Kavala

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Kavala Καβάλα
A view of the castle from the sea
Location
Kavala
Coordinates	40°56′N 24°24′E / 40.933°N 24.4°E / 40.933; 24.4Coordinates: 40°56′N 24°24′E / 40.933°N 24.4°E / 40.933; 24.4
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max):	0 - 53 m (0 - 174 ft)
Government
Country:	Greece
Periphery:	East Macedonia and Thrace
Prefecture:	Kavala
Districts:	15
Population statistics (as of 2001[1])
City
- Population:	63,293
- Area:[2]	112.6 km² (43 sq mi)
- Density:	562 /km² (1,456 /sq mi)
Codes
Postal:	65x xx
Telephone:	2510
Auto:	KB
Website
www.cityofkavala.gr

Kavala (Greek: Καβάλα), is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala prefecture. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos.

[edit] History

[edit] Antiquity

The city was founded by settlers from Thasos in about the 6th century BC, who called it Neapolis ("new city"). Neapolis was a town of Macedonia, and the harbor of Philippi, from which it was distant 14 km. It probably was the same place as Datum (Δάτον), famous for its gold mines (Herod. ix. 75; comp. Böckh, Pub. Econ. of Athens, pp. 8, 228, trans.), and a seaport, as Strabo (vii. p. 331) intimates: whence the proverb which celebrates Datum for its good things. (Zenob. Prov. Graec. Cent. iii. 71; Harpocrat. s. v. Δάτος.) Scylax does, indeed, distinguish between Neapolis and Datum; but, as he adds that the latter was an Athenian colony, which could not have been true of his original Datum, his text is, perhaps, corrupt in this place, as in so many others, and his real meaning may have been that Neapolis was a colony which the Athenians had established at Datum. Zenobius (l. c.) and Eustathius (ad Dionys. Perieg. 517) both assert that Datum was a colony of Thasos; which is highly probable, as the Thasians had several colonies on this coast. If Neapolis was a settlement of Athens, its foundation was, it may be inferred, later than that of Amphipolis. Neapolis was a member of the Athenian League, as a pillar found in Athens mentions a contribution of Neapolis to the alliance. Neapolis also minted coins in antiquity.

[edit] Roman Era

It became a Roman civitas in 168 BC, and was a base for Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, before their defeat in the Battle of Philippi. (Appian, B.C. iv. 106; Dion Cass. xlvii. 35.). The Apostle Paul landed at Kavala on his first voyage to Europe (Acts, xvi. 11).

[edit] Byzantine Era

Kavala Old Town - Panagia

In Byzantine times the city was called Christoupolis by the Greeks and Morunets by the Bulgarians. In the 6th century Byzantine emperor Justinian I fortified the city in an effort to protect it from barbaric raids. In the 8th and 9th century Bulgarian attacks forced the Byzantines to reorganize the defense of the area, giving great care to Christoupolis with fortification and a notable garrison. Due to the location of Christoupolis, the city experienced an economic flourish. During the Norman raid in Macedonia (1185), the city was captured and was burned.

[edit] Ottoman Era

Kavala was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1387 to 1912. In 1391 sultan Bayezid I In the middle of the 16th century, Ibrahim Pasha, the Greek-born Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent, contributed to the prosperity and growth of Kavala by the construction of an aqueduct.^[3] The Ottomans also extended the Byzantine fortress on the hill of Panagia. Both landmarks are among the most recognizable symbols of the city today.

Mehmet Ali, the founder of a dynasty that ruled Egypt until 1952 was born in Kavala in 1769. His house has been preserved as a museum.

House of Mehemet Ali

[edit] Modern Kavala

Picture of the port and downtown

Panoramic view of Kavala

Kavala was liberated by the Greek Navy during the first Balkan war in 1913. After the Greco-Turkish War of 1919, the city entered a new era of prosperity because of the labour offered by the thousands of refugees that moved to the area from Asia Minor. The development was both industrial and agricultural. Kavala got greatly involved into the processing and trading of tobacco. Many buildings related to the storage and processing of tobacco from that era are preserved in the city. In the late 50s Kavala expanded towards the sea by reclaiming land from the area west of the port.

[edit] Twinnings

• - Nuremberg, Germany
• - Gradiška, Bosnia-Herzegovina
• - Tekirdağ, Turkey
• - Nevrokopski, Bulgaria

[edit] Postage stamps

Cavalle 4pi

Between 1893 and 1903, the French post office in the city issued its own postage stamps; at first stamps of France overprinted with "Cavalle" and a value in piasters, then in 1902 the French designs inscribed "CAVALLE".

View of Kavala

[edit] Culture

• Kavala's medieval castle is located at a hill above the town. Additionally, the town's fortifications are still widely visible, especially in the coastal front.
• Kavala FC is the football team of the town.
• Cosmopolis International Festival, one of the biggest ethnic festivals in Greece.

[edit] Historical population

[edit] Notable Figures

• Despina Vandi, a Greek singer
• George Georgiadis
• Muhammad Ali Pasha of Kavala, the Albanian Wali(governor) of Egypt between 1805–1848 and founder of the modern state of Egypt
• Nikos Vertis, Greek singer
• Sofoklis Schortsianitis (b. June 22, 1985), professional basketball player with Olympiakos and the Greek national team
• Theodoros Zagorakis (b. October 27, 1971), captain of the Greek football team that won the Euro 2004 championship, currently chairman of PAOK.
• Vassilis Vassilikos (b. November 18, 1934), a Greek writer
• Zisis Vryzas (b. November 9, 1973), member of the Greek national football team that won Euro 2004, currently playing for PAOK FC
• Vasilis Karas,a Greek singer
• Anna Verouli, 1982 Gold Medalist, European Championship, javelin thrower)
• Nikos Karageorgiou, (b. December 9, 1962) Manager of Greek football team Ergotelis, based in Heraklion, Crete.
• Anthi Karagianni, silver medalist in the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games; the city's Municipal stadium is named after her
• Nikos Kourkoulis, Greek singer
• Aleksis Tsipras. Greek politician ^[4]

[edit] Subdivisions

Kavala is built amphitheatrically, with most residents enjoying superb views of the coast and sea. Some of the regions inside Kavala are:

[edit] See also

• Communities of the Kavala prefecture

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography by William Smith (1856).

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kavala

• Official website (in Greek and English)
• The official website of the prefecture of Kavala - online since 1996

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