Polykastro , is a town of 8,000 inhabitants in
Kilkis PrefectureKilkis is a prefecture in Central Macedonia, in northern Greece. Its capital is the city of Kilkis.-Geography:The mountains near Kilkis are Paiko to the west, parts of the western part of Kerkini to the northeast and Krousia to the east...
. The
municipality of PolykastroPolykastro is a municipality in the Kilkis Prefecture, Greece. Population 12,732 . Besides the largest settlement, the town of Polykastro, the municipality contains 23 other villages....
has 12,000 inhabitants, and includes Polykastro and 23 villages. It is built near the Axios River, on the Road and Railway from
ThessalonikiThessaloniki , Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. It is honorarily called the Συμπρωτεύουσα Symprotevousa of Greece, as it was once called the συμβασιλεύουσα symvasilevousa of the Byzantine Empire...
to
BelgradeBelgrade Belgrade Belgrade (Serbian Cyrillic: Београд, Serbian Latin: Beograd (meaning "White City" in Serbian) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where Central Europe's Pannonian Plain meets...
. It was formerly known as Karasuli , Mavrosuli or Rugunovec.
Ancient times
It was inhabited in the Neolithic Era. There are two settlements of that era: in Axiochorion (
Amydon) and in Limnotopos (
Carabia). In the Bronze Age, at about 3500 to 3000 BC, Paeonians came in the area. In Axiochorion, was the capital of Paeonia, Amydon. Paeonians from Amydon took part in the
Trojan WarIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
as Trojan allies, with King
PyraechmesPyraechmes was, along with Asteropaeus, a leader of the Paeonians in the Trojan War. He came from the city of Amydon. Although Homer mentions Pyraechmes as the leader of the Paeonians early on in the Iliad, in the Catalogue of Ships, Pyraechmes plays a minor role compared to the more illustrious...
and
Asteropaeus. King
Pelegon was the one who led Paeonians from the Northern valley of the Axios river to the Southern valley, now called
Amphaxitis. Paeonians also, founded the town
ChaetaeChaetae or Chætæ was an ancient town of Macedonia that Ptolemy assigns to Mygdonia. Its location cannot precisely be calculated from Ptolemy's account, which places it between Moryllus and Antigonia which are some ways apart from one another...
in Tsaousitsa, near Pontoiraklia. In the 19th century BC, there was an invasion from the east. The invaders were
PelasgiansThe name Pelasgians was used by some ancient Greek writers to refer to populations that preceded the Hellenes in Greece, "a hold-all term for any ancient, primitive and presumably autochthonous people in the Greek world." In general, "Pelasgian" has come to mean more broadly all the autochthonous...
, later known as
CrestoniansCrestonia was an ancient region immediately north of Mygdonia. The Echeidorus river, which flowed through Mygdonia into the Thermaic Gulf, had its source in Crestonia...
, as they inhabited Krestonia, east of Amphaxitis. In the 12th century BC
PhrygiansBryges or Briges is the historical name given to a people of the ancient Balkans. They are generally considered to have been related to the Phrygians, who during classical antiquity lived in western Anatolia. Both names, Bryges and Phrygians, are assumed to be variants of the same root. Based on...
came in the area. Amydon became the first place of iron treatment in the Southern Balkans. Phrygians founded the town
Baerus or Vairos near the village Kastro. In the 5th century B.C.
MacedoniansThe Macedonians were an ancient Greek tribe which inhabited the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axius, north of Mount Olympus in Greece. Historians generally agree that the ancient Macedonians, whether they originally spoke a Greek dialect or a distinct language, came to...
conquered Amphaxitis and by that time, the Area of Polykastro followed the rest of
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
.
Roman and East Roman (Byzantine) times
In Roman times, Amydon was completely destroyed. Polykastron (
Tauriana) belongs in 2nd Division of Macedonia, where Thessaloniki is the capital. During the Roman times, from 2nd century BC to 4th century AD,
GaulsThe Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France and Belgium, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
,
GothsThe Goths were a heterogeneous East Germanic tribe. The historian Jordanes claimed that the Goths arrived from semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland , and that a Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the 2nd century, lending their name to the region of...
and
GermansThe Germanic peoples are a historical ethno-linguistic group, originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Common Germanic in the course of the Pre-Roman Iron Age...
invaded the area. In Byzantine times there were a lot of wars with the northern tribes, as
AvarsThe Eurasian Avars, sometimes referred to as the European Avars, or Ancient Avars, were a highly organized and powerful confederation of a mixed ethnic background, thought to be closely related to the Mongols, Bulgars, Khazars and other Oghur Turkic peoples of the time...
, Vardars,
BulgarsThe Bulgars were originally semi-nomadic people, probably of Turkic descent, originating in Central Asia, who from the 2nd century onwards conquered different parts of Europe...
and Slavs and the area was misfortuned. In 13th century, the Byzantine Emperors rebuilt the fortress of Vairos in order to face the northern enemies.
Ottoman times
In 1397 the area was conquered by the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
. Ottomans start a program of Islamification. A lot of people left the area to live in the mountains. According to
OttomanThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
traveller Hadji Khalfa, the area was populated only by Greeks and Turks. After the 15th century the area was based in agricultural economy. Many farm workers came from other places of Ottoman empire, in order to work, because many locals refused to work in Ottoman owned farms. Most of the farm workers who came, were Bulgarians. So, Bulgarian language started gradually to replace the Greek language. After 16th century, a lot of
SarakatsaniThe Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting Greece and neighbouring countries. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree. Most of them now reside throughout Central and Northern Greece...
came in the area from
EpirusEpirus is a geographical and historical region of Greece in southeastern Europe, currently divided between the periphery of Epirus in Greece and the prefectures of Gjirokastër, Vlorë, Berat, and Korçë in southern Albania.-Name & Etymology:...
. During 17th and 18th centuries, a lot of Greek Vlachs came in the area, from Western Macedonia, removed because of Turkish/Albanian loots. It is remarkable that in the villages Evzoni and Korona, people used to speak a Vlach-Slavic dialect with a great amount of ancient Greek components, called Megleno-Romanian. There are such speakers even nowadays. Researcher Maria Papageorgiou claims that a lot of plays of ancient Greek tragic poets, not preserved nowadays, were kept verbally, in this dialect, as tales.
In the revolution of 1821, people of Polykastro fought against the Turkish Army at the revolutionary movement of
BogdanciBogdanci 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:...
, in order to liberate
GreeceThe Greek War of Independence was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between 1821 and 1829, with later assistance from several European powers, against the Ottoman Empire, who were assisted by their vassals, the Egyptian Khedivate and partly the Vilayet of...
, but were unsucessful. The revolution continued in Southern Greece. A lot of Polykastro fighters and fighters from near villages (such as
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...
, Bogdanci, etc) went in Southern Greece in order to fight the Turkish Army there.It is remarkable that in the first
provisional Greek governmentThe First Hellenic Republic is a name used to refer to the provisional Greek state during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire...
, a committee was established, called Committee of North Macedonians, consisted of three members. One of the three members was from Bogdanci.
After 1850, there had been established 5 Greek communities in the region; in Polykastro, Axiochori, Aspros, Evzonoi and Metamorfossis and four Greek schools; in Polykastro, Aspros, Axiochori and Evzonoi. Two Greek churches and one school were built in the village, they are known as Agii Anargyri (Taxiarches nowadays) and Agios Athanassios.
In 1870 the railway station of Karasouli was established. Ottomans named the town Karasouli. That name comes from the
TurkishTurkish is spoken as a first language by over 63 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and other...
words
"kara"=black and
"suli"=swamp. Another interpretation of the name, is that the Ottomans named it after a local man who had dark skin and was originally from
SouliSouli is a community originally settled by both Greek and Albanian refugees who were hunted by the Ottomans in Thesprotia, Greece and Laberia, Albania. In early modern times, it was inhabited by about 12,000 Souliotes. After their expulsion the population of the region was significantly reduced....
,
EpirusEpirus is a geographical and historical region of Greece in southeastern Europe, currently divided between the periphery of Epirus in Greece and the prefectures of Gjirokastër, Vlorë, Berat, and Korçë in southern Albania.-Name & Etymology:...
.
In the end of 19th century and in the beginning of 20th century the conflict between Bulgarians and Greeks in Macedonia led to armed collisions. A lot of local Greek troops were acting in the region of Polykastro municipality. Georgios Vegyris, Georgios Didaskalou and Christos Doitsinis from village Evzoni organised troops against Bulgarians. In the nearby village of Vogoroitsa (now Bogorodica, in the Rep. of Macedonia) act troops with leaders: Christos Dringas and Dimitrios Ouroumis. Also in Pardeitsa (now Prdeic, in the Rep. of Macedonia) the teams of Aggelos Athanassiou and Aggelos Dakos act. Those troops were acting in the whole area from Bogdanci and Gevgeli, to Polykastro, Aspros and
DoiraniDoirani is a municipality in the Kilkis Prefecture, Greece, situated on the shores of Dojran Lake, which marks the border between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. It had a population of 2,208 according to the 2001 census. It is the Greek part of the former municipality of Doyuran, which was...
.
In 1900, the ethnic composition of the town had changed with many
TurksThe Turkish people , also known as the "Turks" are defined mainly as citizens of the Republic of Turkey. An early historic text provided the definition of being a Turk as "any individual within the Republic of Turkey; whatever his/her faith or racial/ethnic background; who speaks Turkish, grows up...
, Adyghe and Romani immigrating to the area. However local Macedonian Slavic speakers still comrised the majority of the population.The ethnic composition of the village according to
Vasil KanchovVasil Kanchov was a Bulgarian geographer, ethnographer and politician.- Biography :Vasil Kanchov was born in Vratsa. Upon graduating from High school in Lom, Bulgaria, he entered the University of Harkov, then in Russia. During the Serbo-Bulgarian War 1885 he suspended his education and took part...
in 1900 was 340 Bulgarians, 200 Turks, 12 Adyghe and 55 Romani people. The "La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne" survey by Dimitar Mishev concluded that the Christian population was composed of 312
Bulgarian ExarchistsThe Bulgarian Exarchate was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and the Bulgarian Patriarchate was restored in 1953....
, 144 Bulgarian Patriarchists and 30 Romanis. Bulgarians built a school also, in the village in the beginning of 20th century. Another population data source could be found in
OttomanThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
,
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
n and
GreekGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
statistics of the era. According to these sources them the population of the area of Polykastro municipality was 7,000 people, 1,000 of whom Greeks, 4,000
BulgariansThe Bulgarians are a South Slavic people, generally associated with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language. Emigration has resulted in Bulgarian minorities or immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-Ethnogenesis:...
and 2,000 Muslims, mainly
TurksThe Turkish people , also known as the "Turks" are defined mainly as citizens of the Republic of Turkey. An early historic text provided the definition of being a Turk as "any individual within the Republic of Turkey; whatever his/her faith or racial/ethnic background; who speaks Turkish, grows up...
.
Macedonian Struggle
In the
Macedonian StruggleThe Struggle for Macedonia 1904-1908 was military conflict between Balkan nations for region of Macedonia.Macedonian Struggle is how the Greeks describe their military conflicts against the Bulgarians and the Turkish forces in Ottoman occupied Macedonia during the first decade of the 20th...
of 1904-1908 several Polykastrins fought against Bulgarian detachments of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (
IMROThe Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization , was the name of from a revolutionary, Bulgarian national liberation movement in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
) and Turkish Armies. Georgios Karaiskakis from Bogdanca (now in the Rep. of Macedonia) and his troop were the main defenders of the area. Georgios Karaiskakis "Vogdantsiotis" was acting in an area from Gevgelija and Stromnitsa (now
StrumicaStrumica is a town situated in the south-east of the Republic of Macedonia . The population is close to 55,000 with an absolute Macedonian majority . About 150,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica river which runs through it...
) to Doirani, Polykastro and Aspros. We killed in a buttle near Strumica against Bulgarians in 1905.
Michael SionidisMichael Sionidis was a prominent Greek leader in the Macedonian Struggle.He was born in the village of Grciste, Ottoman Empire in 1870. At the outbreak of the Macedonian Struggle in 1904, he organized a troop against the pro-Bulgarian VMRO komitadjis, acting in an area covering Grciste, Gevgelija...
from Evzonoi was the most important Macedonian fighter against Bulgarians and took revenge for many assassinations of Greeks by Bulgarians. Georgios Koukogiannis from Metamorphossis with Asterios Demou and Lazaros Doitsinis from Evzonoi were defending their villages by Bulgarians. Konstantinos Argyriou from Polykastro with Traianos Antoniou and Demetrios Giovanis from Axiochorion were fighting and organising the Greek schools.
Finally Polykastro and the area was liberated by the Greek Army during 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...
in 1912.
Famous inhabitants of Polykastro
- Ivančo Karašulata (1875-1905), IMRO revolutionary
- Michael Sionidis
Michael Sionidis was a prominent Greek leader in the Macedonian Struggle.He was born in the village of Grciste, Ottoman Empire in 1870. At the outbreak of the Macedonian Struggle in 1904, he organized a troop against the pro-Bulgarian VMRO komitadjis, acting in an area covering Grciste, Gevgelija...
http://www.imma.edu.gr/imma/dbs/Artifacts/index.html?start=110&show=1, (1870-1935), Greek Macedonian Leader in the Macedonian Struggle
- Georgios Karaiskakis Vogdantsiotis http://www.imma.edu.gr/imma/cache/image/Image/iView_Vlasis/%CE%A7%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%A4%CE%9F%CE%9D%CE%99%CE%91/0408.w.800.jpg, Greek Macedonian Leader in the Macedonian Struggle
- Anton Yugov
Anton Tanev Yugov was a leading member of the Bulgarian Communist Party served as Prime Minister of the country from 1956 to 1962....
(1904–1991), Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- Alexandros Karathodoros
Alexandros Karathodoros was a Greek politician and minister. He was born in Trikala in 1908 to a Sarakatsani family. In 1920 his family moved near Polykastro, in village Latomi, Kilkis prefecture because it was closer to mount Vermio, where they were going the sheep in summers. He studied law in...
, (1908-1981), member of parliament (1946-1967), minister of transport (1952-1954)
- Pagonis Vakalopoulos, international football player
- Zafirios Katramadas, actor
- Chryssoula Goudenoudi, champion runner