Tatarna Bridge
The Tatarna Bridge (Greek: Γέφυρα Τατάρνας) is a road bridge over the Kremasta artificial lake (which is fed and drained by the river Acheloos) in northwestern Greece. It was designed by Aristarchos Oikonomou, and built between 1971 and 1973. It is a box girder bridge with three spans; the largest span is 196 m.[1] The bridge is situated on the border of the regional units Aetolia-Acarnania and Evrytania. The nearest village is Triklino. The name Tatarna comes from a nearby monastery.
History
In the same place there was a 17th-century arch stone bridge over the river Acheloos. Adjacent to the old bridge was the largest spring of the Achelous, known to the locals by the name Mardacha (Μαρδάχα). Both the bridge and the spring were submerged when the Kremasta Dam was built in the 1960s.
Near the old Tatarna bridge the first battle of the Greeks from Roumeli against the Turks during the struggle for independence (1821) took place.
Not very far from the new bridge is located an abyss hole on the ground. According to confirmed information, by locals, eyewitnesses and others, many opponents to the ELAS (EAM) organization (during the civil war) were thrown, killed or alive, inside the abyss hole. In the place a monument erected to remind the event to the visitors.
References
- Βασιλείου Ι. Πάνου (Vasileiou Panos)- Το Μοναστήρι της Τατάρνας (The Tatarna monastery) - Εκδόσεις Επιστημονικής Εταιρίας Ελληνικών Γραμμάτων "Πάπυρος" ('Papyros' Publications), Αθήνα (Athens) 1970.
- Φραγγίστα Επαμεινώνδα (Fragistas Epaminondas)- Ο Βίος του Κατσαντώνη (The life of Katsantoni)- Επανέκδοση με επιμέλεια Π.Βασιλείου (2nd edition by Vasileiou P.), Αθήνα (Athens) 1963
- Τζάνη Μιλτιάδη (Tzani Miltiades)- Ιστορικά σημειώματα της Ιεράς Μονής Τατάρνας (Historical Notes of the sacred monastery of Tatarna,Εφημερίδα "Λαός"(Newspaper "Laos"), Αγρίνιο (Agrinion) 15-12-1957.
- Λουκόπουλος Δ. (Loukopoulos Dimitrios)- Στ' ΄Αγραφα (In Agrapha) Αθήνα (Athens)1929.
- Παπαϊωάννου Κωνσταντίνος (Papaioannou Konstantinos)- Αλευράδα (Alevrada)- Αθήνα (Athens) 2007, (ISBN 978-960-631-817-7).
- Θεοχάρη Μαρία (Theochari Maria)- "Η ιστορική μονή της Τατάρνης - The histotical monastery of Tatarna)" - Εφημερίδα "Καθημερινή - 'Kathimerini' newspaper", 2/4/1963.
- Βασιλείου Ι.Πάνου - "Υπάρχουν στην Ευρυτανία τσιφλίκια; Οι σκλάβοι της Τατάρνας περιμένουν τη λύτρωσίν των", Εφημερίς "Ευρυτανία" 1/8/1929.
- Μαρίνου Θ. (Marinos Th.), Ο Εφιάλτης της Εθνικής Αντίστασης (The nightmare of National resistance), Αθήνα (Athens), 2000.
- Woodhouse, W. J., Aetolia: Its Geography, Topography and Antiquities, Oxford 1897.
- Χούτα Στυλιανού (Houtas Stylianos)- Εθνική Αντίσταση των Ελλήνων-The national resistance of the Greeks, Αθήνα (Athens, 1961.
- Αρχιμ.Δοσιθέου, Προσκύνημα στο Μοναστήρι της Τατάρνας, Εκδόσεις "Επτάλοφος", Αρδηττού 12-16, 116 36, Αθήνα 1985 (επανέκδοση 2007).(www.eptalofos.gr).
Κουλούρης Νίκος (Koulouris Nikos), Ελληνική βιβλιογραφία του Εμφυλίου πολέμου, 1945-1949 (Greek bibliography of the civil war, 1945-1949). Αυτοτελή δημοσιεύματα, 1945-1999 (independent publications, 1945-1999), Φιλίστωρ, Αθήνα (Athens) 2000).