Kastro-Kyllini () is a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Elis Elis also known as Ellis or Ilia (, ''Eleia'') is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it ...

West Greece Western Greece Region (, ) is one of the thirteen Modern regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece. It comprises the western part of Central Greece (geographic region), continental Greece and the northwestern part of the Peloponnese pen ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Andravida-Kyllini Andravida–Kyllini () is a municipality in the Elis regional unit, West Greece region, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Lechaina. The municipality has an area of 355.476 km2. Municipality The municipality Andravida–Kyllin ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 49.322 km². The population was 3,272 in 2021. The municipality Kastro-Kyllini was created in 1999 as part of the Kapodistrias reform from the formerly independent communities Kyllini,

Kato Panagia Kastro-Kyllini () is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 49.322 km2. ...

, Kastro and Neochori, that became municipal districts. After the 2011 Kallikratis reform, these municipal districts became (dependent) communities. Its seat of administration was the small port town of Kyllini.

Geography

Kastro-Kyllini is situated in the westernmost part of Elis and the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

, west of

Andravida Andravida (, ) is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Elis (regional unit), Elis, in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipal ...

and about northwest of Pyrgos. It covers the northern part of the Kyllini peninsula, which juts into the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

. The peninsula is covered with hills, but the area to the east of the peninsula is very flat. The Crusader fortress of

Chlemoutsi Chlemoutsi ( or Χλουμούτσι ''Chloumoútsi''), also known as Clermont, is a medieval castle in the northwest of the Elis regional unit in the Peloponnese peninsula of southern Greece, in the Kastro-Kyllini municipality. It was built in ...

is situated on the highest point of the peninsula, about

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. Between the northernmost point, Cape Kyllini, and the town Kyllini the ruins of the medieval town of

Glarentza Glarentza (), also known as or Clarenia, Clarence, or Chiarenza, was a medieval town located near the site of modern Kyllini, Elis, Kyllini in Elis (regional unit), Elis, at the westernmost point of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. ...

have been excavated. There are forests and olive groves in the hills. Agriculture is the dominant land use in the plains. There are several popular beaches on the coast. The thermal springs of Kyllini (''Loutra Kyllinis'') are the largest beach facility in the western Peloponnese. There is a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, the Monastery of Blachernae, southeast of Kato Panagia. The small island Kafkalida, near Cape Kyllini, is uninhabited. It carries a lighthouse.

Transportation

There were two railway lines in Kastro-Kyllini. The Kavasila – Vartholomio – Kyllini railway branched off the Patras – Pyrgos railway at Kavasila, and ran to Kyllini via

Vartholomio Vartholomio () is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pineios, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 60.696 km2. T ...

. A branch line ran from Vartholomio to Loutra Kyllinis. Both lines have been abandoned. Several secondary roads connect the villages.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Kastro-Kyllini is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):

Kyllini

Kato Panagia

The community of Kato Panagia () consists of the villages Kato Panagia, Ikaros and Moni Vlachernon. The village Kato Panagia is directly adjacent to Kyllini, on the road to

Lechaina Lechaina () is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 9 ...

. The village Ikaros is further east, also on the coast. Refugees from

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

settled in Kato Panagia as a result of the

Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 was fought between Greece and the Turkish National Movement during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, between 15 May 1919 and 14 October 1922. This conflict was a par ...

Kastro

The community of Kastro () consists of the town Kastro and the small villages Analipsi, Kalamia, Karavaki, Loutra Kyllinis and Psili Rachi. Kastro is south of Kyllini and northwest of

. It is situated in the hills, and is dominated by the

fortress. The name ''Kastro'' means "castle", and refers to Chlemoutsi. The fortress was built by prince

Geoffrey I Villehardouin Geoffrey I of Villehardouin () (''c.'' 1169 – ''c.'' 1229) was a French knight from the County of Champagne who joined the Fourth Crusade.Evergates 2007, p. 246.Setton 1976, p. 24.Longnon 1969, p. 242. He participated in the conquest of the Pelo ...

of the

Principality of Achaea The Principality of Achaea () or Principality of Morea was one of the vassal states of the Latin Empire, which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom of Thes ...

in 1220-1223, who called it ''Clairmont'' (from which ''Chlemoutsi'' is a derivation ). After the decline of the Principality the castle gradually lost its importance. Today it is as a monument and is sometimes used for concerts. The thermal springs of Kyllini (Loutra Kyllinis) are southwest of Kastro, near the coast. It is a beach resort, surrounded by forests. The most famous baths also offers inhalation therapy, said to assist in asthma and skin problems. It is situated next to

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

ruins.

Neochori

The community of Neochori () consists of the villages Neochori and Vytinaiika. Neochori is on the road from Kyllini to Lechaina, southeast of Kyllini and southwest of

. It is southwest of

Myrsini Myrsini (, before 1915: Σουλεϊμάναγα - ''Souleimanaga'') is a town in Elis, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Lechaina since 1997. Myrsini lies in a flat coastal plain that stretches from Amaliada to Kato Achaia. It is 3 km ...

and north of Machos. Neochori is in a flat, rural area.

References

External links

Kastro official website
{{Kastro-Kyllinis Andravida-Kyllini Populated places in Elis Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Spa towns in Greece ro:Kato Panagia