the 1971 had population of 779 inhabitants, the 1981 had population of 770 inhabitants and the 1991 had population of 779 inhabitants. In the latest inventory of 2001 the town had population of 549 onhabitants.
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[edit] History
For the historic retrospection of our town, we will use Mr Panagiotis Th. Tsakris doctoral thesis, former Director of Pedagogic Academy in Lamia town, which is the most serious and unique study around the history of our town - Kastellia.
Several decades after the end of Trojan War, the Dorians (Dorics) arrived via the Thessaly and stteled in Dorida (Doris), which was used as the base of operations in order to occupy other areas of Greece. Dorida in the ancient period, was the state that is extended in the region of ex municipality of Dorians, in the province of Parnassida, where nowadays are the towns Kastellia, Gravia and Oinohori. It is bounded at South East by the mount Parnassos, at South West by the Giona mountain, at North East by Mount Kallidromos and at West by Oiti mountain.
It’s about a valley of 4x5 km dimensions which is crossed by two rivers, the Kanianitis (ancient Pindos) and the Apostolias, which are linked with Kifissos, near in Polydroso. The Pindos river has its sources in the mountainous group of Giona and Oiti and as it drives through a narrow ravine for about 4 km, descends to the valley.
Dorians along Pindos river, founded four small cities and by the ancient writer’s words, were poor and their residents were suffering from hunger. That stigmatized them with the name Lemo-Dorians.
Dorida in the ancient period was named also as Driopis. It’s about words that become from the same root, dris (oak) that means country wooded mainly from dris (oak). The biggest part of the region is covered by the various varieties of dris (Oak). Herodotos wrote that the nation of Dorians received the name Doricon, when people came to Peloponnesus from Dryopida, whilst in the beginning, when they lived in Pindos mountain, their nation was named "Macedonian Nation"(1,56).
The cities that Dorians founded and lived, were three at the beginning, as Thucydides says: Voion, the Kitinion and Erineos. The Geographer Stravon says about four cities: “Erineos”, “Voion”, “Kitinion” and “Pindos” and speak for Doric Tetra-polis. Diodoros from Sicily reports three cities: The “Kitinion”, the “Voion” and the “Erineos”, as well as Thoukidedes. Latin sightseer and geographer Plenios, reports five cities: “Sperhion”, “Erineos”, “Voion”, “Pindos” and “Kitinion”. Plenios says that “Sperhion” belong to the Dorians, while it was city of Malians or Oitians, which was found in the valley of Sperhios river. The Byzantine historian and poet Tzetzis as well as Pindaros, commentator reports that they were six cities: “Kitinion”, “Voion”, “Erineos”, “Dryopis”, “Karfeon” and “Lilaion”.From the above, it appears that the exact number of cities was not known and the ancient writers do not give us exact information about their locations.
[edit] Kastellia Today
Apart from the permanent inhabitants who live in Kastellia, a large number of Kastellian origin live in Athens, Piraeus, Lamia, Thessaloniki, Amfissa, Larissa, as well as abroad (mainly in America and Australia). Despite the fact that population inventories show that the Kastellian population is shrinking, the number of new houses being build and the refurbishment of older homes in recent years is remarkable.
The town provides a modern Community Hall where the ground floor serves the needs of Local Council and the upper floor has been shaped in a hostel of (6) rooms soon to be available to host visitots to Kastellia.
At a building site that had been donated by K.I.Drosopoulos in 1972 and with the help of Paraskeyas and Nikolaos Chronis who have designed the architectural drafts, was constructed the community clinic which is being used for the health care of Kastellian citizens and the town’s doctor’s residence.
Because the current rural activity is limited, an Agricultural and Fiduciary Association is present being housed in a big stone building which is also used as a repository. In 1910 it was running the Mutual Association, which was used for covering extraordinary damages of land produce. In Chlomos which was a separate community, it was running the Rural and Cattle Association with the same aims.
The livestock-farming which is limited, includes flocks of sheep, goats and cattle. There is also a modern piggery farm east of the town.
In Kastellia there are professional craftsmen like carpenters, steelworkers, electricians, plumbers, stockyards of building materials, earthmoving machinery and a modern unit of treatment and trading timber. Finally for entertainment purposes there are coffee houses, cafeterias and taverns.
[edit] Cultural Associations
The Progressive Association «Kastellia» which is based in Athens, was founded in 1950 and is a pioneer brotherhood. Members are people of Kastellian origin and reside in Athens, Piraeus or somewhere else around the world.
From its inception, the Association publishes the newspaper «The Kastelliotika Nea» with news and events that deal with our town and its children in diaspora. In the last 15 years the Association organized an event where the young people from Kastellia who are succeeding in the Pan-Hellenic examinations are rewarded with a commemorative diploma and a pecuniary reward. Instigator and sponsor is Mr. Ioannis Moscholios.
The decision of Amfissa Court (no 297/87), approved the statute of the foundation of Kastellia Cultural Association. Its main aims are: The study and protection of natural environment of Kastellia and the revelation and distribution of cultural heritage in parallel with further growth of the cultural level of the population. Members of the Cultural Association continue to organize cultural events in Kastellia.
