Kranidi ( el, ,

Katharevousa Katharevousa ( el, Καθαρεύουσα, , literally "purifying anguage) is a conservative form of the Modern Greek language conceived in the late 18th century as both a literary language and a compromise between Ancient Greek and the contempo ...

: ) is a town and a former municipality in

Argolis Argolis or Argolida ( el, Αργολίδα , ; , in ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese, situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula and part of the tri ...

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

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 wit ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ermionida, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . Some say the name is derived from the word ''Koronida'', while others claim it is from the word ''Kranaos'', which means "rocky trough". It is situated in the eastern part of Argolis, on the easternmost "finger" of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is west of

Ermioni Ermioni ( Greek , Ancient Greek Hermione ) is a small port town and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece on the Argolid Peninsula. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ermionida, of which it ...

, south of

Epidaurus Epidaurus ( gr, Ἐπίδαυρος) was a small city ('' polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: '' Palaia Epidavros'' and '' Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong ...

and southeast of

Nafplio Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

. Kranidi is known for being the location of second homes of several prominent celebrities, including

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

and the Dutch head of state King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Máxima.

Geography

The area around Kranidi consists of low hills, covered with olive groves and small forests. The town itself is about from the coast. Several villages of the municipal unit Kranidi are on the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans an ...

coast, including Koilada, Portocheli and the small beach settlement Doroufi.

History

The place of Kranidi has been inhabited for thousands of years. Very close to town is located the

Phrancthi Cave Franchthi Cave or Frankhthi Cave ( el, Σπήλαιον Φράγχθι) is an archaeological site overlooking Kiladha Bay, in the Argolic Gulf, opposite the village of Kiladha in southeastern Argolis, Greece. Humans first occupied the cave during ...

that was the dwelling of prehistoric man. During the Homeric era, in this place there were two cities, Hermion (in place of modern

) and Masis (in place of the modern village of Koilada). In the classical era, a few kilometres south, the city of Halieis was built, in place of modern Porto Heli. Kranidi is first mentioned in the 16th century after the Turkish name Kato Nahagie, which means low province. Kranidi was one of the centers of the Greek uprising of 1777. After the failure of the rebellion, however, many locals abandoned the area in order to avoid persecution by the Muslim Ottomans. Many of them sought refuge away from the Peloponnese, in Europe and Russia. Many also migrated to Cyprus. The modern name derives either from ancient the Greek name Kranaos or from the name of the nearby islet of Koronida. This name was corrupted to ''Kranida'' and later ''Kranidi''. The residents of Kranidi took part in the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted ...

. One local guerrilla was the priest Arsenios Krestas. In 1823, before the outbreak of the first

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...

, Kranidi became the seat of the legislature part of Greek government. After independence, Kranidi was appointed the seat of Ermionida province. Today, Kranidi is a flourishing small town with a rich nautical tradition and developed tourism services. In Kranidi and the surrounding villages,

Arvanitika Arvanitika (; Arvanitika: , ; Greek: , ), also known as Arvanitic, is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece. Arvanitika is today endangered, as its speakers have been shifting to the us ...

was spoken, with heavy Greek influence. The language has largely been abandoned, with today only elders speaking it, whereas young people only understand it.

Historical population

References

{{Arvanites Populated places in Argolis Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Arvanite settlements