Sklithro (
Greek: Σκλήθρο, before 1927: Ζέλενιτς - ''Zelenits'';
and
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...
: , ''Zelenìche'') is a small village located about 40 kilometres southwest of
Florina, the capital of
Florina regional unit in northwestern
Greece. It is situated in a valley at the foot of the
Vitsi
Vitsi ( el, Βίτσι) is a former municipality in Kastoria regional unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kastoria, of which it is a municipal unit. It takes its name from Mount ...
mountain range halfway along the Amyntaio –
Kastoria local road.
Sklithro is currently inhabited by 532 permanent residents (2011 census).
History
In 1845 the Russian
slavist Victor Grigorovich recorded ''Zelenich'' as mainly
Bulgarian village.
At its peak in the first part of the twentieth century, the population of the village had reached about 3,500 inhabitants. There were two
Bulgarian and one Greek school in the village in the beginning of 20th century.
[D.M.Brancoff. "La Macedoine et sa Population Chretienne". Paris, 1905, p.176-177.]
The Greek census (1920) recorded 2,219 people in the village and in 1923 there were 1,100 inhabitants (or 170 families) who were Muslim.
Following the
Greek-Turkish population exchange, in 1926 within Zelenits there were refugee families from
East Thrace
East Thrace or Eastern Thrace ( tr, Doğu Trakya or simply ''Trakya''; el, Ανατολική Θράκη, ''Anatoliki Thraki''; bg, Източна Тракия, ''Iztochna Trakiya''), also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the pa ...
(23),
Asia Minor (53), the
Caucasus (10) and three others from an unidentified location.
The Greek census (1928) recorded 1347 village inhabitants.
There were 87 refugee families (379 people) in 1928.
The population decrease can be attributed to many causes including
World War I, the population exchange with
Turkey following the
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne (french: Traité de Lausanne) was a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–23 and signed in the Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially settled the conflic ...
,
World War II, as well as the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...
which affected Sklithro and the surrounding region. Following the Civil War, the village saw an exodus of people migrating to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, and other
European countries, where opportunity and a better way of life existed.
Sklithro had 623 inhabitants in 1981.
In fieldwork done by Riki Van Boeschoten in late 1993, Sklithro was populated by
Slavophones and a
Greek population descended from Anatolian Greek refugees who arrived during the population exchange.
[ Table 1: Réfugiés grecs; Footnote 2: Le terme « réfugié » est utilisé ici pour désigner les Grecs d’Asie Mineure qui se sont établis en Grèce dans les années vingt après l’échange de population entre la Turquie et la Grèce (Traité de Lausanne, 1924); Table 3: Sklithro, 623; S, R; S = Slavophones, R = Refugiés"]
In the modern period, the village is experiencing a bit of a rejuvenation. Many of the formerly abandoned homes have been or are in the process of being renovated. Agriculture continues to be the mainstay of the village and is celebrated with an annual potato festival in the month of August. During the summer months tourism also plays an important role, with visitors including former residents or their decedents. Also, nearby are the tourist attractions of
Nymfaio
Nymfaio ( el, Νυμφαίο, before 1926: Νέβεσκα - ''Neveska'', rup, Nevesca) and in Ancient Greece: Νυμφαῖον or Νύμφαιον (9th century bc), is a village and a former community in Florina regional unit, Western Macedonia ...
and the
Arcturos bear refuge.
References
{{Amyntaio div
Populated places in Florina (regional unit)
Amyntaio