City Guide 2017-2018
TRIKALA CITY MAP, CITY CENTER AND AKETH PREMISES
City Guide 2017-2018
The Venue
City Guide 2017-2018
The City Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece, and the capital of the Trikala regional unit. The city straddles the Lithaios river, which is a tributary of Pineios. According to the National Statistical Service, Trikala is populated by 81,355 inhabitants (2011), while in total the Trikala regional unit is populated by 131,085 inhabitants (2011). The region of Trikala has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The first indications of permanent settlement have been uncovered in cave of Theopetra, and date back to approx. 49,000 BC. Neolithic settlements dating back to 6,000 BC have been uncovered in Megalo Kefalovriso and other locations. The town of Trikala is built upon the ancient town ―Trika‖ or ―Triki‖ founded around the 3rd millennium B.C. . The name Trikala came from the nymph Triki, daughter of ―Pinios‖ or ―Aesopos‖ river. The town was of great importance during the ancient times due to the fact that Asclepius, the god of medicine in ancient Greek mythology, lived and activated himself in Trikala. Trikala was also the capital of the kingdom during the Mycenaean time and later it became the center of the state of ―Estiotida‖ possessing the land that the Prefecture of Trikala has today. During the centuries the town of Trikala and the region in general came under all the invaders in the Balkans; the Goths (396), the Huns (447), the Slavs (577), the Bulgarians (976-1025), the Normans (1081), and the Catalans (1309-1311). In 1204 there came the Roman Catholics while for a small period Trikala was under the Byzantine Empire and the Despotate of Epirus. In 1393 Thessaly is under Ottoman conquest and during Ottoman rule, the city is called as "Tırhala". The fortunes of the city in the early period of Ottoman rule are unclear: it is reported as being part of a large sanjak under Ahmed, the son of Evrenos Bey, but in the early 15th century it formed part of the domain of Turahan Bey. Turahan and his son and successor, Ömer Bey, erected many buildings in the city, helping it to the appearance of a typical Ottoman town, with mosques, medreses, a hammam, imaret, khan and karwansaray extending beyond the citadel and the Varoussi (Varosh) quarter which remained Christian". As the administrative center of the local province (the Sanjak of Trikala), the city attracted Muslim immigrants and had large Muslim and Jewish communities (in 1520/38, the city numbered 301 Muslim, 343 Christian, and 181 Jewish families). The city also became an important intellectual center during these years (1543-1854) with the Trikke School.
City Guide 2017-2018
The 17th-century Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi reports that the city had 2,300 houses divided into sixteen Muslim and eight Christian quarters (mahalla); eight mosques, of which only the city's main mosque, the Osman Shah Mosque built by Mimar Sinan, survives today; four hammams; six tekkes; and the probably exaggerated number of 1,000 shops, although Evliya curiously does not mention the city's impressive bezesten (covered market) which was demolished in the early 20th century. Trikala was under the Ottoman domination till their final union to Greece (1898). Afterward Trikala had the basic role concerning the agricultural movements of the authorities against the powerful landowners during 20th century. Moreover, Trikala was the place where the first Farmers’ Cooperative was founded in 1906 in Greece. The town was also under Nazi occupation and got free the 18th of October in the year 1944. Nowadays the municipality of Trikala is considered to be very active in matters of technology and services. Trikala has the distinction of being the first ―smart city‖ in Greece – integrating technology-powered solutions into the daily life of the municipality and delivering government services to citizens through e-governance.
City Guide 2017-2018
Sights / Museums / Points of Interest
The Byzantine castle of Trikala is located at the north-eastern side of the town. According to Prokopios, it was built by the Emperor Justinian I (6th century) in the place of the ancient acropolis of Trikki. During the years of the Turkish domination (Ottoman Empire) parts of the castle were destroyed. Nevertheless, the strategically important position of the city that was used as a forward base against the undisciplined alpine (mountain) populations in Pindos and Agrafa, forced the Ottomans to restore and preserve the existing parts. Ιn the 17th century, a huge clock tower was placed in the castle, which was accompanied by a bell weighing 650 kg (1,433 lb). The clock-towers of Trikala and Larissa are the oldest towers in Greece. The current clock replaced the older one, which was destroyed during the German occupation. Today it remains the trademark of the city, while offers a panoramic view to the city.
The archaeological site of Asclepeion of Trikke is the most ancient of Greece, according to Strabo. The archaeological site includes: Part of a late Hellenistic building which remained in use during the Roman period. The preserved mosaic floors are also dated to the Roman period. Part of a late Hellenistic stoa. Part of a Roman bath. Post-Byzantine church. The preserved ancient remains were brought to light during rescue excavations carried out sporadically between 1902 and 1992, in several private plots.
City Guide 2017-2018
The hill of Prophitis Ilias (Prophet Elijah): a park with a nice view of the city and within walking distance from the city center. On this hill is situated the church of the Prophet Elijah and the zoo.
The Old City of Trikala, which consists of the districts Varousi and Manavika. Varousi was the Christian district of Trikala during the Turkish rule and is located at the foot of the fortress. Until 1930, this part of the city was considered as the noble district of Trikala and is now preserved in its entirety, with a large number of old buildings, built between 17th and 19th century, preserved until today. In this part are located the oldest churches of the city. Following the district Varousi up to the central square is the part of the city called Manavika, a neighborhood of the old city with a uniform architecture. Here are located some of the best restaurants and coffee bars in town. The elegant and historic Central Bridge is a landmark for Trikala city. It was built in 1886 by French engineers and was a special work for its era with its architectural harmony and aesthetics, resulting in a monument of timeless value, uniting the old with the new city. In 1996, the Greek state declared the bridge a historic listed monument, as a remarkable and representative example of a metal bridge at the end of the last century in the area, necessary for the study of the history and evolution of Industrial Architecture
City Guide 2017-2018
The Osman Shah Mosque or Koursoum Mosque (from Turkish: kurşun camii, "Leaden Mosque") is a 16th-century Ottoman mosque in the city of Trikala in Greece. The mosque was founded by Osman Shah, also known as Kara Osman Pasha. Osman was the son of one of Sultan Selim I's daughters, and for a long time dwelt in Trikala as the governor of the local province (Sanjak of Trikala). The exact dating of the mosque is uncertain, but it was probably built in the period 1550–60, most likely in the late 1550s. Osman attached several charitable establishments to the mosque, among others a madrasah, an alms house, and a caravanserai, and was himself buried in a türbe in the mosque's southern courtyard at the time of his death in 1567/8.By the time of Evliya Çelebi's visit a century later, the mosque was the principal mosque of the city. The mosque itself was built by the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, one of 79 throughout his career, and the only one surviving in modern Greece. It is also the only mosque still standing in the city of Trikala out of the at least eight that Evliya Çelebi reported seeing. The building itself consists of a square prayer hall topped by a large semi-spherical dome, and has a portico (revak) in front, which has recently been rebuilt from its ruined state. The minaret is located on the northwestern corner and is well preserved, except for its missing roof. All other buildings attached to the mosque have since vanished, except for the founder's octagonal türbe, which is used as a storage site for artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations.
City Guide 2017-2018
The Mill of Matsopoulos, which was constructed in 1884 and today is a historicalindustrial building and cultural center, pioneer for his time, on a Balkan level. Until its closure in the 1980s, it maintained almost unchanged the structure of its operation, making it an x-ray of the production process of flour mills since the late 19th century. Mechanical equipment is now virtually intact in place, in situ, with all the representative machinery of the wheat flour production line. During the Christmas period, the stone-built Matsopoulos Mill transforms into the ―Mill of Elves‖, a famous Christmas park.
City Guide 2017-2018
The Research and Creation Center – Tsitsanis Museum has opened to the public in 2016. It is housed in the building of the old prison of Trikala. When the later was closed and transferred to a new location in 2006, there was a debate about what will be housed in this area. While the procedures for the renovation of the building began, based on a comprehensive study of the whole site, the archaeological excavation brought to light the old hamam. Therefore, with new studies, the implementation of two separate but one-shot subprojects was promoted for the “Protection and Emergence of the Ottoman Hammam in the Old Prison Building of Trikala” and the “Repatriation of the old building of the old prison of Trikala – Research Center Vasilis Tsitsanis”. Upon completion of the project, the building turns into an archaeological site with an architectural and historical structure on the ground floor and an area with references to the local composers and songwriters on the upper floor. The two exhibitions operate separately.
City Guide 2017-2018
METEORA The Metéora (Greek: Μετέωρα, pronounced [mɛˈtɛoɾɐ], lit. "middle of the sky", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above" — etymologically related to meteorology) is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List under criteria I, II, IV, V and VII. The Theopetra caves 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Meteora had inhabitants fifty millennia ago.The oldest known example of a man-made structure was found within a prehistoric cave in central Greece, according to the Greek culture ministry. The structure is a stone wall that blocked two-thirds of the entrance to the Theopetra cave near Kalambaka on the north edge of the Thessalian plain. It was constructed 23,000 years ago, probably as a barrier to cold winds. ―An optical dating test, known as Optically Stimulated Luminescence, was applied on quartz grains nested within the stones. We dated four different samples from the sediment and soil materials, and all provided identical dates,‖ Nikolaos Zacharias, director of the laboratory of archaeometry at the University of Peloponnese, told Discovery News. According to a statement by the ministry of culture, ―the dating matches the coldest period of the most recent ice age, indicating that the cavern’s inhabitants built the stone wall to protect themselves from the cold.‖ Excavated since 1987, the Theopetra cave is well known to palaeontologists as it was used and inhabited continuously from the Palaeolithic period onwards (50,000 to 5,000 years ago). In the 9th century, an ascetic group of hermit monks moved up to the ancient pinnacles. They were the first people to inhabit Metéora. They lived in hollows and fissures in the rock towers, some of which reach 1800 ft (550m) above the plain. This great height, combined with the sheerness of the cliff walls, kept away all but the most determined visitors. Initially the hermits led a life of solitude, meeting only on Sundays and special days to worship and pray in a chapel built at the foot of a rock known as Dhoupiani. As early as the 11th century AD hermit monks were believed to be living among the caves and cutouts in the rocks. The exact date of the establishment of the monasteries is unknown. By the late 11th and early 12th centuries, a rudimentary monastic state had formed called the Skete of Stagoi and was centered around the still-standing church of Theotokos (mother of God).
By the end of the 12th century, an ascetic community had flocked to Metéora.
City Guide 2017-2018
In 1344, Athanasios Koinovitis from Mount Athos brought a group of followers to Metéora. From 1356 to 1372, he founded the great Meteoron monastery on Broad Rock, which were perfect for the monks; they were safe from political upheaval and had complete control of the entry to the monastery. The only means of reaching it was by climbing a long ladder, which was drawn up whenever the monks felt threatened. At the end of the 14th century, the Byzantine Empire's 800-year reign over northern Greece was being increasingly threatened by Turkish raiders who wanted control over the fertile plain of Thessaly. The hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century. Six remain today. In 1517, Nectarios and Theophanes built the monastery of Varlaám, which was reputed to house the finger of St John and the shoulder blade of St Andrew. Access to the monasteries was originally (and deliberately) difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced, so the story goes, only "when the Lord let them break". In the words of UNESCO, "The net in which intrepid pilgrims were hoisted up vertically alongside the 373 metres (1,224 ft) cliff where the Varlaam monastery dominates the valley symbolizes the fragility of a traditional way of life that is threatened with extinction." In 1921, Queen Marie of Romania visited Meteora, becoming the first woman ever allowed to enter the Great Meteoron monastery. In the 1920s there was an improvement in the arrangements. Steps were cut into the rock, making the complex accessible via a bridge from the nearby plateau. During World War II the site was bombed. Many art treasures were stolen. Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six of the monasteries remain today. Of these six, four were inhabited by men, and two by women. Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants. The monasteries are now tourist attractions.
City Guide 2017-2018
City Guide 2017-2018