Polykastro
Encyclopedia
Polykastro is a town and a former municipality in Kilkis regional unit, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Paionia
, of which it is a municipal unit, and the seat. The municipal unit of Polykastro has 12,000 inhabitants, and includes Polykastro and 23 villages. It is built near the Axios River, on the road and railway from Thessaloniki
to Belgrade
. It was formerly known as Karasuli (Turkish), Mavrosuli or Rugunovec (Bulgarian
: Ругуновец).
as Trojan allies, with King Pyraechmes
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 Chaetae in Tsaousitsa, near Pontoiraklia. In the 19th century BC, there was an invasion from the east. The invaders were Pelasgians
, later known as Crestonia
ns, as they inhabited Krestonia, east of Amphaxitis. In the 12th century BC Phrygians
came in the area. Amydon became the first place of iron treatment in Southeast Europe. Phrygians founded the town Baerus or Vairos near the village Kastro. In the 5th century B.C. Macedonians
conquered Amphaxitis and by that time, the Area of Polykastro followed the rest of Greece
.
, Goths
and Germans
made incursions. In Byzantine times there were many wars with the northern tribes, as Avars
, Vardars, Bulgars
and Slavs and the area was severely affected. In 13th century, the Byzantine Emperors rebuilt the fortress of Vairos in order to face the northern enemies.
. Ottomans started a program of Islamification. Many people left the area to live in the mountains. According to Ottoman
traveller Hadji Khalfa, the area was populated only by Greeks and Turks. After the 15th century the area relied on its agricultural economy. Many farm workers came from other places of the Ottoman empire, in order to work because many locals refused to work in Ottoman owned farms. After 16th century, many Sarakatsani
arrived in the area from Epirus
. During 17th and 18th centuries, 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.
During the Greek War Independene of 1821, people of Polykastro fought against the Turkish army in the revolutionary movement of Bogdanci
, in order to liberate Greece
, but were unsuccessful. The revolution continued in Southern Greece. A lot of Polykastro fighters and fighters from near villages (such as Gevgelija
, Bogdanci, etc.) went in Southern Greece in order to fight the Turkish Army there.It is remarkable that in the first provisional Greek government
, a committee was established, called Committee of North Macedonians, consisted of three members. One of the three members was from Bogdanci.
After 1850, five Greek communities had been established 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 Turkish
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 Souli
, Epirus
.
Late 19th century and early 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 Doirani
.
In 1900, the ethnic composition of the town had changed with many Turks
, Adyghe
and Romani immigrating to the area. However Bulgarians
still comrised the majority of the population. The ethnic composition of the village according to Vasil Kanchov
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 Exarchists
, 144 Bulgarian Patriarchists and 30 Romanis. Bulgarians maintainеd a school also, in the village in the beginning of 20th century. Another population data source could be found in Ottoman
, Bulgaria
n and Greek
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 Bulgarians
and 2,000 Muslims, mainly Turks
.
of 1904-1908 to unite Macedonia
with Greece, several Polykastrins fought against Bulgarian detachments of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) and Turkish Armies. The Greek commander Georgios Karaiskakis from Bogdanca (now in the Republic 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 Strumica
) to Doirani, Polykastro and Aspros. We killed in a buttle near Strumica against Bulgarians in 1905. Michael Sionidis
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 captured by the Greek Army during the First Balkan War
in 1912. Most of its Bulgarian population was expelled to Bulgaria.
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 Paionia
Paionia (municipality)
Paionia is a municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Polykastro. The municipality is named after the ancient region of Paeonia.-Municipality:...
, of which it is a municipal unit, and the seat. The municipal unit of Polykastro has 12,000 inhabitants, and includes Polykastro and 23 villages. It is built near the Axios River, on the road and railway from 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...
to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. It was formerly known as Karasuli (Turkish), Mavrosuli or Rugunovec (Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
: Ругуновец).
Ancient times
It was inhabited in the Neolithic Era. There are two settlements from that era: in Axiochorion (Amydon) and in Limnotopos (Carabia). In the Bronze Age, 3500 to 3000 BC, Paeonians moved into the area. In Axiochorion was the capital of Paeonia, Amydon. Paeonians from Amydon took part in the Trojan WarTrojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took 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 Pyraechmes
Pyraechmes
Pyraechmes 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 Trojan Catalogue, 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 Chaetae in Tsaousitsa, near Pontoiraklia. In the 19th century BC, there was an invasion from the east. The invaders were Pelasgians
Pelasgians
The name Pelasgians was used by some ancient Greek writers to refer to populations that were either the ancestors of the Greeks or who preceded the Greeks in Greece, "a hold-all term for any ancient, primitive and presumably indigenous people in the Greek world." In general, "Pelasgian" has come...
, later known as Crestonia
Crestonia
Crestonia was an ancient region immediately north of Mygdonia. The Echeidorus river, which flowed through Mygdonia into the Thermaic Gulf, had its source in Crestonia...
ns, as they inhabited Krestonia, east of Amphaxitis. In the 12th century BC Phrygians
Bryges
Bryges 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 Southeast Europe. Phrygians founded the town Baerus or Vairos near the village Kastro. In the 5th century B.C. Macedonians
Ancient Macedonians
The Macedonians originated from inhabitants of the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, in the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axios...
conquered Amphaxitis and by that time, the Area of Polykastro followed the rest of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Roman and East Roman (Byzantine) times
In Roman times, Amydon was completely destroyed. Polykastron (Tauriana) belonged in 2nd Division of Macedonia, whit Thessaloniki as the capital. During Roman times, 2nd century BC to 4th century AD, GaulsGauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
, Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
and Germans
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
made incursions. In Byzantine times there were many wars with the northern tribes, as Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
, Vardars, Bulgars
Bulgars
The Bulgars were a semi-nomadic who flourished in the Pontic Steppe and the Volga basin in the 7th century.The Bulgars emerge after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire in the 5th century....
and Slavs and the area was severely affected. 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 EmpireOttoman 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...
. Ottomans started a program of Islamification. Many people left the area to live in the mountains. According to 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...
traveller Hadji Khalfa, the area was populated only by Greeks and Turks. After the 15th century the area relied on its agricultural economy. Many farm workers came from other places of the Ottoman empire, in order to work because many locals refused to work in Ottoman owned farms. After 16th century, many Sarakatsani
Sarakatsani
The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...
arrived in the area from Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
. During 17th and 18th centuries, 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.
During the Greek War Independene of 1821, people of Polykastro fought against the Turkish army in the revolutionary movement of Bogdanci
Bogdanci
Bogdanci 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 Greece
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
, but were unsuccessful. The revolution continued in Southern Greece. A lot of Polykastro fighters and fighters from near villages (such as Gevgelija
Gevgelija
Gevgelija 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 government
First Hellenic Republic
The 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, five Greek communities had been established 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 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,...
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 Souli
Souli
Souli is a municipality in Epirus, northwestern Greece. It was 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...
, Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
.
Late 19th century and early 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
Evzoni
Evzoni is a town in Kilkis Prefecture in Central Macedonia, Greece. The main border crossing between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia is located here. The Macedonian town opposite Evzoni is Bogorodica, in Gevgelija municipality....
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 Doirani
Doirani
Doirani is a former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kilkis, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated on the shores of Dojran Lake, which marks the border between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. It...
.
In 1900, the ethnic composition of the town had changed with many 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...
, Adyghe
Adyghe people
The Adyghe or Adygs , also often known as Circassians or Cherkess, are in origin a North Caucasian ethnic groupwho were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War of 1862.Adyghe people mostly speak Adyghe and most...
and Romani immigrating to the area. However Bulgarians
Macedonians (Bulgarians)
Macedonians or Macedonian Bulgarians , sometimes also referred to as Macedono-Bulgarians or Macedo-Bulgarians is a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians, inhabiting or originating from Macedonia...
still comrised the majority of the population. The ethnic composition of the village according to 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...
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 Exarchists
Bulgarian Exarchate
The 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 maintainеd a school also, in the village in the beginning of 20th century. Another population data source could be found in 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...
, 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 and Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
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 Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
and 2,000 Muslims, mainly 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...
.
Macedonian Struggle
In the Macedonian StruggleGreek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
of 1904-1908 to unite Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
with Greece, several Polykastrins fought against Bulgarian detachments of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) and Turkish Armies. The Greek commander Georgios Karaiskakis from Bogdanca (now in the Republic 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 Strumica
Strumica
Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 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 Sionidis
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...
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 captured by the Greek Army during the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The 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. Most of its Bulgarian population was expelled to Bulgaria.
Famous inhabitants of Polykastro
- Ivančo Karašulata (1875–1905), IMRO revolutionary
- Michael SionidisMichael SionidisMichael Sionidis was a prominent Greek leader in the Macedonian Struggle.He was born in the village of Grciste, Ottoman Empire in 1870...
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 YugovAnton YugovAnton Tanev Yugov was a leading member of the Bulgarian Communist Party served as Prime Minister of the country from 1956 to 1962. Anton Tanev Yugov is Honorary Citizen of Tirana, Albania....
(1904–1991), Prime Minister of Bulgaria - Alexandros KarathodorosAlexandros KarathodorosAlexandros 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 VakalopoulosPagonis VakalopoulosPagonis Vakalopoulos is a retired Greek footballer.-Career:He started his career in his home town club, Polykastro F.C.. In December 1984, he transferred to Iraklis Thessaloniki F.C., where he spent the biggest part of his career. He won the Balkans Cup in 1985 and he was finalist of the Greek Cup...
, international football player - Zafirios Katramadas, actor
- Chryssoula Goudenoudi, champion runner
- Vasiliki Papa, actress,singer
