Pylaia
Encyclopedia
Pylaia is a suburb of the Thessaloniki Urban Area
and was former municipality in the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylaia-Chortiatis, of which it is a municipal unit. Pylaia covers 24.379 km2 with 4,5 km of coastline extending along the shores of the Thermaic Gulf
and had a 2001 census population of 22,744 inhabitants. Pylaia is relatively sparsely populated for a municipality within the Thessaloniki Urban Area
.
, in 319 BC
, under the name Strepsa. It was later known as Kapoutzida, from the Turkish
word kapıcı ("gatekeeper"), deriving from the guards watching over the city walls of Byzantine
Thessaloniki. The current name came into general use in 1927, and is derived from the word Pyle (πυλη), meaning gateway and referring to the Eastern Entrance of the city.
Thessaloniki Urban Area
The Thessaloniki Urban Area is the contiguous densely built-up urban area around the municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece, which is the second largest municipality by population in the country behind Athens. The contiguous built-up area consists of 13 municipalities and forms the urban core of the...
and was former municipality in the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylaia-Chortiatis, of which it is a municipal unit. Pylaia covers 24.379 km2 with 4,5 km of coastline extending along the shores of the Thermaic Gulf
Thermaic Gulf
The Thermaic Gulf is a gulf of the Aegean Sea located immediately south of Thessaloniki, east of Pieria and Imathia, and west of Chalkidiki . It was named after the ancient town of Therma, which was situated on the northeast coast of the gulf...
and had a 2001 census population of 22,744 inhabitants. Pylaia is relatively sparsely populated for a municipality within the Thessaloniki Urban Area
Thessaloniki Urban Area
The Thessaloniki Urban Area is the contiguous densely built-up urban area around the municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece, which is the second largest municipality by population in the country behind Athens. The contiguous built-up area consists of 13 municipalities and forms the urban core of the...
.
History
The first reference to Pylaia is found in the historian ThucydidesThucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
, in 319 BC
319 BC
Year 319 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cursor and Cerretanus...
, under the name Strepsa. It was later known as Kapoutzida, from the Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
word kapıcı ("gatekeeper"), deriving from the guards watching over the city walls of Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
Thessaloniki. The current name came into general use in 1927, and is derived from the word Pyle (πυλη), meaning gateway and referring to the Eastern Entrance of the city.