Kilkis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of
Central MacedoniaCentral Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the region of Macedonia. With a population of over 1.8 million, it is the second most populous in Greece after Attica.- Administration :...
. Its capital is the city of
KilkisKilkis is an industrial city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2001 there were 17,430 people living in the city proper, 24,812 people living in the municipal unit, and 56,336 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional unit of Kilkis.-Name:Kilkis is located in a...
.
Geography
The mountains near Kilkis are
PaikoMountain Paiko is a small mountain range that lies on the border of Pella and Kilkis prefectures in Central Macedonia, Greece.-Geography:...
(highest peek 1650 m (5,413 ft)) to the west, parts of the western part of Kerkini (at 1874 m (6,148 ft) the highest peek in Kilkis regional unit) to the northeast and Krousia (highest peek 1179 m (3,868 ft)) to the east. Lake Doirani is situated to the north and shares its eastern portion of the lake. Kilkis is bounded by the regional units of Serres to the east, Thessaloniki to the south, Pella to the west and the international border of Greece with the
Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
(
GevgelijaGevgelija is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the Republic of Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece , the point which links the motorway from Skopje and three other former Yugoslav capitals with...
municipality) to the north.
Climate
The areas that mainly get Mediterranean climate is at the southern portion by the Axios valley. Its climate is mainly continental with cold winters in higher elevations.
History
The area of the modern prefecture were made up of several kingdoms before being invaded by the Macedonians and were later ruled by them. The rule ended after the
Third Macedonian WarThe Third Macedonian War was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC King Philip V of Macedon died and his talented and ambitious son, Perseus, took his throne. Perseus married Laodike, daughter of King Seleucus IV Keraunos of Asia, and increased the size of his army...
and became a part of the
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. After the split of the two empires in 395, the area was to be ruled by the Eastern Roman and the
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
Empires. At the 10th century AD, the east part of Kilkis Prefecture was handed to
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and were inhabited by Bulgarians. At the 11th century the area was taken back by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. In 1204 was conquared by the Latin Empire of Constantinoupolis and after 60 years returned to the Eastern Roman Empire. The territory of the later prefecture was ruled by the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
for about 500 years. At the end of 19th century the
Macedonian StruggleThe Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
started, when local Greeks and Bulgarians fought in the area.
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
captured the east part of the area in the
First Balkan WarThe First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
of 1912. In the
Second Balkan WarThe 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 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...
of 1913, the Greek army captured the area, that was finally annexed and became part of Greece. It absorbed many of the Greeks from Northern Macedonia (now the Rep. of Macedonia), especially from
GevgeliGevgelija is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the Republic of Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece , the point which links the motorway from Skopje and three other former Yugoslav capitals with...
,
VogdantsaBogdanci is a small town in Republic of Macedonia, close to the border with Greece. It is located at around , and is the seat of Bogdanci Municipality.-Location:...
,
PolyaneDojran was a city located on the western shore of Dojran Lake in the south-eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. Today, it is collective name for two villages that exist on the territory of the ruined city: Nov Dojran and Star Dojran, which contains both old ruins and recent construction,...
and
StromnitsaStrumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it...
. It also absorded many Greeks from Northern Thrace (
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
), that came after the
Treaty of NeuillyThe Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, dealing with Bulgaria for its role as one of the Central Powers in World War I, was signed on 27 November 1919 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, France....
, and the Bulgarians went to Bulgaria, such that it became a fully Greek speaking area. Finally Kilkis prefecture absorded many of the Greeks
from
Asia MinorAsia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
that came to Greece after the
Greco Turkish-War of 1922The Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, known as the Western Front of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey and the Asia Minor Campaign or the Asia Minor Catastrophe in Greece, was a series of military events occurring during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I between May...
and with the population exchange prescribed by the
Treaty of LausanneThe Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
.
Until 1939, when created into a separate prefecture, the area was part of the Thessaloniki prefecture. After
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the
Greek Civil WarThe Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, many of its buildings were rebuilt. Its population expanded and several emigrated from the country. The GR-1 was constructed from the late-1960s and opened in 1972 and added two additional lanes in 1973. Its health center in Drosato shut down in 2001.
Transport
- GR-1
The Greek Motorway 1 is a motorway, partly under construction, and the 2nd longest in Greece. It is the principal north-south road connection in Greece, connecting the country's capital Athens with the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia, as well as the country's second largest city,...
/E75European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 75 starts from Vardø, Norway in the Barents Sea and runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Republic of Macedonia to Sitia, Greece on...
, old and new, SW, W, NW
- GR-65
Greek National Road 65 is a national highway of Greece. It connects Thessaloniki, Kilkis and Loutra at the junction with Greek National Road 57....
, S, Cen., N, NE
- road to Doirani
Doirani is a former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated on the shores of Dojran Lake, which marks the border between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. It...
and DojranDojran was a city located on the western shore of Dojran Lake in the south-eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. Today, it is collective name for two villages that exist on the territory of the ruined city: Nov Dojran and Star Dojran, which contains both old ruins and recent construction,...
, in the Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, N
Administration
The regional unit Kilkis is subdivided into 2 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):
- Paionia
Paionia is a municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Polykastro. The municipality is named after the ancient region of Paeonia.-Municipality:...
(2)
- Kilkis
Kilkis is an industrial city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2001 there were 17,430 people living in the city proper, 24,812 people living in the municipal unit, and 56,336 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional unit of Kilkis.-Name:Kilkis is located in a...
(1)
Prefecture
As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the former Kilkis Prefecture was transformed into a regional unit within the Central Macedonia region, without any change in boundaries. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
| Kilkis Kilkis is an industrial city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2001 there were 17,430 people living in the city proper, 24,812 people living in the municipal unit, and 56,336 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional unit of Kilkis.-Name:Kilkis is located in a...
|
Kilkis Kilkis is an industrial city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2001 there were 17,430 people living in the city proper, 24,812 people living in the municipal unit, and 56,336 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional unit of Kilkis.-Name:Kilkis is located in a...
|
Kilkis |
| Gallikos Gallikos is a village and a former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 7,279...
|
| Doirani Doirani is a former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated on the shores of Dojran Lake, which marks the border between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. It...
|
| Kroussa Kroussa is a former municipality in Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in the northeastern corner of the regional unit, bordering western Serres and northern Thessaloniki. Its...
|
| Mouries Mouries is a village and a former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, northern Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,390 . The seat of the municipality was in Stathmos Mourion...
|
| Pikrolimni Pikrolimni is a former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 7,395 . The seat of the municipality was in Mikrokampos. From Mikrokampos, there was the great...
|
| Cherso Cherso is a village and a former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,482 . In the municipal unit of Cherso lies the historical village of Kalindria. Kalindria...
|
| Paionia Paionia is a municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Polykastro. The municipality is named after the ancient region of Paeonia.-Municipality:...
|
Axioupoli Axioupoli , known until 1927 as Boymitsa , is a small town and a former municipality in the former Paionia Province of Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Paionia, of which it is a municipal unit...
|
Polykastro |
GoumenissaGoumenissa is a small town, capital of the former Paionia Province, Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Paionia, of which it is a municipal unit. The town sits on the southeastern part of the Paiko mountain range...
|
| Evropos Evropos is a village and a former municipality in the former Paionia Province, Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Paionia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 6,042 . In the Macedonian Struggle a lot of locals fought for...
|
| Livadia Livadia is a village and a former community in the former Paionia Province, Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Paionia, of which it is a municipal unit. 11 km northwest of Griva, 15 km northwest of Goumenissa. Its...
|
| Polykastro Polykastro , is a town and a former municipality in Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Paionia, of which it is a municipal unit, and the seat. The municipal unit of Polykastro has 12,000 inhabitants, and includes Polykastro and 23...
|
Provinces
- Province of Kilkis
Kilkis is an industrial city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2001 there were 17,430 people living in the city proper, 24,812 people living in the municipal unit, and 56,336 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional unit of Kilkis.-Name:Kilkis is located in a...
- Province of Peοnia - Goumenissa
Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
External links