Kentriko ( el, Κεντρικό ) is a village in the municipal unit of

Andania Andania ( el, Ανδανία) is a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oichalia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 88.694&n ...

in the municipality of Oichalia of the Regional Unit of Messenia located in the Region of

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

, according to the administrative division of

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 ...

as formed by the Kallikratis Plan 2011 local government reform program. The official village name is "Kentrikon" ( el, Κεντρικόν ). The seat of the municipality is

Meligalas Meligalas ( el, Μελιγαλάς) is a town and former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oichalia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an are ...

and it belongs to the geographical division of Peloponnese. Until 2010, Kentriko belonged to the Local District of Kentriko, of the former Andania Municipality of Messenia Prefecture. Kentriko has an altitude of 80 meters above sea level, at latitude 37.2756 and longitude 21.9693. Kentriko today is surrounded by arable land and its 78 inhabitants (2021) are engaged exclusively in agricultural work. It is located 38 kilometers from the Messenia capital Kalamata, 35 kilometers from

Kyparissia Kyparissia ( el, Κυπαρισσία) is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. ...

and only 6 kilometers from

History

Kentriko is a small village built in the center of a plain, hence its name, near Polichni and Diavolitsi. Its oldest name until 1927 was Kato Kurtaga or simply Kurtaga. The name change is due to a decision of the then government to rename all the settlements that had Turkish-speaking names. According to the prevailing version, the name Kurtaga was taken from a Turkish official, namely Aga, with the name Kurt, who probably owned the area during the Turkish occupation. The village existed before the revolution of 1821. Kentriko at the beginning of the 20th century was a hub because initially the

- Kentriko railway section had not been built. So passengers from Kalamata had to stop at Meligala and board horse-drawn wagons to go to Kentriko and pick up another train that started from there to

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

Climate

Kentriko has a

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

( Köppen ''Csa'') with mild, wet winters and dry, hot summers. It receives plenty of precipitation days in winter. Summers are very hot and dry.

Cuisine

Local specialities: *'' Kalamata olives'' *''Lalagides'' local donuts *''Pasto'' salted pork *'' Lokaniko'' with orange *''

Petimezi Grape syrup is a condiment made with concentrated grape juice. It is thick and sweet because of its high ratio of sugar to water. Grape syrup is made by boiling grapes, removing their skins, squeezing them through a sieve to extract the juice, a ...

'' *''

Diples Diples or Thiples ( el, Δίπλες) is a Greek dessert from the Peloponnese, made of thin sheet-like dough. They are essentially the same as angel wings, except that they are dipped in syrup rather than served dry. The dough is rolled into lo ...

'' (dessert) *''Sfela'' goat cheese

Notable people

Michail A Karageorgis
1899-1995, Shipowner * George Anastasopoulos 1965-, Engineer

References

{{Oichalia div Populated places in Messenia Oichalia, Messenia