Karla ( el, Κάρλα) is a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Magnesia,

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...

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 with ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Rigas Feraios Rigas Feraios ( el, Ρήγας Φεραίος , sometimes ''Rhegas Pheraeos''; rup, Riga Fereu) or Velestinlis (Βελεστινλής , also transliterated ''Velestinles''); 1757 – 24 June 1798), born as Antonios Rigas Velestinlis ( el ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 223.591 km². The population of the municipal unit is 4,747 according to the census (2011). It is an agricultural area producing cereals, cotton and vegetables (28 kilometres away from

Volos Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...

). The capital of the municipality was Stefanovikeio. The first name of

Lake Karla Lake Karla ( el, Λίμνη Κάρλα) is a lake that sits at above sea level making it the only one in the plain of Thessaly. The lake is located at the northern end of the Magnesia regional unit in the Pineios basin, adjacent to Pelion and t ...

was Voivis. This shows that it was dedicated to the sun and the goddess of Light Phoebe who was Leto's mother.

Leto In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Leto (; grc-gre, Λητώ , ''Lētṓ'', or , ''Lātṓ'' in Ancient Greek dialects#Provenance, Doric Greek) is a goddess and the mother of Apollo, the god of music, and Artemis ...

was the mother of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

who also had the name

Phoebus Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

which means the sun. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

the name changed to Karla after the

. The draining of the lake begun in 1956 and was completed in 1962. The lake was just outside

Kanalia Kanalia ( el, Κανάλια) is a village in Thessaly, Greece, part of the municipality Rigas Feraios. It is located from Volos and at a height of above the sea level. It is one of the prettiest on the north-west side of Pelion. It is ...

, where according to

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

fell in love with Coronis.

Asclepius Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of ...

, the first famous

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

doctor, was the outcome of this relationship. The old town of Karla which led its name to the lake, was in fact where the modern village of

is today. Today Lake Karla is in the process of being reconstructed and in a few years, the area is expected to be developed, as an area of interest for tourists. The village of Kanalia is located 26 kilometres from Volos and at a height of 80 metres above the sea level. It is one of the prettiest on the north-west side of

Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern el, Πήλιο, ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/ Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the ...

. It is built on the foundation of the Acropolis Voivis in the plains of Metochi. On the hill above the village one can see the remains of the walls of ancient Voivis as well as the ruins of three forts that protected the road. Kanalia, Kapourna and Kerasia make up the first municipality of Voivis in Volos. The church of Saint Nicolas (11th century), can be found in the area. Visitors to the area enjoy the plethora of

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...

trees when they are in blossom, they can even attend the celebration of the blossoming almond trees. Rizomylos is considered to be a village that has suffered a lot as many of the inhabitants were killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

occupation. Carnival celebrations take place in the villages of Rizomylos and Stefanovikeio. Ano and Kato kerasia are well known for their stone arched backed bridges as well as their customs.

References

External links

karla
{{Rigas Feraios div Populated places in Magnesia (regional unit) el:Δήμος Ρήγα Φεραίου#Κάρλας