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Polygyros (
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 ...
: Πολύγυρος) is a town and
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 Central Macedonia, Greece. It is the capital of
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 ...
.


Geography

Polygyros town (pop. 6,121 at the 2011 census) is built in the shape of an amphitheatre on a plateau on the south west side of the mountain
Cholomontas Cholomon or Cholomondas ( el, Χολομών, Χολομώντας, sometimes transliterated as ''Holomontas'') is a mountain in Central Macedonia, Greece, that covers almost all of central and east Chalkidiki. The ancient Greeks called the mounta ...
. It is south of
Greek National Road 16 Greek National Road 16 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 16, abbreviated as EO16) is a single carriageway road (throughout most of its length) in northern Greece. It connects Thessaloniki with Ierissos in Chalkidiki. At its beginning in Thessaloniki, ...
(Thessaloniki - Arnaia). Polygyros is located SE 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 metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
, NE of
Nea Moudania Nea Moudania ( el, Νέα Μουδανιά, ''Néa Moudaniá''; often referred to as Moudania (Μουδανιά, ''Moudaniá''), the name of the municipal unit to which the town belongs, is the seat of the municipality of Nea Propontida, Chalkidi ...
, NW of
Sithonia Sithonia ( el, Σιθωνία), also known as Longos, is a peninsula of Chalkidiki, which itself is located on a larger peninsula within Greece. The Kassandra Peninsula lies to the west of Sithonia and the Mount Athos peninsula to the east. Sith ...
and SW of
Arnaia Arnaia ( el, Αρναία), is a town and a former municipality in Chalkidiki, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aristotelis Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384 ...
. The municipal unit (the municipality before 2011) has a population of 10,721 inhabitants and a land area of 470.933 km2. Other large villages in the municipal unit are Kalýves Polygýrou (1,333), Ólynthos (1,111), Taxiárchis (903), and Vrástama (700).


Climate

Polygyros has a temperate climate with relatively cold winters and pleasant summers due to its elevation.


Name

There are different speculations about the origin of Polygyros' name. Some claim that it comes from the combination of ''poly'' (much) and ''geros'' (strong), because of the healthy climate. Others believe that the words ''poly'' and (sacred) have given the present name, because of an ancient temple in the area. Also an old landowner, named ''Polyaros'', offers a possible etymology. According to another possible etymology, the name derives from ''poly'' and ''gyros'' (round), possible due to the town's amphitheatric position.


Municipality

The municipality Polygyros was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units: * Anthemountas *
Ormylia Ormylia ( el, Ορμύλια) is a town and a former municipality in Chalkidiki, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Polygyros Polygyros (Greek: Πολύγυρος) is a town and municipality in Central ...
*Polygyros * Zervochoria The municipality has an area of 947.417 km2, the municipal unit 470.933 km2.


History


Antiquity

Some situate in the broader area of modern Polygyros the ancient city of Apollonia. Apollonia was one of the 32 cities, which, under the leadership of the
Olynthus Olynthus ( grc, Ὄλυνθος ''Olynthos'', named for the ὄλυνθος ''olunthos'', "the fruit of the wild fig tree") was an ancient city of Chalcidice, built mostly on two flat-topped hills 30–40m in height, in a fertile plain at the he ...
, constituted the ''Koinon ton Chalkideon'' (
Chalkidian League The Chalcidian League ( el, Κοινόν τῶν Χαλκιδέων, ''Koinon tōn Chalkideōn'', "League of the Chalcidians"), also referred to as the Olynthians or the Chalcidians in Thrace (, ''Chalkideis epi Thrakēs'') to distinguish them fr ...
). The ''Koinon'' was destroyed in 379 BCE by the
Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
ns, while in 348 BCE
Philipp II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the a ...
annexed the whole Chalcidice into the Macedonian Kingdom. In 168 BCE Chalcidice was subjected by the
Romans 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 lette ...
.
D. C. Samsaris, Romans and Chalcidice (in Greek), Μακεδονικά 25 (1985-86) 33-46 = Πρώτο Πανελλήνιο Συμπόσιο "Ιστορία και Αρχαιολογία της Χαλκιδικής", Πολύγυρος, 7-9 Δεκεμβρίου 1984, σ. 113


Byzantine and Ottoman Era

The town of Polygyros is first mentioned in a medieval imperial document, ''chryssovoulon'' (with golden stamp), of
Eastern Roman 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 l ...
Nikephoros III Botaneiates Nikephoros III Botaneiates, Latinized as Nicephorus III Botaniates ( el, Νικηφόρος Βοτανειάτης, 1002–1081), was Byzantine emperor from 7 January 1078 to 1 April 1081. He was born in 1002, and became a general du ...
about 1080 CE. In 1430, as the rest of the Eastern Roman Empire, Polygyros was conquered by the Ottomans and belonged to the
Sanjak Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...
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 metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
. On 17 May 1821 the people of Polygyros rose against the Ottoman authority and managed, temporarily, to expel the Ottoman guard. Polygyros, such as other villages of the peninsula, were burned by the Ottomans. Many residents of Polygyros also took part in the 1854's unsuccessful revolutionary movement against the Ottomans.


Modern Era

Finally, on November 2, 1912 the
Greek army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...
, as one of the victors of the
First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
, entered Polygyros and incorporated the town in the
Greek State 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 ...
.


Culture

Polygyros is famous for its carnival celebrations, which attracts visitors from all over
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 ...
. A nearby location called Panagia (Virgin Mary) is the setting of a famous religious celebration on August 15. Also, cultural societies are active in the fields of folk music and dance. Classic and modern music is cultivated in the municipal conservatory. There is a Folklore Museum in the town, opened in 1998.


Sports

''Niki'' (victory) is the name of Polygyros' football club, which participates in the Greek National Fourth Division Professional League. ''AOP'' (Athletic Club of Polygyros) is the local
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
team, participant in the Third National Basketball Division.


Landmarks

The Archaeological Museum of Polygyros has exhibits containing findings from all over Halkidiki and referring to paleolithic and
neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
age, geometric, archaic,
classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
,
hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
and
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 lette ...
period. * Archaeological Museum of Polygyros


Historical population


People

* Margaritis Schinas, politician * Christos Zabounis, editor


See also

*
List of settlements in Chalkidiki This is a list of settlements in Chalkidiki, Greece. * Afytos * Agia Paraskevi * Agios Mamas * Agios Nikolaos * Agios Panteleimonas * Agios Pavlos * Agios Prodromos * Ammouliani * Arnaia * Chaniotis * Dionysiou * Doumpia * Elaiochoria * ...


References


External links


Official website

Official website of the Prefecture of Chalkidiki
{{Authority control Municipalities of Central Macedonia Greek prefectural capitals Populated places in Chalkidiki