Avas, Greece
Encyclopedia
Avas or Avantas is a village in the southwestern part of the Evros Prefecture
in Greece. Avantas is located 10 km north of Alexandroupoli
, east of Thessaloniki
and northeast of the Greek capital Athens
. Avantas is linked with the road connecting the Egnatia Odos
(E90
- Igoumenitsa
- Thessaloniki - Alexandroupoli) and the GR-2
(Alexandroupoli - Thessaloniki). Its 2001 population was 497 for the village.
Turks. Its inhabitants were 3/4 Bulgarian and 1/4 Turkish until the annexation of Greece from Bulgaria in 1920 and the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
. According to professor Lyubomir Miletich
, the 1912 population contained 320 exarchist Bulgarian families. Refugees east of the Evros river and from Asia Minor arrived into the village. Its Turkish originated name changed its name to its current Greek form Avas and later Avantas afterwards. After World War II
and the Greek Civil War
, many of its buildings were rebuilt. Electricity and automobiles arrived in the 1960s, it was linked with pavement in the late-20th century, television arrived in the 1980s. Internet and computers arrived in the late-1990s. The village's lost three fourths of its population between 1981 and 1991 and two thirds between 1991 and 2001 totaling to four fifths between 1981 and 2001, its inhabitants left for the larger cities and outside Greece.
Evros Prefecture
Evros is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the river Evros, which appears to have been a Thracian hydronym. Evros is the northernmost regional unit. It borders Turkey to the east, across the river Evros, and it...
in Greece. Avantas is located 10 km north of Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli , is a city of Greece and the capital of the Evros peripheral unit in Thrace. Named after King Alexander, it is an important port and commercial center of northeastern Greece.-Name:...
, east 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 northeast of the Greek capital Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Avantas is linked with the road connecting the Egnatia Odos
Egnatia Odos
Egnatia Odos may refer to:* The Via Egnatia, an ancient Roman road in the southern Balkans* Egnatia Odos , Greek National Road 2, partly following the same route as the Via Egnatia*Egnatia Street, Thessaloniki, a street in Thessaloniki...
(E90
European route E90
European route E 90 is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from Lisbon in Portugal in the west to the Turkish-Iraqi border in the east.-Itinerary:...
- Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa , is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit Thesprotia. Its original ancient name used to be Titani....
- Thessaloniki - Alexandroupoli) and the GR-2
Greek National Road 2
The National Road 2 in Greece is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the regions of Macedonia and Thrace. It is often confused with the A2 Egnatia Odos, which is a motorway/freeway and is similarly numbered as .Parts of the road belong to european route E86....
(Alexandroupoli - Thessaloniki). Its 2001 population was 497 for the village.
Population
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1912 | about 400 |
| 1981 | 555 |
| 1991 | 516 |
| 2001 | 497 |
History
The village was founded by the OttomanOttoman 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...
Turks. Its inhabitants were 3/4 Bulgarian and 1/4 Turkish until the annexation of Greece from Bulgaria in 1920 and the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
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...
. According to professor Lyubomir Miletich
Lyubomir Miletich
Lyubomir Miletich was a leading Bulgarian linguist, ethnographer, dialectologist and historian, as well as the chairman of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences from 1926 to his death....
, the 1912 population contained 320 exarchist Bulgarian families. Refugees east of the Evros river and from Asia Minor arrived into the village. Its Turkish originated name changed its name to its current Greek form Avas and later Avantas afterwards. 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...
, many of its buildings were rebuilt. Electricity and automobiles arrived in the 1960s, it was linked with pavement in the late-20th century, television arrived in the 1980s. Internet and computers arrived in the late-1990s. The village's lost three fourths of its population between 1981 and 1991 and two thirds between 1991 and 2001 totaling to four fifths between 1981 and 2001, its inhabitants left for the larger cities and outside Greece.