Sarantaporo
Encyclopedia
Sarantaporo is a village and a former municipality
in the Larissa regional unit, Thessaly
, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Elassona
, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,588 (2001). The town is near the mountain ranges of Kamvounio to the northwest and the Pieria mountains to the northeast. Sarantaporo is next to the GR-3
(Larissa - Kozani - Niki
). Sarantaporo is located west-southwest of Katerini
, northwest of Elassona
, Tyrnavos
and Larissa
, east of Grevena
and south-southeast of Kozani
. The 40th parallel North is about 5 km south of Sarantaporo.
, Sarantaporo did not join Greece
until the Balkan Wars
where the town was liberated from the Ottoman Turkish
yoke which dominated for over 550 years on October 1912 during the Battle of Sarantaporo
which saw Greek victory in the First Balkan War
. Sarantaporo finally became a part of Greece in 1913 which finished the oppressive Turkish rule. The Sarantaporo Gorge was the strategic location for the battle. The village's name during the Ottoman rule was Glikovon (Γκλίκοβον). Sarantaporo became a municipality in 1994; one of the first to be created under the Capodistrian Law. The area features archaeological findings dating back to the pre-Classical
years up to the Ottoman rule.
Communities and Municipalities of Greece
For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...
in the Larissa regional unit, Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, 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 Elassona
Elassona
Elassona is a town and a municipality in the Larissa peripheral unit in Greece. During antiquity Elassona was called Oloosson - Ὀλοοσσών and was a town of the ancient "Perrhaebi", known today as Thessaly. It is situated at the foot of Mount Olympus...
, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,588 (2001). The town is near the mountain ranges of Kamvounio to the northwest and the Pieria mountains to the northeast. Sarantaporo is next to the GR-3
Greek National Road 3
Greek National Road 3 begins from Eleusis and heads north, passing Larissa, Florina and terminates at the border with the Republic of Macedonia in Niki, which from there links with the M3. The road is part of the E65. In the late 1980s, motorway bypasses have been constructed for the towns...
(Larissa - Kozani - Niki
Níki, Greece
Níki is a village situated in the Florina Prefecture, Greece, along the border with the Republic of Macedonia. The village is located 14 km north of Florina at the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing. Its name in Greek means victory....
). Sarantaporo is located west-southwest of Katerini
Katerini
Katerini is a town in Central Macedonia, Greece, the capital of Pieria regional unit. It lies on the Pierian plain, between Mt. Olympus and the Thermaikos Gulf, at an altitude of 14 m. The town, which is one of the newest in Greece, has a population of 83,764...
, northwest of Elassona
Elassona
Elassona is a town and a municipality in the Larissa peripheral unit in Greece. During antiquity Elassona was called Oloosson - Ὀλοοσσών and was a town of the ancient "Perrhaebi", known today as Thessaly. It is situated at the foot of Mount Olympus...
, Tyrnavos
Tyrnavos
Tyrnavos is a municipality in the Larissa regional unit, of the Thessaly region of Greece. Tyrnavos is the prefecture's third largest community within the Larissa prefecture. The town is near the mountains and the Thessalian Plain. The river Titarisios, a tributary of the Pineios, flows through...
and Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
, east of Grevena
Grevena
Grevena is a town and municipality in Greece, capital of the Grevena peripheral unit. The town's current population is 10,447 citizens; it lies about 400 km from Athens and about 180 km from Thessaloniki. The municipality's population is 30,564...
and south-southeast of Kozani
Kozani
Kozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of West Macedonia region. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley...
. The 40th parallel North is about 5 km south of Sarantaporo.
Subdivisions
The municipal unit Sarantaporo is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):- Azoros (Vouvala)
- Gerania
- Giannota
- Lykoudi (Lykoudi, Sykia)
- Milea
- Sarantaporo
- Tsapournia (Tsapournia, Farmaki)
Population
| Year | Town population | Municipality population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 817 | - |
| 1991 | 938 | - |
| 2001 | 907 | 3,588 |
Geography
The municipality is smade up of mountains covering the area with forests as well as grasslands. Farmlands dominate the valley area and around the village especially the western and the central parts.Information
The village was originally a Slavic settlement founded under the name Glikovo. Unlike the rest of ThessalyThessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, Sarantaporo did not join Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
until the Balkan Wars
Balkan 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...
where the town was liberated from the Ottoman Turkish
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...
yoke which dominated for over 550 years on October 1912 during the Battle of Sarantaporo
Battle of Sarantaporo
The Battle of Sarantaporo, variously also transliterated as Sarantaporon or Sarandaporon took place on October 9-10 , 1912...
which saw Greek victory in 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...
. Sarantaporo finally became a part of Greece in 1913 which finished the oppressive Turkish rule. The Sarantaporo Gorge was the strategic location for the battle. The village's name during the Ottoman rule was Glikovon (Γκλίκοβον). Sarantaporo became a municipality in 1994; one of the first to be created under the Capodistrian Law. The area features archaeological findings dating back to the pre-Classical
Classical Greece
Classical Greece was a 200 year period in Greek culture lasting from the 5th through 4th centuries BC. This classical period had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and greatly influenced the foundation of Western civilizations. Much of modern Western politics, artistic thought, such as...
years up to the Ottoman rule.