Pikrolimni () is a former municipality in the Kilkis regional unit,

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

Kallikratis Plan The Kallikratis Programme () is the common name of Greek law 3852/2010 of 2010, a major administrative reform in Greece. It brought about the second major reform of the country's administrative divisions following the 1997 Kapodistrias reform. ...

for local government reform was implemented in 2011, Pikrolimni is administrated as part and constitutes a municipal unit of the municipality of Kilkis. The municipal unit has an area of 164.06 km², and its population in the 2021 census was 4,297, down from 7,395 in 2001. The seat of the municipality was Mikrokampos. The namesake of the region, as well as its most famous attraction, is the salt lake Pikrolimni which has been historically important as a source of

natron Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate ( Na2CO3·10H2O, a kind of soda ash) and around 17% sodium bicarbonate (also called baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. ...

in antiquity and recognised to this day for its

pelo Pelo is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Brad Pelo Brad Pelo (born February 6, 1963) is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and co-founder and chief executive officer of i.TV, the company behind tvtag, a second screen ap ...

- and balneotherapeutic properties.

Subdivisions

The current municipal unit (and former municipality) is subdivided into the following communities: * Mikrokampos, containing the village ''Mikrokampos'' (Μικρόκαμπος), earlier called ''Ali Hodzhalar'' from which chieftains of the

Greek Struggle for Macedonia The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts that were mainly fought between Greek and Bulgarian subjects who lived in Ottoman Macedonia between 1893 and 1912. From 1904 to 1908 the conflict was p ...

Ioannis Koutsokostas and Evlampios Vyziinos hailed. * Anthofyto, containing the village ''Anthofyto'' (Ανθόφυτο), earlier name ''Sari Pazar'', near which a prehistoric toumba and settlement named "Anthofyto A" has been discovered. * Mavroneri, containing villages: ::''Mavroneri'' (Μαυρονέρι), originally the Turkish-inhabited ''Kara Bunar'', repopulated in 1928 by Greek refugees from Asia Minor after the

population exchange Population transfer or resettlement is a type of mass migration that is often imposed by a state policy or international authority. Such mass migrations are most frequently spurred on the basis of ethnicity or religion, but they also occur d ...

as a result of the

Treaty of Lausanne The Treaty of Lausanne (, ) is a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923 and signed in the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially resolved the conflict that had initially ...

. ::''Ano Apostoloi'' (Άνω Απόστολοι), earlier name just ''Apostoloi'' or ''Paliokklisia'' (15th century AD), near the ancient Macedonian town of Morrylos, home of a cult of

Asclepius Asclepius (; ''Asklēpiós'' ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of Apollo), Coronis, or Arsinoe (Greek myth), Ars ...

. ::''Mesoi Apostoloi'' (Μέσοι Απόστολοι), founded in 1924 near Apostoloi by Greek refugees from Asia Minor and the

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

. * Neo Agioneri, containing the village ''Neo Agioneri'' (Νέο Αγιονέρι), also known as ''Nea Varlantza/Verlatza'', founded in 1926 by

Cappadocian Greek Cappadocian Greek (, also known as Cappadocian is a dialect of modern Greek, originally spoken in Cappadocia (modern-day Central Turkey) by the descendants of the Byzantine Greeks of Anatolia. The language originally diverged from Medieval Gree ...

refugees from

Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

. * Neo Gynaikokastro, containing villages: ::''Neo Gynaikokastro'' (Νέο Γυναικόκαστρο), older names ''Avret Hisar'' and ''Nea Dimitra'', in the vicinity of the 14th century castle built by

Andronikos III Palaiologos Andronikos III Palaiologos (; 25 March 1297 – 15 June 1341), commonly Latinized as Andronicus III Palaeologus, was the Byzantine emperor from 1328 to 1341. He was the son of Michael IX Palaiologos and Rita of Armenia. He was proclaimed c ...

and since 1926 populated by Greek refugees from

Eastern Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

(

Çatalca Çatalca () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 1142 km2, making it the largest district in Istanbul Province by area. Its population is 77,468 (2022). It is in Eas ...

district) and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. ::''Vakoufi'' (Βακούφι), first officially listed as a settlement in 1940. ::''Kato Apostoloi'' (Κάτω Απόστολοι), locally also called ''Thrakiotiko'', founded in 1922 near Apostoloi by Greek refugees from Eastern Thrace (hence the local name). ::''Kokartza'' (Κοκάρτζα), populated in 1928 by Greek refugees from Asia Minor. * Palaio Agioneri, containing the village ''Palaio Agioneri'' (Παλαιό Αγιονέρι), earlier name just ''Agioneri'' or ''Verlatza,'' repopulated in the early 1920s by

Pontic Greek Pontic Greek (, ; or ''Romeika'') is a variety of Modern Greek indigenous to the Pontus region on the southern shores of the Black Sea, northeastern Anatolia, and the Eastern Turkish and Caucasus region. An endangered Greek language variety ...

refugees mainly from the Caucasus. *Xylokeratia, containing villages: ::''Xylokeratia'' (Ξυλοκερατιά), older name ''Hadzhilar'', located near the ruins of the ancient city Clitae (centre of ancient

production from lake Pikrolimni) and by the early 20th centruty inhabited by Bulgarians and Turks before the population exchanges in the aftermath of the

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and Greco-Turkish wars; afterwards repopulated by Greek refugees mostly from

Eastern Rumelia Eastern Rumelia (; ; ) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, ''vilayet'' in Turkish) of the Ottoman Empire with a total area of , which was created in 1878 by virtue of the Treaty of Berlin (1878), Treaty of Berlin and ''de facto'' ...

(southern Bulgaria). ::''Mpakeika'' (Μπακαίικα), near a different prehistotic settlement (location Lofos Karditsa), first officially listed as a settlement in 1961. ::''Pikrolimni'' (Πικρολίμνη), previously known as ''Gyolbash'', originally Bulgarian-inhabited until repopulated by Greek refugees from Asia Minor, Eastern Thrace and the Pontus as a result of population exchange.

References

{{Kilkis div Populated places in Kilkis (regional unit) Kilkis

Subdivisions

Further reading

References