Trikala (Greek: Τρίκαλα) is a town in the eastern part of
Imathia
Imathia ( ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Macedonia, within the geographic regions of Greece, geographic region of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. The capital of Imathia is the ...
,
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 ...
. The town is in the municipal unit of
Platy. It is situated between the
Aliakmon
The Haliacmon (, ''Aliákmonas''; formerly: , ''Aliákmon'' or ''Haliákmōn'') is the longest river flowing entirely in Greece, with a total length of . In Greece there are three rivers longer than Haliacmon: Maritsa (), Struma (Strymónas), bot ...
and
Loudias
The Loudias () or Lydias (Λυδίας), popularly called Mavroneri (Μαυρονέρι, "Blackwater", from its Ottoman Turkish name ''Kara Asmak'' قره آصماق) is a river in Central Macedonia that flows through the regional units of Pell ...
rivers, southeast of
Alexandreia.
Population
History
The origins of Trikala can be traced back to the late 18th century. The church of Agios Dimitrios (
St. Demetrius) was built in 1750. The original name of the town, before the first refugees from
Northern Thrace
Northern Thrace or North Thrace (, ; ; ), also called Bulgarian Thrace, constitutes the northern and largest part of the historical region of Thrace. It is located in Southern Bulgaria and includes the territory south of the Balkan Mountains and ...
in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
arrived in 1925, was ''Karyes'' (meaning walnut trees), the current name, Trikala, means "thrice good".
Trikala was in
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
until the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...
of 1913, afterwards, it became part of
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 ...
. The majority of the population of Trikala to this day is made up by immigrants arriving from the
Northern Thrace
Northern Thrace or North Thrace (, ; ; ), also called Bulgarian Thrace, constitutes the northern and largest part of the historical region of Thrace. It is located in Southern Bulgaria and includes the territory south of the Balkan Mountains and ...
region of Bulgaria after a
mutual population exchange between the two countries and their descendants. In 1935, Trikala saw an influx of
Sarakatsani
The Sarakatsani (), also called Karakachani (), are an ethnic Greeks, Greek population subgroup who were traditionally Transhumance, transhumant shepherds, native to Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania, an ...
settlers. Some refugees from
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 ...
arrived before 1940.
[ (in Greek). Trikala Municipality. www.dim-trikal.ima.gr. Retrieved 2010-01-17.]
Notable people
Sports
*
Dimitrios Itoudis
Dimitrios Itoudis (alternate spelling: Dimitris) (, born September 8, 1970) is a Greek professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League and the EuroCup. He formerly coached the Greec ...
, Basketball coach
*
Dimitrios Manos
Dimitrios Manos (; born 16 September 1994) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Club career
Veria
Manos started his professional career in Veria. His first professional contract was signed on 22 June 2012 and its set to e ...
, Football player
*
Sokratis Dioudis, Football player
*
Giorgos Koutsias, Football player
See also
*
List of settlements in Imathia
This is a list of settlements in Imathia, Greece.
* Agia Marina
* Agia Varvara
* Agios Georgios
* Agkathia
* Alexandreia
* Ammos
* Angelochori
* Arachos
* Arkochori
* Asomata
* Chariessa
* Daskio
* Diavatos
* Episkopi, Alexandreia
* E ...
References
{{Platy, Greece
Populated places in Imathia
Alexandreia, Greece