Idomene
| Idomene Ειδομένη | |
|---|---|
  Idomene | |
| Coordinates: 41°7′N 22°31′E / 41.117°N 22.517°ECoordinates: 41°7′N 22°31′E / 41.117°N 22.517°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Central Macedonia |
| Regional unit | Kilkis |
| Municipality | Paeonia |
| Municipal unit | Axioupolis |
| Elevation | 65 m (213 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Rural | 154 |
| Community | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 61400 |
| Vehicle registration | KI |
| Website | http://www.idomeni.gr/ |
Idomene is a small village of Greece, near the borders with Macedonia.
It mounts in the municipality of Paeonia of Kilkis (regional unit) in Central Macedonia.
Village Idomene is built in an elevation of 65 meters, in the outskirts of "Kouri" hill. It mounts in the west bank of Axios river, close to the borders with Macedonia. The village is interwoven with the Railway Station, which is the first railway station that someone meats entering Greece from Central Europe. The inhabitants of Idomene are native Macedonians, but also some originated from East Thrace after the Forced migration of Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.
History
The older name of the village was Sechovo (greek: Σέχοβο) or Seovo (greek: Σέοβο) and it was renamed in 1936 in the nameshake of the ancient Greek town "Idomene", which was mounted near the modern village. During the Greek War of Independence in 1821 the inhabitants of Sechovo/Idomene (Sechovites) revolted against the Ottoman authorities, when Zafirios Stamatiades was one of their leaders (he was later fought in southern Greece). The village was destroyed by the Ottoman military authorities in 1824 as a retaliation for the participation to the revolt. From 1870 until the Balkan Wars a lot of national conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians took place in the village. At the Macedonian Revolt of 1878 against the Treaty of San Stefano, people of Idomene activated again forming armed rebel groups from Dellios Kovatsis, Stogiannis (Stoikos) Stoides and Nicolaos Stoides.[2] During the Greek struggle for Macedonia, a lot of inhabitants of Sechovo/Idomene distinguished for their fighting for the Greek side, such as Georgios Stamatiades, his son Zafirios Stamatiades Papazafiriou, his grand sons Georgios Papazafiriou and Gregorios Papazafiriou, and also Stylianos Kovatsis[3]
Transportations
Close to Idomene, there is the Railway Station of Idomene, with trains to Thessaloniki, Belgrade and Central Europe.
Refugees
Since 2014, refugees from Syria, but also from Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places began to flock in Idomene, in order to pass the borders and enter Republic of Macedonia. Republic of Macedonia and Serbia to the north are out of the Schengen Area, that's why the refugees prefer this way to the Central Europe, so entering again the Schengen Area from Croatia or Hungary, in case of arrest, they will be sent back to Croatia or Hungary , and not in the far southern Greece. In 2015, Republic of Macedonia decided to guard its borders by military forces in order to prevent the refugees by entering the country. So, Idomene became a vast camp, where all refugees entering Greece, abut. The number of refugees that stay in Idomene reaches some times 5 or 6 thousands.[4]
References
- ↑ "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
- ↑ in greek: Μακεδονικά Σύμμεικτα (Macedonian Compilations), Η εθνική δράση του Γεώργιου και Ιωάννου Ξάνθου (Γευγελή) και του Αλέξανδρου Ζουμετίκου (Μοναστήρι) κατά το Μακεδονικό Αγώνα (Georgios' & Ioannis Xanthos' (Gevgeli) and Alexandros Zoumeticos' (Monastiri) national activities during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia), Institute of Balkan Studies, Constantinos Apostolou Vakalopoulos
- ↑ Ioannis S. Koliopoulos (scientific editing), in greek: Αφανείς, γηγενείς Μακεδονομάχοι, Company of Macedonian Studies, Published by: University Studio Press, Thessalonike 2008, pages 92, 93, 94
- ↑ News from Deutsche-Welle agency, 23 August 2015, in greek: Help to the refugees' drama, Diogenes Demetrakopoulos
| ||||||||||||||||||||||