Kastro-Kyllini ( el, Κάστρο-Κυλλήνη) 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 ...

Elis Elis or Ilia ( el, Ηλεία, ''Ileia'') is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it was ...

West Greece Western Greece Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Δυτικής Ελλάδας, translit=Periféria Dhitikís Elládhas, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It comprises the western part of continental Greece and the northw ...

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

Andravida-Kyllini Andravida–Kyllini ( el, Ανδραβίδα-Κυλλήνη) is a municipality in the Elis regional unit, West Greece region, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Lechaina. The municipality has an area of 355.476 km2. Municipali ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 49.322 km². The population was 3,622 in 2011. The municipality Kastro-Kyllini was created in 1999 as part of the Kapodistrias reform from the formerly independent communities Kyllini,

Kato Panagia Kastro-Kyllini ( el, Κάστρο-Κυλλήνη) is a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Elis (regional unit), Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravi ...

, Kastro and Neochori, that became municipal districts. After the 2011 Kallikratis reform, these municipal districts became (dependent) communities. Its seat of administration was the small port town of Kyllini.

Geography

Kastro-Kyllini is situated in the westernmost part of Elis and the

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 ...

, west of

Andravida Andravida ( el, Ανδραβίδα, ) is a town and a former municipality in Elis, in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a ...

and about northwest of Pyrgos. It covers the northern part of the Kyllini peninsula, which juts into the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...

. The peninsula is covered with hills, but the area to the east of the peninsula is very flat. The Crusader fortress of

Chlemoutsi Chlemoutsi ( el, Χλεμούτσι or Χλουμούτσι ''Chloumoútsi''), also known as Clermont, is a medieval castle in the northwest of the Elis regional unit in the Peloponnese peninsula of southern Greece, in the Kastro-Kyllini municip ...

is situated on the highest point of the peninsula, about

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. Between the northernmost point, Cape Kyllini, and the town Kyllini the ruins of the medieval town of

Glarentza Glarentza ( el, Γλαρέντζα), also known as or Clarenia, Clarence, or Chiarenza, was a medieval town located near the site of modern Kyllini in Elis, at the westernmost point of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Founded in th ...

have been excavated. There are forests and olive groves in the hills. Agriculture is the dominant land use in the plains. There are several popular beaches on the coast. The thermal springs of Kyllini (''Loutra Kyllinis'') are the largest beach facility in the western Peloponnese. There is a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, the Monastery of Blachernae, southeast of Kato Panagia. The small island Kafkalida, near Cape Kyllini, is uninhabited. It carries a lighthouse.

Transportation

There were two railway lines in Kastro-Kyllini. The Kavasila – Vartholomio – Kyllini railway branched off the Patras – Pyrgos railway at Kavasila, and ran to Kyllini via

Vartholomio Vartholomio ( el, Βαρθολομιό) is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pineios, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an ar ...

. A branch line ran from Vartholomio to Loutra Kyllinis. Both lines have been abandoned. Several secondary roads connect the villages.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Kastro-Kyllini is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):

Kyllini

Kato Panagia

The community of Kato Panagia ( el, Κάτω Παναγιά) consists of the villages Kato Panagia, Ikaros and Moni Vlachernon. The village Kato Panagia is directly adjacent to Kyllini, on the road to

Lechaina Lechaina ( el, Λεχαινά) is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal un ...

. The village Ikaros is further east, also on the coast. 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 ...

settled in Kato Panagia as a result of the

Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, ota, گرب جابهاسی, Garb Cebhesi) in Turkey, and the Asia Minor Campaign ( el, Μικρασιατική Εκστρατεία, Mikrasiatikí Ekstrateía) or the Asia Minor Catastrophe ( el, Μικ ...

Kastro

The community of Kastro ( el, Κάστρο) consists of the town Kastro and the small villages Analipsi, Kalamia, Karavaki, Loutra Kyllinis and Psili Rachi. Kastro is south of Kyllini and northwest of

. It is situated in the hills, and is dominated by the

fortress. The name ''Kastro'' means "castle", and refers to Chlemoutsi. The fortress was built by prince

Geoffrey I Villehardouin Geoffrey I of Villehardouin (french: Geoffroi Ier de Villehardouin) (''c.'' 1169 – ''c.'' 1229) was a French knight from the County of Champagne who joined the Fourth Crusade.Evergates 2007, p. 246.Setton 1976, p. 24.Longnon 1969, p. 242. He par ...

of the

Principality of Achaea The Principality of Achaea () or Principality of Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire, which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom o ...

in 1220-1223, who called it ''Clairmont'' (from which ''Chlemoutsi'' is a derivation ). After the decline of the Principality the castle gradually lost its importance. Today it is as a monument and is sometimes used for concerts. The thermal springs of Kyllini (Loutra Kyllinis) are southwest of Kastro, near the coast. It is a beach resort, surrounded by forests. The most famous baths also offers inhalation therapy, said to assist in asthma and skin problems. It is situated next to

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 ...

ruins.

Neochori

The community of Neochori ( el, Νεοχώρι) consists of the villages Neochori and Vytinaiika. Neochori is on the road from Kyllini to Lechaina, southeast of Kyllini and southwest of

. It is southwest of

Myrsini Myrsini ( el, Μυρσίνη, before 1915: Σουλεϊμάναγα - ''Souleimanaga'') is a town in Elis, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Lechaina since 1997. In 2011, it had a population of 1,135.

and north of

Machos Machos ( el, Μάχος, ) is a community in the municipal unit of Vartholomio, northwestern Elis, Greece. The population was 470 in 2001. It is situated in a rural plain, 2 km west of Dimitra, 3 km southwest of Neochori and 2 k ...

. Neochori is in a flat, rural area.

External links

Kastro official website

References

{{Kastro-Kyllinis Populated places in Elis Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Spa towns in Greece ro:Kato Panagia