Kalamata

IN GENERAL

Kalamata  is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. The capital and chief port of the Messenia regional unit, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf.

apskritaiüldiselt

generalmente

ogólnie rzecz biorąc

în generalgenel

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γενικά

The 2011 census recorded 69,849 inhabitants for the wider Kalamata Municipality, of which 62,409 in the municipal unit of Kalamata proper. Kalamata is famous for the Kalamatianos dance and Kalamata olives.

THE NAME

The modern name Kalamáta is a corruption of the older name Καλάμαι, Kalámai, "reeds". The phonetic similarity of Kalamáta with the phrase "kalá mátia" ("good eyes") has led to various folk etymologies.

pavadinimas

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nazwaisim

Il nome

numele

Το όνομα

HISTORY

istorija

ajalugu

historia

istorie

tarihstoria

ιστορία

IN ANCIENT TIMES…The history of Kalamata begins when Homer mentions Farai, an ancient city which was built more or less where the castle of Kalamata stands today. It was believed that, during the ancient times, a big part of Kalamata was covered by sea, but proto-Greek and archaic period remains prove the opposite. In general, Kalamata wasn’t a city of great importance in ancient times.

MIDDLE AGES The information about the city isn’t much till the 10th century. It is

likely that, because of the attacks of other countries, the city turned into a fortress.

After the Fourth Crusade, when the castle was conquered by theFranks , the city experienced a period of prosperity. Geoffrey of Villehardouin, the commander of the city, built again the small, ramshackle castle. In 1293, two local Slavic magnates managed to capture the castle of Kalamata by a trick and, aided by 600 of their fellow villagers, took over the entire lower town as well in the name of the Byzantine emperor, Andronikos II Palaiologos. Constable John Chauderon pointless tried to secure their surrender, and was sent to Constantinople, where Andronikos agreed to hand the town over, but then immediately ordered his governor in Mystras not to do that. The town was recovered by the Franks after the mediation of a local Greek. The town remained one of the largest in Peloponnese. Kalamata remained in Frankish hands until the end of the Principality of Achaea, coming under the control of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea only in 1428.

Kalamata and its castle in 1688

OTTOMAN EMPIRE

In 1459 Ottomans occupied Kalamata. In 1464 the city was conquered by Francisco Tano, but in 1540 was abandoned by Venetians, who burnt it. The castle was completely destroyed by Morozini, a Venetian general. It was returned back to Ottomans in 1715.

THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

On 23 March 1821, Kalamata was taken over by the Greek revolutionary forces under the command of generals Theodoros Kolokotronis, Petros Mavromichalis, Nikitaras and Papaflessas. In the little church of Saint Apostopoi the flags of the Greek Revolution were blessed and that’s how the Greek War of Independence began, with Kalamata being the first city to be liberated.

The church of Saint Apostoloi, where the Greek Revolution began…

Then… …and now

Today, each year, on 23th of March, the

representation of the events of that day takes place in the central square, in

front of the church of Saint Apostoloi.

At the end of 19th century the port of Kalamata was built. Today it is one of the most important ports in

Peloponnese.

Also, the port hosts many ships and cruise ships.

On 13th of September in 1986 Kalamata was struck by two strong earthquakes, measured at almost 6.6 on the Richter scale each. They caused a lot of damage and killed more or less 20 people.

The church of Saint Apostoloi…

…and the church of Ypapandi

KALAMATA THEN…

IN 1937

…AND NOW

LET’S GO SIGHTSEEING

Eikime ekskursijos Lähme vaatamisväärsusi

Chodźmy zwiedzanieEn gezi gidelim

Andiamo visite turistiche

Să megrem vizitare a obiectivelor turisticeΑς επισκεφτούμε τα αξιοθέατα

THE CHURCH OF SAINT APOSTOLOIThe church of Saint Apostoloi is one of the most important and famous monuments of Kalamata and is combined to the Greel Revolution. The church is built in the square of “23th March”, which reminds the date of the beginning of the Revolution. The same church was already there before the Revolution. In specific, it was built between 1050-1150 A. C. Originally it was smaller, but in 1685-1715 expanded. The building is basically two churches in one.The church has been damaged a lot. Some of the most important damages were in 1887, when one part of the steeple was demolished, and in 1892 and in 1986 because of two earthquakes that hit the city.

THE CHURCH OF YPAPANDI

The church of Ypapandi was built in the centre of Kalamata on the 25th of January in 1860 and opened on the 19th of August in 1873. It is the biggest church and the patron saint of the city.

ΤΗΕ RAILWAY PARK The railway park of Kalamata is the

only one of its kind in Greece. It was built in 1886 but, because of the earthquake, it was completed in 1990. In this outdoor museum are exhibited lots of trains and are hosted many offices of local organizations.

THE BEACH It isn’t a specific beach, but the road

across the beach. It’s an ideal place for walking, cycling or jogging, but there you can also enjoy your coffee or fresh fish in one of the many cafeterias and taverns.

Also, this and other beaches are ideal for swimming and (why not?) sunbathing.

THE CENTRAL SQUARE The central square of Kalamata is a

great place for shopping, meeting your friends, having fun, taking a walk and attending special events. It is one of the biggest squares in Greece. It has two fountains, a lot of greenery and some statues.

THE CASTLE The castle of Kalamata is a

defensive building located on a hill in the northwest of the city and at its foot passes the river Nedontas. The castle includes the defensive acropolis and temple ruins have been found too.

MUSEUMS

There are plenty of museums in Kalamata. Some of them are:

The Military Museum The Archeological Museum The Folklore Museum

THE MILITARY MUSEUM

THE ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

THE FOLKLORE MUSEUM

ARISTOMENOUS STREET Aristomenous Street is a pedestrian

zone near the central square. It is an ideal place if you like shopping, walking and lazing around.

IATROPOULOU STREET Iatropoulou Street is also a

pedestrian zone and a great place for drinking coffee with lots of people.

THE UNIVERSITY OF PELOPONNESE

There is a department of the University of Peloponnese in the city of Kalamata. It includes the department of Philology and the department of History, Archaeology and Cultural Resources Management.

Kalamata is famous for…Kalamata on

kuulus…Kalamata garsėja…

Kalamata için ünlü…

Kalamata słynie…

Kalamata è famosa per…

Kalamata este renumit pentru…

Η Καλαμάτα είναι διάσημη για…

Olive oil and olives

Figs

Kalamatianos dance

Scarves made of silk

Vinegar

Traditional desserts like diples …

…and pasteli

Sources

• www.kalamatain.gr• Wikipedia• Google images• www.mmess.gr

Videos about Kalamata

You must click on them to see them!!!

This is the end of our presentation.

Thanks for watching!!!!!

This presentation was made by Ellie Bartzou and Theodora Krepi