Potamoi, Drama
Encyclopedia
Potamoi until 1927 known as Borovo , is a village in the Drama Prefecture
, Greece
.
.
. Further 860 silver coins from Philip II of Macedon
have been excavated from the environs of the village.
The village is first mentioned as Borovo in an Ottoman
registry from the latter 15th/early 16th century, with 153 registered [male] inhabitants. The village has also been mentioned (as Borova) by the Austrian geologist Ami Boué
, who visited the Balkans
between 1836-1838. He notes that the way from Dospat
to Kato Nevrokopi
goes through Borova. He further notes that the village has been visited earlier by the Frenchman Vikenel.
According to the Bulgarian ethnographer Vasil Kanchov
, as of the 19th century the village of Borovo was a Muslim
-populated village with 500 Bulgarian Muslims
(Pomaks), 250 Turks
and 140 houses. In another statistic from 1873 the village of Borovo is mentioned as a Pomak village with 280 male Pomaks and 110 households. According to a Greek statistic from 1913 Borovo (Μπόροβον) is a village with 1045 inhabitants.
Kanchov writes that in 1900 the village was ruled by a mudur with no power outside of it. He also notes the existence of two mosque
s and a maktab
.
In 1923 the Pomaks and the Turks were expelled
from the village according to the Treaty of Lausanne
. Subsequently Greek refugees
from Turkey were settled in the village. In 1928 the number of the refugees settled in Borovo had reached 384 and the number of the Greek families 113. In 1927 the name of the village was changed from Borovo (Μπόροβο) to Potami (Ποταμοί).
During World War II
and after the Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944
, a group of Pomak soldiers led by Faik Gaziev from the Bulgaria
n village of Ablanitsa sponsored by the USA and Greece
carried out sabotage and reconnaissance missions against the Communists regime in Bulgaria from the village of Potamoi.
According to Greek data the population of Potamoi has changed as follows: 1920 - 650 inhabitants, 1928 - 438 inhab., 1940 - 873 inhabs., 1951 - 760 inhab., 1961 - 751 inhab., 1971 - 537 inhab., 1981 - 397 inhab., 1991 - 377 inhab., 2001 - 413 inhabitants.
Drama Prefecture
Drama is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its capital is the town of Drama. The regional unit is the northernmost within the geographical region of Macedonia and the westernmost in the administrative region of East Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Geography
Potamoi is situated in the Chech region, at the mouth of the Dospat River on the left shore of the Mesta RiverMesta River
The Nestos or Mesta , formerly the Mesta Karasu , is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. It rises in the Rila Mountains and flows into the Aegean Sea near the island of Thasos. It plunges down towering canyons toward the Aegean Sea through mostly metamorphic formations...
.
History
Human habitation in the area of the village stretches back to prehistory. In 1967 many artifacts from different epochs were found near the village with some dated to the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. Further 860 silver coins from Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
have been excavated from the environs of the village.
The village is first mentioned as Borovo in an Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
registry from the latter 15th/early 16th century, with 153 registered [male] inhabitants. The village has also been mentioned (as Borova) by the Austrian geologist Ami Boué
Ami Boué
Ami Boué , Austrian geologist, was born at Hamburg, and received his early education there and in Geneva and Paris....
, who visited the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
between 1836-1838. He notes that the way from Dospat
Dospat
Dospat is a town in the very south of Bulgaria, part of Smolyan Province, situated in the Rhodope Mountains, close to Dospat Dam. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Dospat Municipality...
to Kato Nevrokopi
Kato Nevrokopi
Kato Nevrokopi is a municipality and town within that municipality in the northwest section of the Drama peripheral unit, Greece. Before the 2011 local government reform, it was the largest municipality in all of Greece, covering an area of 873.552 km² . The 2001 census reported a population...
goes through Borova. He further notes that the village has been visited earlier by the Frenchman Vikenel.
According to the Bulgarian ethnographer Vasil Kanchov
Vasil Kanchov
Vasil 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...
, as of the 19th century the village of Borovo was a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
-populated village with 500 Bulgarian Muslims
Bulgarian Muslims
The Bulgarian Muslims or Muslim Bulgarians are Bulgarians of the Islamic faith. They are generally thought to be the descendents of Slavs who converted to Islam during Ottoman rule...
(Pomaks), 250 Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
and 140 houses. In another statistic from 1873 the village of Borovo is mentioned as a Pomak village with 280 male Pomaks and 110 households. According to a Greek statistic from 1913 Borovo (Μπόροβον) is a village with 1045 inhabitants.
Kanchov writes that in 1900 the village was ruled by a mudur with no power outside of it. He also notes the existence of two mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s and a maktab
Maktab
Maktab , also called kuttab , is an Arabic word meaning elementary schools...
.
In 1923 the Pomaks and the Turks were expelled
Population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey was based upon religious identity, and involved the Greek Orthodox citizens of Turkey and the Muslim citizens of Greece...
from the village according to the Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The 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...
. Subsequently Greek refugees
Greek refugees
Greek refugees is a collective term used to refer to the Greeks from Asia Minor who were evacuated or relocated in Greece following the Treaty of Lausanne and the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey...
from Turkey were settled in the village. In 1928 the number of the refugees settled in Borovo had reached 384 and the number of the Greek families 113. In 1927 the name of the village was changed from Borovo (Μπόροβο) to Potami (Ποταμοί).
During World War II
World War II
World 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 after the Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944
Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944
The Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944, also known as the 9 September coup d'état and called in pre-1989 Bulgaria the National Uprising of 9 September or the Socialist Revolution of 9 September was a change in the Kingdom of Bulgaria's administration and government carried out on the eve of 9 September...
, a group of Pomak soldiers led by Faik Gaziev from the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , 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...
n village of Ablanitsa sponsored by the USA and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
carried out sabotage and reconnaissance missions against the Communists regime in Bulgaria from the village of Potamoi.
According to Greek data the population of Potamoi has changed as follows: 1920 - 650 inhabitants, 1928 - 438 inhab., 1940 - 873 inhabs., 1951 - 760 inhab., 1961 - 751 inhab., 1971 - 537 inhab., 1981 - 397 inhab., 1991 - 377 inhab., 2001 - 413 inhabitants.