Kavala ( el, Καβάλα, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern

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 ...

, the principal

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of

Thasos Thasos or Thassos ( el, Θάσος, ''Thásos'') is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea. It is the northernmost major Greek island, and 12th largest by area. The island has an area of and a population of about 13,000. It forms a separate re ...

and on the Egnatia motorway, a one-and-a-half-hour drive to

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 metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

( west) and a forty-minute drive to

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode ha ...

( north) and

Xanthi Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope ...

( east). It is also about 150 kilometers west of Alexandroupoli. Kavala is an important economic centre of Northern Greece, a center of commerce, tourism, fishing and oil-related activities, and formerly a thriving trade in tobacco.

Names

Historically the city is also known by two different names. In antiquity the name of the city was Neapolis ('new city', like many Greek colonies). During the Middle Ages was renamed to Christo(u)polis ('city of Christ').

Etymology

The etymology of the modern name of the city is disputed. Some mention an ancient Greek settlement of ''Skavala'' near the town. Others propose that the name is derived from the Italian ''cavallo'' which means horse. The city is situated on the ancient route of

Via Egnatia The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a contin ...

; hence Cavala designated "the horses" (cavalla) where imperial couriers changed horses. The French traveller Bellon, who visited Kavala in 1547, mentions a local tradition that the city initially took its name from Alexander the Great, who named it "Bukephala", after the name of his horse Bucephalus. Another possibility is that "Kavala" is a Turkish name, given by the Turks after they refounded the city at the beginning of the 16th century . Last but not least, as the archaeologist Georgios Bakalakis first pointed out, there was a Byzantine fortress named Kavala close to the Byzantine city of Iconium - now

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it ...

- in Asia Minor. When the Ottomans brought Muslim settlers from Iconium to establish in the territory of Kavala at the beginning of the 16th century, these people brought the name of their homeland with them. Nowadays the city's nickname is "the cyan city" (Η γαλάζια πόλη) and the symbol of the municipality of Kavala is the head of goddess Parthenos, the patron goddess of ancient Neapolis, as depicted in the coinage of the ancient Greek city.

History

Antiquity

The city was founded in the late 7th century BC by settlers from

Thassos Thasos or Thassos ( el, Θάσος, ''Thásos'') is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea. It is the northernmost major Greek island, and 12th largest by area. The island has an area of and a population of about 13,000. It forms a separate re ...

. It was one of several Thassian colonies along the coastline, all founded in order to take advantage of rich gold and silver mines, especially those located in the nearby Pangaion mountain (which were eventually exploited by Phillip II of Macedonia). Worship of Parthenos/Virgin, a female deity of Greek Ionian origin associated with Athena, is archaeologically attested in the Archaic period. At the end of the 6th century BC Neapolis claimed independence from Thassos and began issuing its own silver coins with the head of Gorgo (γοργὀνειο) on one side. A few decades later a large Ionic temple made from Thassian marble replaced the Archaic one. Parts of it can now be seen in the town's archaeological museum. In 411 BC, during the

Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of t ...

, Neapolis was besieged by the allied armies of the Spartans and the Thassians but remained faithful to Athens. Two Athenian honorary decrees in 410 and 407 BC rewarded Neapolis for its loyalty. Neapolis was a town of Macedonia, located from the harbour of

Philippi Philippi (; grc-gre, Φίλιπποι, ''Philippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides ( grc-gre, Κρηνῖδες, ''Krenides'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colo ...

. It was a member of the

Second Athenian League The Second Athenian League was a maritime confederation of Aegean city-states from 378 to 355 BC and headed by Athens, primarily for self-defense against the growth of Sparta and secondly, the Persian Empire. Background In 478 BC, Athens founded ...

; a pillar found in Athens mentions the contribution of Neapolis to the alliance. The town was later conquered by the

Kingdom of Macedonia Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...

Roman Era

The military Roman road

passed through the city and helped commerce to flourish. It became a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () on the ...

'' in 168 BC, and was a base for

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...

and Cassius in 42 BC, before their defeat in the

Battle of Philippi The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, at Ph ...

. The Apostle

Paul Paul may refer to: * Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

landed at Neapolis during his first voyage to Europe.

Middle Ages

In the 6th century,

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...

, an Illyrian from Taor, Dardania (Procopius), fortified the city in an effort to protect it from barbarian raids. In later

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 Constantino ...

times the city was called "Christo(u)polis" (Χριστούπολις, "city of Christ") and belonged initially to the

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

of Macedonia and later to the Theme of Strymon. The first surviving mention of the new name is in a ''taktikon'' of the early 9th century. The city is also mentioned in the "Life of St. Gregory of Dekapolis". In the 8th and 9th centuries, Bulgarian attacks forced the Byzantines to reorganise the defence of the area, giving great care to Christoupolis with fortifications and a notable garrison. The city remained under Byzantine control and in 837 Byzantine armed forces from Christoupolis under the command of Caesar Alexius Moselie stopped Bulgarian raids in the plain of Philippoi. At about 830-840 AD dates a Greek inscription on the walls of a defensive tower of the fortifications of the city, still visible today, and in 926, according to another inscription (nowadays in the archaeological museum of Kavala), the General of the Theme of Strymon Vasilios Klaudon, restored the "fallen and damaged" defensive walls. In the mid of the 12th century the Arab geographer Edrisi visited Christoupolis and described it as a well fortified city and a center of sea trade. According to another inscription, also nowadays in the archaeological museum of Kavala, the Normans probably burnt the city in 1185, after they captured first Thessaloniki. Some years later, the city fell to the hands of the Lombards, after the Fourth Crusade and was liberated again by the leader of the state of Epirus, Theodorus Komnenos, in 1225. In 1302, the

Catalans Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; es, catalanes, Italian: ''catalani'', sc, cadelanos) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the ci ...

failed to capture the city. In order to prevent them from coming back, the Byzantine emperor

Andronikos III Palaiologos , image = Andronikos_III_Palaiologos.jpg , caption = 14th-century miniature.Stuttgart, Württembergische Landesbibliothek. , succession = Byzantine emperor , reign = 24 May 1328 – 15 June 1341 , coronation = ...

built a new long defensive wall. In 1357 two Byzantine officers and brothers, Alexios and John, controlled the city and its territory. Excavations have revealed the ruins of an early Byzantine basilica under an Ottoman mosque in the Old Town. It was used until the late Byzantine era.

Ottoman Era

The

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

first captured the city in 1387. Kavala remained a part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

until 1912. In the 16th century, an Aromanian that had converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

in his late teenhood, Ibrahim Pasha,

Grand Vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ ...

, contributed to the town's prosperity and growth by reconstructing the late Roman (1st - 6th century AD) aqueduct. The Ottomans also extended the Byzantine fortress on the hill of ''Panagia''. Both landmarks are among the most recognizable symbols of the city today. Mehmet Ali, the founder of a dynasty that ruled

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medite ...

, was born in Kavala in 1769. His house has been preserved as a museum.

20th century

Vasileios Hatzis - Landing of Greek troops at Kavala

Kavala was liberated by the Greek navy during the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies ...

and was incorporated into Greece with the Treaty of Bucharest. In August 1916 remnants of the IV Army Corps, stationed at Kavala under Ioannis Hatzopoulos surrendered to the advancing

Bulgarian army The Bulgarian Land Forces ( bg, Сухопътни войски на България, Sukhopŭtni voĭski na Bŭlgariya, lit=Ground Forces of Bulgaria) are the ground warfare branch of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. The Land Forces were established ...

. These events provoked a military revolt in

, which led to the establishment of the

Provisional Government of National Defence The Provisional Government of National Defence (), also known as the State of Thessaloniki (Κράτος της Θεσσαλονίκης), was a parallel administration, set up in the city of Thessaloniki by former Prime Minister Eleftherios Ve ...

, and eventually Greece's entry into the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The Bulgarian occupation of the city lasted from August 1916 till September 1918 and its result was the death of c. 12.000 Greeks, as the Bulgarian army organized an ethnic cleansing against the Greek population of the city and Eastern Macedonia. Hundreds of victims and eye-witnesses testified about the Bulgarian atrocities in the post-war inter-Allied interrogatory committee, which finally gave its report on 21 April 1919, after ''

in situ ''In situ'' (; often not italicized in English) is a Latin phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position." It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" to describe where an event takes place and is used in ...

'' examination of the circumstances. After the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, the city entered a new era of prosperity because of the labor offered by the thousands of refugees that moved to the area from

Anatolia 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 ...

. The development was both industrial and agricultural. Kavala became greatly involved and developed further in the processing and trading of tobacco. Many buildings related to the storage and processing of tobacco from that era are preserved in the city. During the

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relati ...

and the

Second Hellenic Republic The Second Hellenic Republic is a modern historiographical term used to refer to the Greek state during a period of republican governance between 1924 and 1935. To its contemporaries it was known officially as the Hellenic Republic ( el, Ἑλλ� ...

, Kavala was the 4th largest city in Greece (after Athens, Thessaloniki, and Patras). In 1934 Dimitrios Partsalidis was elected mayor of Kavala, the first communist mayor in modern Greek history. The city gained temporarily by the Press, the nickname "Little Moscow". During the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

and after the

Battle of Greece The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...

, Bulgaria occupied the city again, following the German invasion (April 1941). During the Bulgarian occupation (1941–1944), almost the entire

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

community of the city was exterminated as part of the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and #Collaboration, its collaborators systematically murdered some Holoc ...

. Following the years after the

, the city faced economic decline and emigration. In the late 1950s, Kavala expanded towards the sea by reclaiming land from the area west of the port. In 1967, King Constantine II left Athens for Kavala in an unsuccessful attempt to launch a counter-coup against the

military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain ...

21st century

On July 16, 2022, Meridian Flight 3032 crashed near the village. The Ukrainian-registered Antonov An-12BK was carrying 11.5 tons of ammunition from

Nis Nis, Niš, NiS or NIS may refer to: Places * Niš, a city in Serbia * Nis, Iran, a village * Ness, Lewis ( gd, Nis, links=no), a village in the Outer Hebrides islands Businesses and organizations * Naftna Industrija Srbije, Petroleum Industry of ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

when the plane began to lose altitude over the Aegean and turned around, but went down 35 kilometers west of Kavala Airport. All 8 crew members were killed.

Historical population

Administration

Municipality

The municipality of Kavala was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the two former municipalities, which became municipal units: The municipality has an area of . The population of the new municipality is 70,501 (2011). The seat of the municipality is in Kavala. Some of the most important communities inside new municipality are:

Subdivisions (districts)

Kavala is built amphitheatrically, with most residents enjoying superb views of the coast and sea. Some of the areas inside Kavala are:

Main streets

*Poulidou Street *Ethikis Antistaseos Avenue *Omonoias Street *Pipinou *Katsoni *Votsi *Kimonos *Dragoumi *Drakontos *Viktoros Hugo *Konstantinidi *Komninon *Kountourioti *Ermionis *Filikis Eterias *Venizelou *Anthemiou

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Kavala is twinned with:

Partnerships

Province

The province of Kavala ( el, Επαρχία Καβάλας) was one of the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

of the Kavala Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality Kavala, and part of the municipal unit Eleftheroupoli. It was abolished in 2006.

Economy

Traditionally the primary occupation of the population of Kavala was fishing. The fishermen of the town were well known all over northern Greece. After the country's industrialization, Kavala also became a center of the

tobacco industry The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies who are engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any ...

in northern Greece. The building of the Municipal Tobacco Warehouse (1910) still stands today. Oil deposits were found outside the city in the 1970s and are currently exploited by two oil rigs (Prinos and Epsilon).

Climate

Kavala has a

hot-summer 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 climate classification: Csa) that borders on both a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

and a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40� ...

( Köppen climate classification: BSk, Cfa) with annual average precipitation of . Snowfalls are sporadic, but happen more or less every year. The humidity is always very high. The absolute maximum temperature ever recorded was , while the absolute minimum ever recorded was .

Education and research

* The International Hellenic University (IHU; Greek: Διεθνές Πανεπιστήμιο της Ελλάδος) has five departments in Kavala (Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Management Science and Technology, Accounting and Information Systems). The campus of the institute located in St. Lukas, Kavala and is approximately 132,000 m² with buildings covering an area of 36,000 m². * MSc in Management and Information Systems * Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) is one of the five specialized research institutes of N.AG.RE.F, being responsible to conduct research and to promote technological development in the fishery sector. The institute is located from Kavala, in

Nea Peramos Nea Peramos ( el, Νέα Πέραμος), before the 1990s ''Megalo Pefko'' ( el, Μεγάλο Πεύκο), is a suburb and a former municipality in West Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Megar ...

, at the center of a marine area with rich fishery grounds and high biodiversity in the surrounding lagoons, lakes, and rivers. * Institute of Mohamed Ali for the Research of the Eastern Tradition (IMARET) is a registered NGO with the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was established by concerned citizens in Kavala. Its aims include the study of the Egyptian influence in Greece and vice versa. The intra-cultural exchange and dialogue, as well as the promotion of art as a means of intra-cultural understanding. The first major co-operation partner is Cultnat of Bibliotheca Alexandrina with the aim of documenting and digitizing the architectural heritage of the Mohamed Ali era in

and Greece. The most important event that takes place every year at the institute is the International Roman Law Moot Court Competition. * Historical & Literary Archives of Kavala is a non-profiteering, public utility foundation. Its foundation was not subsidized by the Greek State, either by any other enterprise of the private sector. Its operational cost is covered only by its founders and by infrequent aids of the local self-government. * Egnatia Aviation is a private training college for pilots that started training in Greece in July 2006. The facilities of Egnatia Aviation are mostly located in the former passengers' terminal of the Kavala International Airport "Alexander the Great".

Culture

Festivals and events

Kavala hosts a wide array of cultural events, which mostly take place during the summer months. One of the top festivals is the Festival of

which lasts from July to September and includes theatrical performances and music concerts. Since 1957, it has been the city's most important cultural event and one of the most important of Greece. Kavala AirSea Show is also an annual air show held in late June. "Cosmopolis" is an international festival held in the Old Town of Kavala that offers an acquaintance with cultures around the world through dancing and musical groups, traditional national cuisines, cinema, and exhibits at the kiosks of participant countries. The first festival took place in 2000, and from 2002 until 2009 was organized annually. It was revived in 2016 with a participation of 250 artists and musicians from all over the world. Yiannis Papaioannou's Festival includes concerts and music seminars. "Ilios kai Petra" (Sun and Stone) (July) is a festival held in "Akontisma" of Nea Karvali. The event is of folkloric character, with the participation of traditional dancing groups from all over the world. Wood Water Wild Festival is an outdoor activities festival, inspired by nature. It includes live bands and DJ sets, body&mind activities, a book fair, outdoor theatre, ecology, camping, and debates. Various cultural events are held in all municipalities of Kavala during the summer months.

In popular culture

*In 1934 Mitsos Partsalidis was elected mayor of Kavala, the first communist mayor in modern Greek history. The city gained temporarily by the press, the nickname "little Moscow". *Among movies shot in the city is '' Topkapi'' (1964), partially shot in Kavala.

Cuisine

Fish and seafood, as well as the products of the local livestock breeding and agricultural sectors, are the prevailing elements of Kavala cuisine. In Kavala, the traditional local recipes have been also influenced by the cuisine of the refugees from Pontus and Asia Minor. Fresh fish and seafood, especially

sardines "Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the It ...

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are referr ...

salad (''garidosalata''), mackerel "goúna" (sun-dried mackerel on the grill), kavouropilafo, mussels with rice, herring saganáki, anchovies wrapped in grape leaves, stuffed eggplants and from meat plates, lamb with spinach, are some renowned recipes in Kavala and the coastal settlements of the region. The grapes,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts ...

, and

tsipouro Tsipouro ( el, τσίπουρο, tsípouro) is an un-aged brandy from Greece and in particular Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, and the island of Crete (where Cretans call it tsikoudia). Tsipouro is a strong distilled spirit containing 40–45% al ...

produced in the area, as well as the kourabiedes (sugar-coated almond biscuits) from Nea Karvali, are particularly famous.

Transport

Highway network

European route E90 European route E 90 is an A-Class West–East European route, extending from Lisbon in Portugal in the west to the Turkish–Iraqi border in the east. It is connected to the M5 of the Arab Mashreq International Road Network Itinerary ...

runs through the city and connects Kavala with the other cities. The Egnatia Motorway (A2) lies north of the city. One can enter the city from one of two junctions: Kavala West and Kavala East. Kavala has regular connection with Interregional Bus Lines (KTEL) from and to Thessaloniki and Athens.

Airport

The Kavala International Airport "Alexander the Great" ( from Kavala) is connected with Athens by regularly scheduled flights and with many European cities by scheduled and charter flights.

Port

Kavala is connected with all the islands of the Northern Aegean Sea with frequent itineraries of various ferry lines.

Bus

The city is connected with all of the large Greek cities such as Thessaloniki and Athens. All of the local villages are also connected via bus lines. The cost of tickets is very cheap. There is also a shuttle bus in Kavala with these lines: * Vironas – Kallithea * Dexameni * Cemetery * Kipoupoli – Technological Institute * Agios Loukas * Profitis Ilias * Stadium * Kalamitsa – Batis (only in summer) * Agios Konstantinos * Neapoli * Hospital – Perigiali

Rail

Kavala is not currently connected to the Greek rail network. However, plans exist to build a new

–

rail line via Kavala, as part of the Egnatia Railway corridor, at a cost of €1.25 billion. In 2019,

Hellenic Railways Organisation The Hellenic Railways Organisation or OSE ( el, Οργανισμός Σιδηροδρόμων Ελλάδος, italic=yes or el, Ο.Σ.Ε.) is the Greek national railway company which owns, maintains and operates all railway infrastructure in ...

awarded the contract to build the initial section between Xanthi and Kavala at a cost of €250 million.

Trails

The Kavala Water Trail is a hiking trail that connects the village of Palaia Kavala with the Agios Konstantinos neighborhood of Kavala.

Sports

* Kavala F.C.: AO Kavala (

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 ...

: Athlitikos Omilos ''Kavala'', Αθλητικός Όμιλος ''Καβάλα''), the ''Athletic Club Kavala'', is a professional association football club based in Kavala. The club plays in the municipal Kavala Stadium "Anthi Karagianni". * Kavala B.C.: Enosi Kalathosfairisis Kavalas ''( el, Ένωση Καλαθοσφαίρισης Καβάλας – Basketball Union of Kavala)'' is a Greek professional basketball club in Kavala. The club is also known as E.K. Kavalas. The club's full Greek name is Ένωση Καλαθοσφαίρισης Καβάλας (Kavala Basketball Union or Kavala Basketball Association). The club competes in the Greek League. * Kavala '86: a women's football club, founded in 1986, with panhellenic titles in Greek women football * Kavala Chess Club:

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dis ...

is very popular in Kavala and the local chess club ranks top in Greece, enjoying plenty of success both domestically and internationally. The highlight is the club's annual International Open, which takes place every August in Kavala and attracts the biggest names in chess from all over the globe. * Nautical Club of Kavala (1945, Ναυτικός Ομιλος Καβάλας, ΝΟΚ): maritime sports (swimming, yachting, water polo) * Kavala Table Tennis Club (ΑΣΕΑ Καβάλας):

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

* Kavala Titans (2009, Τιτάνες Καβάλας):

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

Ecclesiastical history

Neapolis was important enough in the Late

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

of Macedonia Secunda to be a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of its capital

's Metropolitan Archbishopric into the frames of the Greek - Christian eastern church. In the 8th century A.D. refers for the first time a bishopric of Christoupolis and later, between 886 - 912, during the reign of the emperor Leo the Wise, Christoupolis is mentioned as one of the six bishoprics of the metropolis of Philippi. Only later, in 1260, Christoupolis became a metropolis itself. After the liberation of the city of Kavala by the Greek army during the Balkan Wars, the local church was re-established under the official title "Metropolis of Philippi, Neapolis and Thasos" till nowadays. Metropolis of Kavala established a conference center dedicated to Saint Paul, in the village of Lydia, near the spot where, according to tradition, Paul baptized saint Lydia, in the river Zygaktis. In the same spot, Metropolis established a unique open-air baptistery as well as a unique octagonal baptistery, with mosaic and stained - glass decoration, the only such temple in Greece.

Titular see

The diocese of Christopolis was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic

titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

. There is also a Catholic church in the city ("Saint Paul", in the building of the old Lazarist monastery). It is vacant, having had the following, far from consecutive, incumbents of the lowest (episcopal) rank, ''except the latest (archiepiscopal, intermediary rank)'': * Jean Isembert,

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Ca ...

(O.P.) (1450.05.11 – 1465.09.08) * Jaime Perez de Valencia,

Augustinian Order Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–1 ...

(O.E.S.A.) (1468.10.01 – 1490.08.03) * Ausiás Carbonell, O.P. (1509.04.16 – 1532.12.09) * Enrique Rutil (1525.11.10 – ?) *

Bishop-elect In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Chu ...

Francisco de Jaén (1530.12.05 – ?) * Francisco Estaña (1534.12.16 – 1549.06.23) * Gian Antonio Fassano (1544.06.04 – 1568.09.10) * Juan Segría (1547.11.28 – 1568.07.23) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

(Spain) (1547.11.28 – 1568.07.23); later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Sassari Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a Functional Urban Area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the islan ...

(Sardinia, Italy) (1568.07.23 – death 1569.09.26), Metropolitan Archbishop of

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

(Sicily, Italy) (1569.09.26 – 1569 not possessed) * Pedro Coderos (1570.02.20 – 1579.10.21) as Auxiliary Bishop of

(Spain) (1570.02.20 – 1579.10.21); later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Otranto Otranto (, , ; scn, label=Salentino, Oṭṛàntu; el, label=Griko, Δερεντό, Derentò; grc, Ὑδροῦς, translit=Hudroûs; la, Hydruntum) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertile ...

(Italy) (1579.10.21 – 1585) * Marcin Szyszkowski (1603.11.24 – 1604.06) * Ludovico de Taragni,

Benedictine Order , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

(O.S.B.) (1612.03.21 – ?) * Michael Chumer,

Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teach ...

(O.F.M.) (1639.10.03 – 1651.06.30) * Maxime Tessier (1951.05.28 – 1955.05.08) * Otto Spülbeck (1955.06.28 – 1958.06.23) * Michael William Hyle (1958.07.03 – 1960.03.02) * Titular Archbishop Sante Portalupi (1961.10.14 – 1984.03.31), papal diplomat

Media

*TV: ENA Channel, Center TV *Newspapers: '' Proini'', '' Kavala (newspaper)'', ''Chronometro''

Postage stamps

Austria opened a post office in Kavala before 1864.Handbook of Austria and Lombardy-Venetia Cancellations on the Postage Stamp Issues 1850–1864, by Edwin MUELLER, 1961, p.215 Between 1893 and 1903, the French post office in the city issued its own postage stamps; at first stamps of France

overprint An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative pur ...

ed with "Cavalle" and a value in

piaster The piastre or piaster () is any of a number of units of currency. The term originates from the Italian for "thin metal plate". The name was applied to Spanish and Hispanic American pieces of eight, or pesos, by Venetian traders in the Levant ...

s, then in 1902 the French designs inscribed "CAVALLE".

Consulates

In the past the city hosted consulates from different European countries. Currently hosts

consulates A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

from the following countries: * Italy

Notable figures

* Ilarion Karatzoglou, rebel of the Greek Rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. * Muhammad Ali Pasha of Kavala, the Albanian

Wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

(governor) of

between 1805 and 1848 and founder of the modern state of Egypt *

Mohamed Sherif Pasha Mohamed Sherif Pasha GCSI (1826–1887) ( ar, محمد شريف باشا) was an Egyptian statesman. He served as Prime Minister of Egypt three times during his career. His first term was between April 7, 1879 and August 18, 1879. His second term ...

, Prime Minister of Egypt * Tryfon Alexiadis, politician * Evangelia Balta, historian * Christos Batzios, actor and filmmaker * Anna-Maria Botsari, chess player * Vassilis Daniil, football coach * Pavlos Dermitzakis, football coach * Periklis Drakos, Greek chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle and Balkan Wars * Nasos Galakteros, basketball player * Giorgos Georgiadis, footballer *

Anna Gerasimou Anna Gerasimou ( el, Άννα Γερασίμου; born 15 October 1987) is a retired Greek tennis player. When she was young, she moved from her birthplace Kavala to Athens in order to pursue a career in tennis. Gerasimou competed in the women ...

, tennis player * Nikos Karageorgiou (born 1962), football manager * Anthi Karagianni, silver medalist in the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games; the city's Municipal stadium is named after her * Theodore Kavalliotis, Greek Orthodox priest, teacher and a figure of the Greek Enlightenment * Vasilis Karras, singer *

Kostas Mitroglou Konstantinos "Kostas" Mitroglou ( el, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Μήτρογλου, ; born 12 March 1988) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is nicknamed "Mitrogoal" and "Pistolero" by fans due to his go ...

, footballer * Leontios Petmezas, theorist, art historian, book critic, author and journalist * Yiannis Papaioannou, composer * Dimitris Paridis, footballer * Mitsos Partsalidis, first elected communist mayor in modern Greek history, on 1 April 1934 * Betty Robbins, cantor *

Sofoklis Schortsanitis Sofoklis Schortsanitis (Greek: Σοφοκλής Σχορτσανίτης; born 22 June 1985) is a Greek former professional basketball player and Olympian. An All-EuroLeague First Team selection in 2011, Schortsanitis won the EuroLeague title ...

, basketball player * Christos Terzanidis, footballer * Antigone Valakou, actress *

Despina Vandi Despina Vandi - ΣΤΑ 'ΔΩΣΑ ΟΛΑΑ ( el, Δέσποινα Βανδή, ), born as Despina Malea () on 22 July 1969, is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six ye ...

, singer * Anna Verouli, 1982 Gold Medalist, European Championship, javelin thrower * Vassilis Vassilikos, writer and diplomat *

Zisis Vryzas Zisis Vryzas ( el, Ζήσης Βρύζας; born 9 November 1973) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a forward for various teams in Greece and abroad, as well as for the Greece national football team, when they won the Euro ...

(born 1973), former footballer * Theodoros Zagorakis (born 27 October 1971), former footballer, captain of national team of Greece, European Champions 2004 *

Giannis Stoforidis Giannis Stoforidis ( Greek: Γιάννης Στοφοριδης; born 8 May 1989) is a Greek kickboxer currently fighting in ONE Championship. He has also fought in the SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship, Glory, Enfusion and OSS Fighters. Kickb ...

, kickboxer * Kyriakos Kapakoulak, strongman

Gallery

File:Macedonian Museums-29-Arx Kavalas-488.jpg, Α painted cist grave votive funerary banquet, 4th century BC ( Archaeological Museum of Kavala) File:View of Kavala from the ancient Via Egnatia.jpg, view of Kavala from the ancient Via Egnatia File:Καβάλα - Ανατολικής Μακεδονίας και Θράκης - panoramio (23).jpg, Statue of

Muhammad Ali of Egypt Muhammad Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha, also known as Muhammad Ali of Egypt and the Sudan ( sq, Mehmet Ali Pasha, ar, محمد علي باشا, ; ota, محمد علی پاشا المسعود بن آغا; ; 4 March 1769 – 2 August 1849), was ...

, donation of Egypt (sculpt. Konstantinos Dimitriadis) File:Alexander the Great monument Kavala.jpg, Alexander the Great monument file:Ilarion Karatzoglou bust.jpg, Ilarion Karatzoglou bust File:Καμάρες.jpg, Panoramic view File:Καβάλα - Ανατολικής Μακεδονίας και Θράκης - panoramio.jpg, View of the Kavala aqueduct File:Kavala old town .jpg, Kavala old town File:Kavala old town, view from the castle.jpg, Kavala old town, view from the castle File:Municipal Tobacco Warehouse - Kavala.jpg, Municipal Tobacco Warehouse (1910, arch. Eli Modiano) in Kapnergati Square File:Macedonian Museums-31-Dimotiko Kavalas-137.jpg, Kavala Municipal Museum File:Chamber of Commerce - Kavala.jpg, Chamber of Commerce File:Greek community club - Kavala.jpg, ''Megali Leschi'' (1909) File:Main memorial monument of Kavala.jpg, main memorial monument of Kavala File:20160513 136 kavala.jpg, Katsoni Street at the old town File:Kavala holocaust memorial.jpg, Holocaust memorial File:Имарет в Кавала.jpg, Imaret hotel File:Kalamitsa beach Kavala.jpg, kalamitsa beach File:Kalamitsa beach, Kavala.jpg, Kalamitsa beach of Kavala

References

* Bibliography * Koukouli-Chrisanthaki Chaido, Kavala. Αrchaeological Museum of Kavala, Kavala: D.E.T.A., 2002 (in English). * Stefanidou Emilia, The City-Port of Kavala during the Period of Turkish Rule. An Urban Survey (1391–1912), Kavala: Historical & Literary Archive of Kavala, 2007 (in Greek). * Karagiannakidis Nikos – Likourinos Kyriakos, Neapolis-Christoupolis-Kavala, Kavala: Municipality of Kavala, 2009 (in Greek). * Koutzakiotis Georges, Cavalla, une Échelle égéenne au XVIIIe siècle. Négociants européens et notables ottomans, Istanbul: The Isis Press, 2009. * Roudometof Nikolaos (ed.), Notebooks of Bulgarian Occupation. Eastern Macedonia 1916–1918. v. 1, Kavala – Chrisoupoli – Eleutheroupoli, Kavala: Historical & Literary Archive of Kavala (in Greek). * Stavridou-Zafraka Alkmene, The development of the theme organization in Macedonia, in Byzantine Macedonia: Identity, Image and History, edited by J. Burke, R. Scott, Brill, 2000, p. 128 – 138.

External links

* *
Official website
(in Greek)
The official website of the prefecture of Kavala – online since 1996

Official Blog of students of ATEI Kavalas

sun disappeared – Fire Kavala 1985
{{Authority control Greek prefectural capitals Municipalities of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Christopolis Fortified settlements Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Provinces of Greece Port cities of the Aegean Sea Pauline churches Populated places in Kavala (regional unit) Populated places established in the 7th century BC