Kamatero

Kamatero Καματερό
Settlement
Seal
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Attica
Government
• Mayor	Nikitas Kamarinopoulos (PASOK; since 2006)
Area
• Total	5.950 km2 (2.297 sq mi)
Highest elevation	160 m (520 ft)
Population  (2001)
• Total	22,234
• Density	3,700/km2 (9,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	13451
Area code(s)	210
Vehicle registration	Zxx

Kamatero (Greek/Katharevousa, Καματερόν (pronounced /kamate'ron/) (officially); Demotic: Καματερó (pronounced /kamate'ro/) (commonly)), is a suburb northwest of Athens, Greece. It is located about 10 kilometres northwest of Athens and north of Piraeus.

History

Antiquity

Although the oldest known archaeological finds in Kamatero date to the 4th century BC , the area west of Athens is known to have been inhabited since at least the Bronze Age. Specifically, a Mycenaean tholos tomb has been found in the neighbouring municipality of Acharnai. In classical times, the area of modern Kamatero was under the authority of the polis of Athens. According to Traill , the area of Kamatero was the location of the ancient deme of Eupyridae.

Possibly the oldest archaeological find in Kamatero is an ancient wall on the ridge of Mt. Aigaleos above the modern settlement. As described by McCredie , the wall is 0,60 to 0,90 m. thick, and "seldom preserved to the height of half a metre". McCredie considers it to be a military fieldwork, and, given that it runs to the southeast of the ridge's crest, deems it to be meant as a defence towards that direction, i.e. the direction of Athens. Thus, and also due to "its extremely light construction" , he concludes that it was built as a temporary defence for a force invading Athens. He notes that "it might represent the last easily defencible point before entering the plain of Athens itsef" . McCredie speculates that the wall was built to block the relatively easy route through Mt. Aigaleos (and on towards Eleusis and Boetia) that passes at that point . As far as the dating of the wall is concerned, McCredie concedes that it is impossible to be indepently dated. However, he believes it was built on the occasion of the same invasion as two other walls in Attica: one in the Thriasian plain, and another, more famous one (known as the Dema) bridging the gap between Mt. Aigaleos and Mt. Parnes. The Dema can be independently dated to the second half of the 4th century BC, or possibly the first half of the 3rd . Thus, McCredie considers it likely that the Kamatero wall also dates to the 4th or 3rd century BC .

Medieval and Ottoman era

There are no known medieval references to Kamatero as separate from the rest of the Athens area. However, it has been proposed that the name of the settlement derives from the prominent Byzantine Kamateros family. It is assumed by the proponents of this theory that a member of the Kamateros family would have held some post of authority over the settlement during Byzantine times. They also note that a Kamateros family does exist in the area today. However, kamateros is an old Greek adjective meaning "hard-working", and it was also commonly used to refer to oxen. Thus, the name Kamatero could simply be a reference to the agricultural economy which was then prevalent in the settlement. Alternatively, the modern family name Kamateros could be derived from the common word kamateros. Thus, while it is likely that the settlement was named after the modern family, this family may bear no connection to the medieval aristocratic one.

The modern settlement was probably founded sometime during the Ottoman era, possibly by Arvanites (Albanian-speaking populations with a Greek ethnic identity). This is highly probable, in light of the fact that the neighbouring areas of Ano Liossia and Ilion (formerly Nea Liossia) were founded by, and named after, an Arvanitic clan. Furthermore, most of the older Kamateriot families (those present before the major population influx of the 1950s) are of Arvanitic origin. At any rate, the first known written occurrence of the name Kamatero as referring to this settlement dates from 1827, during the Greek War of Independence.

From the Greek War of Independence to World War II

The first known reference to the settlement, using the name Kamatero, is from the Memoirs of General Makrygiannis, written in the 19th century. The settlement is mentioned in connection to the Battle of Kamatero, which took place in 1827, at which time a village by that name was already extant in the area. The battle itself was part of the Greek War of Independence, and ended in a Turkish victory, largely due to a poor choice of terrain by one of the Greek commanders, Vasos Mavrovouniotis. It was also the only engagement in the war of Colonel Denis Bourbaki, who was beheaded by the Turks after the engagement. The outcome of the battle had considerable impact on the course of the siege of the Acropolis then ongoing by the Turks.

There is a World War II era description of Kamatero in the book 21 Battalion, by author J. Cody. The 21st Battalion was a New Zealand infantry battalion temporarily stationed in Kamatero in spring 1941. The description given by the author is of a "pleasant tree-studded area". It is repeatedly termed a "village", and, upon arrival, soldiers of the 21st chanced upon the villagers harvesting wheat. The battalion's encampment is characterised as "rolling country dotted with olive trees". The above description makes it clear that Kamatero at that time was still a small agricultural settlement.

After World War II

Major population influx only started in the 1950s, resulting in wide-scale urbanisation. By now, urban development has replaced most of the farmlands and forests, and about two thirds of the settlement are residential areas. According to the Association for the Development of West Athens, in 1981 only an estimated 2,8% of the economically active population was employed in the primary sector of industry. More recent figures are unavailable, but probably lower.

More recently, Athens was struck by a major earthquake on September 7, 1999. Kamatero was very close to the epicentre, and several houses were heavily damaged. There were no casualties, but the homeless were in the hundreds range.

Geography

The western part of the municipality is dominated by Poikilo mountain. This forms part of the Aigaleo mountain range, which extends southwest to the Saronic Gulf. The remaining part of the municipality is characterised by a rolling, hilly landscape. Up to the mid-20th century, the area was made up of farmlands and some forests dominated its northern part.

After that point, urban development replaced much of the farmlands. Today, about two-thirds of the land are residential areas. Empty space today can be found mostly in the western part, on Poikilo mountain. This is a rocky mountain, consisting mostly of limestone, dotted with the occasional pine. There are also some last patches of forest to be found there, especially at the feet of the mountain.

The Antonis Tritsis Environmental Sensitisation Park lies to the southeast of the municipality. The park is considered to be "one of the last wildlife reserves in the Athens urban environment", and it covers "more than 100,000 m2". It consists of water courses, evergreen and coniferous trees, reed beds and farmland, and attracts "many species of birds and animal throughout the year." Specifically, "members of the Hellenic Ornithological Society have been monitoring birds at the Park and have recorded 147 different species". While the Park technically lies outside the municipality's boundaries, its influence on its microclimate is evident. Furthermore, as it is directly on the municipality's boundaries, Kamatero municipality takes an active part in its administration, along with the neighbouring municipalities of Ilion and Agioi Anargyroi.

Government and politics

Administration

Kamatero is a part of the Athens prefecture, itself a part of the Athens-Peiraeus hyperprefecture. The current hyperprefect is Foteini Gennimata, elected with the support of the socialist PASOK party. Administratively, it is part of the western sector of the Athens prefecture, with the administrative headquarters located in Aigaleo to the south. Furthermore, like the rest of the hyperprefecture, it is also part of the Attica periphery.

Kamatero itself is not further subdivided into smaller administrative sectors. While there are some traditional neighbourhoods in the municipality, they have no administrative function. Besides, the delineation between the various neighbourhoods has become somewhat blurred, as what were essentially separate settlements up to a few decades ago have now been merged into a single building complex, itself part of the larger Athens metropolitan complex.

Voting trends

Kamatero voters exhibit a long trend of supporting leftist and centre-leftist parties to a greater extent than the national average. After the military dictatorship of 1967-1974, Kamatero has almost exclusively elected left-wing mayors, with the exception of the 1974-1978 period, right after the junta. Kamatero was one of the few Greek municipalities to elect a communist mayor in 1978 when Vasilis Katsaros won. He was reelected in the 1982 and 1986 elections and remained in office until 1990 (although he later switched from the Communist Party to the radical leftist Synaspismos). Following 1990, and up to 2007, mayors supported by the socialist PASOK party have consistently been elected: Panagiotis Trakas (1990-1998), Dr Nikolaos Stenos [2002-2005 (resigned)], Nikitas Kamarinopoulos (replacing Dr Stenos 2005-2006 and in his own right 2006-present). The only brake from PASOK domination came during the 1998-2002 period, when Christoforos Danakos was elected under the auspices of the center-leftist DIKKI party (itself a PASOK splinter).

Furthermore, leftist parties generally pole better in Kamatero than their national average. This is especially true of the Communist Party, which in the latest legislative elections (2004) polled 11,14% of the vote in Kamatero, as opposed to its national average of 5,90%. PASOK polled 41,94% in Kamatero, as opposed to its national average of 40,55%, while Synaspismos and DIKKI also polled better than their national average (3,69% and 2,94% respectively, as opposed to their national averages of 3,26% and 1,79% respectively). By contrast, the centre-right New Democracy party, that won the national election, came in a distant second in Kamatero, polling 35,24% as opposed to its national average of 45,26%. However, it is noteworthy that the far-right LAOS party also polled better in Kamatero, gaining 3,68% of the vote as opposed to its national average of 2,19%.

Demographics

The area is mainly made up of urban areas, as residential areas account for about two-thirds of the municipality. Kamatero is not divided into administrative districts, however there are some traditional neighbourhoods: the Centre, Attalos, Aghios Trifonas and Gerovouno. Construction regulations vary throughout the municipality, but most houses are up to two floors.

The influx of population from the 1950s onwards mostly consisted of low-income individuals. Furthermore, Kamatero has a distinct working-class character, as in 1981 56,7% of the economically active population was employed in the secondary sector of industry, while 36,3% was employed in the tertiary sector. The primary sector accounted only for 2,8% of the population. Kamatero is considered to have potentials for further development, as it has one of the largest reserves of building space in Attica. Furthermore, it has been called one of the fastest growing municipalities in Attica.

Population

As can be seen from the table below, the population has been on a steady increase from 1971 onwards. What should be noted, however, is that the actual population is likely to be significantly higher than these official figures. This is because a lot of Greeks remain registered in their places of origins, while residing in various other municipalities, mostly in the Athens area. This is evident from the fact that in 1989, the official population would have ranged somewhere between 16,000 and 19,000 residents, as can be seen from the table. However, according to the public power corporation of Greece's estimate for that year, based on statistical sheets it asked its consumers to fill in, the actual population was 25,515 (higher than even the official figure for 2001). It can be assumed that the actual population is to this day higher than the official figure, but there can be no accurate estimate.

Year	Municipal population	Change	Density
1971	11,382	-	1,912.9/km²
1981	15,593	+4,211/+37.00%	2,620.7/km²
1991	18,759	+3,166	-
2001	22,234	+3,475	3,736.8/km²

Economy

Aside from small family businesses, Kamatero houses four banks, a sports centre, a post office and a few small factories. One of these was destroyed in a major fire on 10 October, 2003. However, there is a considerable growth of small-scale businesses, such as stores and restaurants, mostly focused around the town squares (plateies).

Culture

Education

Kamatero has 8 elementary schools, 3 lower-level secondary schools, and 2 upper-level secondary schools (high schools), as well as a vocational school. Most high school graduates enroll in the universities and technical colleges of Athens or other Greek cities.

See also

• List of municipalities of Attica

References

• Cody, Joseph F. 21 Battalion, Historical Publications Branch, Wellington, 1953 [available on line at: [5] Last accessed July 14 2007.]
• Makrygiannis, Ioannis Απομνημονεύματα (Memoirs), Papyros, 1996 (in Greek)
• McCredie, James R. Fortified Military Camps in Attica (Hesperia: Supplement XI), ASCSA, 1966 (ISBN 0876615116, 9780876615119)
• Traill, John S. The political organization of Attica (Hesperia: Supplement XIV), ASCSA, 1975 (ISBN 0876615140, 9780876615140)
• Website of the Association for the Development of West Athens. Last accessed July 14 2007. [6]
• Website of the Greek Ministry of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization. Last accessed July 14 2007. [7]
• Website of the National Statistic Service of Greece. Last accessed December 4 2009. (in Greek) [8]
• Website of Vodafone Greece. Last accessed July 15 2007. [9]

External links

• Mapquest - Kamatero
• City of Kamatero website Template:El icon
• A Directory of Companies Based in Kamatero
• Local News and Information for Kamatero