Ano Vrontou
Encyclopedia
Ano Vrontou is a village and a former community in the northern Serres regional unit, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Serres
, of which it is a municipal unit. Its 2001 population was 452. The Drama regional unit is bounded to the northeast.
35 km NNE of Serres
, northeast of Thessaloniki
and south of the border with Bulgaria
and the town of Gotse Delchev
(Nevrokop).
It is situated by the Vrontous
mountains to the west, the Menoikio to the south and Orvilos further north. The mountaintop of 1,653 m is to the north.
It had around 2,700 Bulgarians in 1873
Macedonian Scientific Institute, Sofia 1995, p 116/117. The area functioned as a Bulgarian area in 1868. By 1900, its population rose to 6,100 Bulgarian Christians. The secretary of the exarch Dimitar Mishev (La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne) the settlement in 1905 had around 6,480 Bulgarian exarchists and 240 Bulgarian partiarchs, thus made it one of the largest places in the modern Greek prefecture.
The village had a large activity by VMORO in an Ottoman province. In 1903, the large settlement was visited by Gotse Delchev
from the Vanisha. In 1913, it had a population of 1,100 people and 8,000 others.
During the Balkan Wars, the area was conquered and occupied by the Bulgarians until the Second Balkan War
s and later occupied and annexed to Greece
and its residents fled northward to Bulgaria, 200 of them to Nevrokop (Gotse Delchev) and 300 fled to Plovdiv
, the Turks were later displaced during the Asia Minor Catastrophe
and Greeks mostly from Asia Minor settled in the area. Prior to the Second Balkan Wars, it had a Bulgarian majority and a Turkish minority.
After World War II
and the Greek Civil War
, its buildings were rebuilt. Once a village of around 200 to 300, its population loss began when emigration occurred at a higher rate until 1981, though the population recovered in 2001 and became one of the few in Macedonia to regain the population. Ano Vrontou became connected with asphalt in the 1980s and the 1990s. Electricity, radio and automobiles were introduced in the mid-20th century, television in the late-20th century and computer and internet at the turn of the millennium. In the late-1990s, the community became a newly formed community with a communal district but never became a municipality under the Capodistrian Plan since it is not much populated.
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 Serres
Serres
Serres is a city in Greece, seat of the Serres prefecture.Serres may also refer to:Places:* Serres, Germany, a part of Wiernsheim in Baden-WürttembergIn France:* Serres, Aude in the Aude département...
, of which it is a municipal unit. Its 2001 population was 452. The Drama regional unit is bounded to the northeast.
Nearest places
- Katafyto, north
- Vathytopos, northeast
- Perithori, east
- Kato Vrontou, southeast (distance: 6 km direct, 13 km by road)
- Orini and Ano Orini, southwest
- Karydochori, northwest
Population
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1873 | 2,700 |
| 1900 | 6,700 |
| 1981 | 347 |
| 1991 | 408 |
| 2001 | 452 |
Location
Ano Vrontou is located northwest of DramaDrama, Greece
Drama , the ancient Drabescus , is a town and municipality in northeastern Greece. Drama is the capital of the peripheral unit of Drama which is part of the East Macedonia and Thrace periphery. The town is the economic center of the municipality , which in turn comprises 53.5 percent of the...
35 km NNE of Serres
Serres
Serres is a city in Greece, seat of the Serres prefecture.Serres may also refer to:Places:* Serres, Germany, a part of Wiernsheim in Baden-WürttembergIn France:* Serres, Aude in the Aude département...
, northeast of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
and south of the border with 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...
and the town of Gotse Delchev
Gotse Delchev
Georgi Nikolov Delchev was an important revolutionary figure in Ottoman-ruled Macedonia and Thrace at the turn of the 20th century...
(Nevrokop).
Geography and panorama
Much of the area around Ano Vrontou are forested, farmlands are situated within the village and grasslands and barren lands within the same elevation as the village.It is situated by the Vrontous
Vrontous
Vrontous, also Vrondous and Vrodous is a mountain range in the northeastern Serres and the westernmost Drama prefectures in Greece. Its peaks stand over 1,849 m...
mountains to the west, the Menoikio to the south and Orvilos further north. The mountaintop of 1,653 m is to the north.
History
Vrodi (now Vrontou) was founded in the 14th century by a Serbian tsar Stefan Dušan which h from the area Vrondi (Вронди) or Trilitsa (Трилиса, Trilits, Търлис) region. The Ottmans conquered the area and ruled until the Balkan WarsBalkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
It had around 2,700 Bulgarians in 1873
Macedonian Scientific Institute, Sofia 1995, p 116/117. The area functioned as a Bulgarian area in 1868. By 1900, its population rose to 6,100 Bulgarian Christians. The secretary of the exarch Dimitar Mishev (La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne) the settlement in 1905 had around 6,480 Bulgarian exarchists and 240 Bulgarian partiarchs, thus made it one of the largest places in the modern Greek prefecture.
The village had a large activity by VMORO in an Ottoman province. In 1903, the large settlement was visited by Gotse Delchev
Gotse Delchev
Georgi Nikolov Delchev was an important revolutionary figure in Ottoman-ruled Macedonia and Thrace at the turn of the 20th century...
from the Vanisha. In 1913, it had a population of 1,100 people and 8,000 others.
During the Balkan Wars, the area was conquered and occupied by the Bulgarians until the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The 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...
s and later occupied and annexed to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and its residents fled northward to Bulgaria, 200 of them to Nevrokop (Gotse Delchev) and 300 fled to Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, the Turks were later displaced during the Asia Minor Catastrophe
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
The 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 Greeks mostly from Asia Minor settled in the area. Prior to the Second Balkan Wars, it had a Bulgarian majority and a Turkish minority.
After 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 the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The 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...
, its buildings were rebuilt. Once a village of around 200 to 300, its population loss began when emigration occurred at a higher rate until 1981, though the population recovered in 2001 and became one of the few in Macedonia to regain the population. Ano Vrontou became connected with asphalt in the 1980s and the 1990s. Electricity, radio and automobiles were introduced in the mid-20th century, television in the late-20th century and computer and internet at the turn of the millennium. In the late-1990s, the community became a newly formed community with a communal district but never became a municipality under the Capodistrian Plan since it is not much populated.
Notable people
- Dimo Hadjidimov, Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) revolutionary leader
- Tasos Stambouloglou (b. 1938), Greek poet and literary critic
- Georgi Sivkov (1909–1964) Leader of the Bulgarian Father Front Otechstven Front
Literature
- Vasil Kanshov on Ano Vrontou (Gorno Brodi)
- Georgi Bazhdarov Gorno Brodi (Горно Броди or Ano Vrontou), Sofia, 1929
- Vidoeski, Bozhidar Gorno Vrodi, Drama, Skopje, 1992 XVII 2, p 5-89
External links
| Northwest: Sidirokastro Sidirokastro Sidirokastro is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is built near the fertile valley of the river Strymonas, on the bank of the... |
North: Drama Prefecture 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... |
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| West: Serres Serres Serres is a city in Greece, seat of the Serres prefecture.Serres may also refer to:Places:* Serres, Germany, a part of Wiernsheim in Baden-WürttembergIn France:* Serres, Aude in the Aude département... |
Ano Vrontou | East: 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... |
| South: Serres Serres Serres is a city in Greece, seat of the Serres prefecture.Serres may also refer to:Places:* Serres, Germany, a part of Wiernsheim in Baden-WürttembergIn France:* Serres, Aude in the Aude département... |