Kavala

Kavala Καβάλα
View of Kavala.
Location
Kavala
Coordinates
Location within the prefecture
Government
Country:	Greece
Periphery:	East Macedonia and Thrace
Prefecture:	Kavala
Districts:	15
Population statistics (as of 2001[1])
City
- Population:	63,293
- Area:	112.6 km2 (43 sq mi)
- Density:	562 /km2 (1,456 /sq mi)
Other
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max):	0 - 53 m ­(0 - 174 ft)
Postal:	65x xx
Telephone:	2510
Auto:	KB
Website
www.cityofkavala.gr

Kavala (Greek: Καβάλα), is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala prefecture. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos.

History

Antiquity

The city was founded by settlers from Thassos in about the 6th century BC, who called it Neapolis (Νεάπολις; "new city" in Greek). Neapolis was a town of Macedonia, and the harbor of Philippi, from which it was distant 14 km. It probably was the same place as Datum (Δάτον), famous for its gold mines (Herod. ix. 75; comp. Böckh, Pub. Econ. of Athens, pp. 8, 228, trans.), and a seaport, as Strabo (vii. p. 331) intimates: whence the proverb which celebrates Datum for its good things. (Zenob. Prov. Graec. Cent. iii. 71; Harpocrat. s. v. Δάτος.) Scylax does, indeed, distinguish between Neapolis and Datum; but, as he adds that the latter was an Athenian colony, which could not have been true of his original Datum, his text is, perhaps, corrupt in this place, as in so many others, and his real meaning may have been that Neapolis was a colony which the Athenians had established at Datum. Zenobius (l. c.) and Eustathius (ad Dionys. Perieg. 517) both assert that Datum was a colony of Thasos; which is highly probable, as the Thasians had several colonies on this coast. If Neapolis was a settlement of Athens, its foundation was, it may be inferred, later than that of Amphipolis. Neapolis was a member of the Athenian League, as a pillar found in Athens mentions a contribution of Neapolis to the alliance. Neapolis also minted coins in antiquity.

Roman Era

Kavala's Roman aqueduct.

It became a Roman civitas in 168 BC, and was a base for Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, before their defeat in the Battle of Philippi. (Appian, B.C. iv. 106; Dion Cass. xlvii. 35.). The Apostle Paul landed at Kavala on his first voyage to Europe (Acts, xvi. 11).

Byzantine Era

The House of Muhammad Ali of Egypt.

In Byzantine times the city was called Christoupolis by the Greeks and Morunets by the Bulgarians. In the 6th century Byzantine emperor Justinian I fortified the city in an effort to protect it from barbaric raids. In the 8th and 9th century Bulgarian attacks forced the Byzantines to reorganize the defense of the area, giving great care to Christoupolis with fortification and a notable garrison. Due to the location of Christoupolis, the city experienced an economic flourish. During the Norman raid in Macedonia (1185), the city was captured and was burned.

Ottoman Era

Kavala was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1387 to 1912. In the middle of the 16th century, Ibrahim Pasha, Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent, contributed to the prosperity and growth of Kavala by the construction of an aqueduct.^[2] The Ottomans also extended the Byzantine fortress on the hill of Panagia. Both landmarks are among the most recognizable symbols of the city today.

Mehmet Ali, the founder of a dynasty that ruled Egypt, was born in Kavala in 1769. His house has been preserved as a museum.

Modern Kavala

Kavala circa 1900.

The old town (Panagia).

View of the port and downtown.

View of Kavala's castle.

Outside the airport "Megas Alexandros".

Kavala was captured by the Bulgarians in First Balkan War in 1912 and Greek Navy during the Second Balkan war in 1913. After the Greco-Turkish War of 1919, the city entered a new era of prosperity because of the labour offered by the thousands of refugees that moved to the area from Asia Minor. The development was both industrial and agricultural. Kavala got greatly involved into the processing and trading of tobacco. Many buildings related to the storage and processing of tobacco from that era are preserved in the city.

It was occupied again by Bulgaria between 1941-1944 during World War II.

In the late 50s Kavala expanded towards the sea by reclaiming land from the area west of the port.

In 1967, King Constantine II left Athens for Kavala in an unsuccessful attempt to launch a counter-coup against the military junta.

Twinnings

• - Nuremberg, Germany
• - Gradiška, Bosnia-Herzegovina
• - Tekirdağ, Turkey
• - Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria

Postage stamps

Between 1893 and 1903, the French post office in the city issued its own postage stamps; at first stamps of France overprinted with "Cavalle" and a value in piasters, then in 1902 the French designs inscribed "CAVALLE".

Culture

• Kavala's medieval castle is located at a hill above the town. Additionally, the town's fortifications are still widely visible, especially in the coastal front.
• Cosmopolis International Festival, one of the biggest ethnic festivals in Greece.

Sports

• Kavala FC is the football team of the town. Kavala BC is the basketball team.

Historical population

Notable Figures

• Muhammad Ali Pasha of Kavala, the Albanian Wali(governor) of Egypt between 1805–1848 and founder of the modern state of Egypt.
• Theodore Kavalliotis
• George Georgiadis
• Giorgos Heimonas (1938-), writer and translator
• Nikos Karageorgiou, (b. December 9, 1962) Manager of Greek football team Ergotelis, based in Heraklion, Crete.
• Anthi Karagianni, silver medalist in the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games; the city's Municipal stadium is named after her.
• Vasilis Karas,a Greek singer
• Nikos Kourkoulis, Greek singer
• Sofoklis Schortsianitis (b. June 22, 1985), professional basketball player with Olympiakos and the Greek national team
• Aleksis Tsipras. Greek politician ^[3]
• Antigone Valakou, actress
• Despina Vandi, a Greek singer
• Vassilis Vassilikos (b. November 18, 1934), a Greek writer
• Anna Verouli, 1982 Gold Medalist, European Championship, javelin thrower)
• Nikos Vertis, Greek singer
• Zisis Vryzas (b. November 9, 1973), former footballer, currently vicepresident of PAOK FC
• Theodoros Zagorakis (b. October 27, 1971), former footballer ,captain of national team of Greece-European champion 2004, currently president of PAOK FC
• Anna Gerasimou, a Greek tennis player

Subdivisions

Kavala is built amphitheatrically, with most residents enjoying superb views of the coast and sea. Some of the regions inside Kavala are:

See also

• Communities of the Kavala prefecture

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography by William Smith (1856).

External links

• Official website (in Greek and English)
• The official website of the prefecture of Kavala - online since 1996

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