Kalamariá ( el, Καλαμαριά, ''Port Side'')
is among the most densely populated suburbs in Greece, located about southeast of downtown
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
, with a population of
92.238 inhabitat
History
The area was first settled by humans in
prehistoric
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
times, and remains from that settlement have been found around the
Mikro Emvolo
Mikro Emvolo (), also called Karabournaki (Καραμπουρνάκι), is the cape of Kalamaria in northeastern Thessaloniki and a district of the local municipality. Its name comes from ''kara burun'' in Turkish, meaning 'black peninsula'.''c ...
cape.
The name Kalamaria was first used in 1083 to denote the area southeast of Thessaloniki, including but not limited to the area of the present-day municipality. During the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and the
Ottoman periods, the area was mostly uninhabited, except for a few fishing lodges.
The first settlement was created in the early 1920s to house
Asia Minor refugees
Greek refugees is a collective term used to refer to the more than one million Greek Orthodox natives of Asia Minor, Thrace and the Black Sea areas who fled during the Greek genocide (1914-1923) and Greece's later defeat in the Greco-Turkish War ( ...
from the Greek diaspora in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, who fled or were forcibly sent to Greece as a result of the
Greco-Turkish War. As many as 100,000 refugees relocated to Thessaloniki, primarily to the city's suburbs. Refugees from
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
and East Thrace mainly settled in Kalamaria.
In 1931, an antisemitic riot, led by
National Union of Greece
The National Union of Greece ( el, Εθνική Ένωσις Ελλάδος, Ethniki Enosis Ellados or EEE) was an anti-Semitic nationalist party established in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1927.
Registered as a mutual aid society, the EEE was foun ...
, took place in Camp Campbell, located in nowadays Kalamaria, where a Jewish neighborhood was completely burned, leaving 500 families homeless and one Jewish resident dead.
[ Aristotle A. Kallis, ''The Jewish Community of Salonica Under Siege: The Antisemitic Violence of the Summer of 1931'', Oxford University Press, 2006]
Kalamaria has seen substantial recent growth as part of a population shift from rural and urban areas to suburban areas, particularly to those east of Thessaloniki. Between the 1981 and 2001 censuses, the population of Kalamaria grew by about 36,000 (or 69%). Up until 1943 Kalamaria was part of the Municipality of
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
. On 1 January 1943 it became an independent administrative unit.
Kalamaria had a population of 14,000 residents as recorded by an inventory in 1947, but this has considerably increased, as shown by the Greek census of 2001 where Kalamaria had a total of 87,255 residents. Kalamaria has the second highest population in the Council of the Town Planning Group of Thessaloniki but also of Northern Greece and ninth in all of Greece.
Though it was originally separated from the main City of Thessaloniki, the municipality has grown so much in the post-war period that the older physical boundaries are virtually non-existent. Nowadays, the border between the two municipalities exists purely for administrative purposes.
Traditionally the areas of Krini and Aretsou had been used as beaches and places for summer baths for the citizens of Thessaloniki, after WWII until the 1980s. The pollution of the
Thermaic Gulf
The Thermaic Gulf (), also called the Gulf of Salonika and the Macedonian Gulf, is a gulf constituting the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. The city of Thessaloniki is at its northeastern tip, and it is bounded by Pieria Imathia and Larissa ...
made this practice impossible since then.
Κάποτε στο Καραμπουρνάκι
/ref>
The total area of the Municipality of Kalamaria covers . About two thirds of the perimeter are of coastline.
The municipality is separated into 10 geographical districts, which have been given names reminiscent of the refugees' former homelands.
*Nea Krini
Nea Krini (Greek: Νέα Κρήνη, literally New Fountain) is a district of the municipality of Kalamaria, Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. It was originally founded by Greek refugees from the city of Çeşme in Asia Minor. Historically, mo ...
(Νέα Κρήνη)
* Karabournaki (Καραμπουρνάκι)
* Nea Touzla (Νέα Τούζλα)
*Kouri (Κουρί)
*Katirli (Κατιρλί)
*Aretsou
Nea Aretsou ( el, Νέα Αρετσού) is a district of Kalamaria, The ...
(Αρετσού)
*Agios Ioannis (Άγιος Ιωάννης)
*Vyzantio (Βυζάντιο)
*Agios Panteleimonas (Άγιος Παντελεήμoνας)
*Navarchos Votsis (Ναύαρχος Βότσης, "Admiral Votsis Votsis ( el, Βότσης) is a Greek surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Dimitrios Votsis (1841–1917), mayor of Patras
*Gloria Votsis (born 1979), American actress
* Nikolaos Votsis (1877–1931), Greek naval officer
See also
*B ...
")
*Finikas (Fenekas in local language) (Φοίνικας)
Historical population
Sporting teams
Kalamaria has in total 14 sporting teams including Apollon Kalamarias
Apollon Kalamarias (Greek: Απόλλων Καλαμαριάς) is a Greek sport's club from Thessaloniki founded in 1926. The club is named after Apollo, the mythical Greek god and its colors are red and black.
History
When thousands of Pontic ...
.
Transportation
The main roads that feed into the municipality are those of Konstantinos Karamanlis Avenue (formerly Nea Egnatia) to the east (which links with the A25 (the Thessaloniki-Chalkidiki
Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region co ...
motorway)), Taki Ekonomidi Avenue (which links the popular district of Nea Krini
Nea Krini (Greek: Νέα Κρήνη, literally New Fountain) is a district of the municipality of Kalamaria, Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. It was originally founded by Greek refugees from the city of Çeşme in Asia Minor. Historically, mo ...
with Thessaloniki's city center), Megalou Alexandrou Avenue - the biggest avenue in Thessaloniki and the EO16 which provides the main access from Kalamaria to the airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
and the outer south-eastern suburbs of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
. Other main road links exist with Thermi
Thermi ( el, Θέρμη) is a Southeastern suburb and a municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Its population was 53,201 at the 2011 census. It is located over the site of ancient Therma.
Municipality
The municipality Ther ...
, while the southeast end of the Thessaloniki ring road (which bypasses the Thessaloniki Urban Area
The Thessaloniki metropolitan area or larger urban zone (LUZ) is the complete area covered and directly influenced by Thessaloniki. The metropolitan area traditionally consisted of the municipality of Thessaloniki and its immediate surroundings, w ...
) lies to the southeast of Kalamaria.
Streets
* Chilis Street
* Plastira Street
* Passalidi Street
* Sofouli Street
* Ethnikis Antistaseos Street
* Kerasountos Street
* Mitropolitou Kallidou Street
* Komninon Street
* Karamanli Street
* Venizelou Street
* Korai Street
* Vrioulon Street
* Sarafi Street
* Smirnis Street
* Papagou Street
* Fleming Street
* Taki Ikonomidi Street
* Panormou Street
* Andrea Papandreou Street
* Propontidos Street
* Kountourioti Street
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kalamaria is twinned with:
* Saranda, Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
* Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
* Paphos
Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos.
The current city of Pap ...
, Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
* Clearwater Clearwater or Clear Water may refer to:
Places Canada
* Clear Water Academy, a private Catholic school located in Calgary, Alberta
* Clearwater (provincial electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Alberta
* Clearwater, Briti ...
, Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
* Liptovský Mikuláš
Liptovský Mikuláš (; until 1952 ''Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš'', german: Liptau-Sankt-Nikolaus; hu, Liptószentmiklós) is a town in northern Slovakia, on the Váh River, about from Bratislava. It lies in the Liptov region, in Liptov Bas ...
, Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
;Partnerships
In addition to this, Kalamaria is partnered with:
* Solna
Solna Municipality ( sv, Solna kommun or , ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna is one of t ...
, Sweden
* Fonyód
Fonyód (german: Fonjod) is a town and holiday resort on the southern shore of Lake Balaton, in north-west Somogy, western Hungary, with over 4,700 residents. It is the seat of Fonyód District.
History
The first mention of Fonyód was in a lett ...
, Hungary
See also
*List of settlements in the Thessaloniki regional unit
This is a list of settlements in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece:
* Adam
* Adendro
* Agia Paraskevi
* Agia Triada
* Agios Antonios
* Agios Athanasios
* Agios Charalambos
* Agios Pavlos
* Agios Vasileios
* Akropotamos
* Ampelokipoi ...
References
External links
Kalamaria Municipality home page (Greek/English)
Kalamaria - culture home page (Greek)
Kalamaria's History (Greek)
{{Authority control
Populated places in Thessaloniki (regional unit)
Municipalities of Central Macedonia