:"Distomo" ''may also refer to a work by
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...
''
Distomo ( el, Δίστομο) is a town in western
Boeotia
Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality
Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra
Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra ( el, Δίστομο-Αράχοβα-Αντίκυρα) is a municipality in the Boeotia regional unit, Central Greece, Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast ...
, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.
The municipal unit has an area of 131.270 km
2, the community 80.498 km
2.
Population 3,881 (2011). Distomo is situated in the western foothills of
Mount Helicon
Mount Helicon ( grc, Ἑλικών; ell, Ελικώνας) is a mountain in the region of Thespiai in Boeotia, Greece, celebrated in Greek mythology. With an altitude of , it is located approximately from the north coast of the Gulf of Corint ...
, at about 450 m elevation. It is 5 km north of the
Gulf of Corinth
The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf ( el, Κορινθιακός Kόλπος, ''Korinthiakόs Kόlpos'', ) is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea, separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece. It is bounded in the east by the Isth ...
coast, 9 km southeast of
Arachova
Arachova ( el, Αράχωβα, also Αράχοβα) is a mountain town and a former municipality in the western part of Boeotia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is a municipal unit, part of the municipality Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra. ...
, 12 km east of
Desfina
Desfina ( el, Δεσφίνα) is a town and a former municipality in the southern part of Phocis, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Delphi, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an ar ...
, 16 km southeast of
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...
, 18 km west of
Livadeia
Livadeia ( el, Λιβαδειά ''Livadiá'', ; grc, Λεβάδεια, Lebadeia or , ''Lebadia'') is a town in central Greece. It is the capital of the Boeotia regional district. Livadeia lies north-west of Athens, west of Chalkida, south-ea ...
and 105 km northwest of
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. The
Greek National Road 48
National Road 48 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 48, abbreviated as EO48) is a single carriageway road in central Greece. It connects the Greek National Road 5 at Antirrio with the town Livadeia, passing through Naupactus and Delphi. The section be ...
(
Naupactus
Nafpaktos ( el, Ναύπακτος) is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mornos.
It is named for Naupaktos (, Latinize ...
-
Arachova
Arachova ( el, Αράχωβα, also Αράχοβα) is a mountain town and a former municipality in the western part of Boeotia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is a municipal unit, part of the municipality Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra. ...
-
Livadeia
Livadeia ( el, Λιβαδειά ''Livadiá'', ; grc, Λεβάδεια, Lebadeia or , ''Lebadia'') is a town in central Greece. It is the capital of the Boeotia regional district. Livadeia lies north-west of Athens, west of Chalkida, south-ea ...
) passes north of the town.
Distomo is known as the site of the
Distomo massacre
The Distomo massacre ( el, Σφαγή του Διστόμου; german: Massaker von Distomo or ''Distomo-Massaker'') was a Nazi Germany, Nazi war crime perpetrated by members of the Waffen-SS in the village of Distomo, Greece, in 1944, during the ...
that was perpetrated by the German army against the local inhabitants during the Second World War.
One of the most important monuments of
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire.
The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until th ...
and a UNESCO world heritage site, the monastery of
Hosios Loukas
Hosios Loukas ( el, Ὅσιος Λουκᾶς) is a historic walled monastery situated near the town of Distomo, in Boeotia, Greece. Founded in the mid-10th century, the monastery is one of the most important monuments of Middle Byzantine architec ...
is situated close to Distomo.
During the ancient Greek times there was a settlement called Amvryssos (Amvrossos) part of which is buried under Distomo. There is an archaeological museum in Distomo officially called Distomo Archaeological Collection (Wikipidia) with a fine exhibit of ancient pottery and artifacts. The local football/soccer team is also named Amvrysseas after the ancient Greek city.
Aluminium of Greece
Aluminium of Greece ( el, Αλουμίνιο της Ελλάδος, ''Aloumínio tēs Elládos''; french: Aluminium de Grèce) is an aluminium producing company in Greece. It was founded in 1960 by a conglomerate including French aluminium produc ...
has its production facilities in the coastal village Agios Nikolaos. Other industries include agriculture and services.
Subdivisions
The municipal unit Distomo is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):
*Distomo (Distomo, Agios Nikolaos,
Paralia Distomou)
*
Steiri
Steiri ( el, Στείρι) is a village in Boeotia, Greece. It is situated at the western end of Mount Helicon, the mythical mountain of the Muses, at 450 m elevation. In 2011 its population was 686. The 10th century Hosios Loukas monastery, a Worl ...
(Steiri,
Hosios Loukas
Hosios Loukas ( el, Ὅσιος Λουκᾶς) is a historic walled monastery situated near the town of Distomo, in Boeotia, Greece. Founded in the mid-10th century, the monastery is one of the most important monuments of Middle Byzantine architec ...
monastery)
Population
History
The ancient Phocean city of Amvrissos (Amvrossos) is located on the site of modern Distomo and its broader area.
![Distomo Gedenkstaette](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Distomo_Gedenkstaette.jpg)
On 10 June 1944, Distomo was the site of a massacre of civilians
by the Germans, which constituted a war crime. The massacre was meant as "retribution" for the previous death of three Germans at the hands of local guerrillas, even though the villagers had no relation to the guerrillas.
The
4th SS Polizei Division perpetrated grave crimes with superiors encouraging the soldiers. Among them ripping out the intestines of a baby and splattering them on a close relative.
Decades later, a Greek court awarded restitution to Greek victims, but the German government pressed Greece politically to nullify that decision.
To enforce the decision by the Greek court, this case was brought before an Italian court, Greece being unwilling to enforce their own decisions. The judges awarded the plaintiffs the Villa Vigoni in
Menaggio
Menaggio ( lmo, label=Comasco, Menas ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Como, Lombardy, northern Italy, located on the western shore of Lake Como at the mouth of the river Senagra.
Menaggio has three ''frazioni'' (parishes): Croce, Lov ...
, Italy, a German government-sponsored nonprofit
foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
. The German government appealed a decision by the Italian supreme civil court for restitutions at the
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...
, claiming for
State immunity
The doctrine and rules of state immunity concern the protection which a state is given from being sued in the courts of other states. The rules relate to legal proceedings in the courts of another state, not in a state's own courts. The rules devel ...
.
References
External links
*
distomo.grdistomo-arahova-antikyra.grDistomo on GTP Travel Pages* Distomo, still we mourn https://www.thenationalherald.com/opinions_columnists/arthro/distomo_still_we_mourn-444433/
{{Authority control
Populated places in Boeotia