Karditsa

Climate

Karditsa has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). Karditsa experiences hot, dry summers and cool winters with substantial precipitation.

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History

During the period of Ottoman rule in Thessaly, the main settlement in the location of modern Karditsa was called Sotira. In 1810, the English traveler William Martin Leake mentioned a sprawling village named Kardhítza, consisting of between 500-600 houses, of which the majority of the inhabitants were Turkish.

Karditsa was incorporated as a new city in 1882, the year after its liberation from the Ottoman Empire (1881).

During World War II, the resistance in Thessaly was fought primarily by the ELAS. On March 12, 1943 Karditsa was liberated temporarily by ELAS after the Italian capitulation.

In September 2020, the city was badly hit from catastrophic floods that resulted in 4 deaths.

Municipality

The municipality Karditsa was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:

• Itamos
• Kallifoni
• Kampos
• Karditsa
• Mitropoli

The municipality has an area of 647.3878 km2, the municipal unit 110.086 km2. Formerly, Karditsa had a neighbourhood known as Vlachomachalas, which was populated by Vlachs (Aromanians).

Subdivisions

The municipal unit of Karditsa is divided into six parts (communities):

• Agiopigi
• Artesiano
• Karditsa
• Karditsomagoula
• Palioklissi
• Rousso

Historical population

Education

Veterinary Medicine Department of the University of Thessaly which is one of only two Veterinary departments in Greece and three other university departments of the University of Thessaly based in the city.

Transport

Karditsa is served by trains on the Palaiofarsalos-Kalambaka line, with connections to both Athens and Thessaloniki.

Sports

Football clubs include Anagennisi Karditsa, A.S.Karditsa (el), AO Karditsa, Asteras Karditsas (el) and Elpides Karditsas. SPA Karditsa (el) is a volleyball club.

Notable people

• Ioannis Bourousis, basketball player
• Antigoni Drisbioti, Olympian race walker
• Charilaos Florakis, politician
• Georgios Karaiskakis, hero of the Greek War of Independence
• Alexandros Papamichail, Olympic race walker
• Helena Paparizou, singer and winner of 2005 Eurovision Song Contest
• Nikolaos Plastiras, army officer and Prime Minister
• Georgios Siantos, politician, Greek Resistance figure
• Dimitris Sioufas, politician
• Dimitrios Tsiamis, jumper, bronze medalist at European Championships
• Panagiota Tsinopoulou, Olympic race walker
• Seraphim of Athens, archbishop
• Stefanos Tsitsipas, tennis player
• Konstantinos Thanos
• Kostas Tsiaras
• Sakis Tsiolis
• Vaios Karagiannis

Gallery

| File:Λιμνη θεα απο Νεοχωρις προς Φραγμα.jpg | Lake Plastiras, near the city | File:Памятник у Пластиры.jpg | Monument to Greco-Russian friendship at Lake Plastira | File:Φράγμα Συκιάς, διακρίνεται η σήραγγα εκτροπής και η εκσκαφή των πρανών για την κατασκευή του φράγματος - panoramio.jpg | Dam of Sykia | File:Argithea, Greece - panoramio.jpg | View to Argithea | File:Λίμνη Στεφανιάδα - panoramio.jpg | Stefaniada lake

References

References

1. [https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9092/ Municipality of Karditsa, Municipal elections – October 2023], Ministry of Interior
2. Arrowsmith, John. "Turkey in Europe, 1832".
3. Leake, William Martin. ''Travels in Northern Greece''. (1835).
4. "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities". [[Government Gazette (Greece).
5. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)". National Statistical Service of Greece.
6. Rousiakis, Sotirios (2021). [https://www.db-thueringen.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/dbt_derivate_00053474/Rousiakis_Greek_Karagouns.pdf THE MODERN GREEK DIALECT OF THE KARAGOUNS IN WEST THESSALY]. p. 19.