Xinovrysi (, before 1927: Μπεστίνικα - ''Bestinika''Name changes of settlements in Greece
/ref>) is a village in the

Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern , ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. Its ...

area in Magnesia,

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 ...

. It is part of the municipal unit of

Argalasti Argalasti () is a village and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality South Pelion, of which it i ...

. Xinovrysi is 3.5 km northeast of Argalasti, 7 km north of

Promyri Promyri () is a village in Magnesia, Greece. The stone-built village of Promyri clings to the steep hillsides of a long valley reaching the sea at Katigiorgis. The main road bypasses the village so it is quiet and free from traffic. The narrow str ...

and 30 km southeast of

Volos Volos (; ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos ...

. The community includes the village Potistika.

Population

History

The former name of the town was ''Bestinika'' or ''Bistinika'' (Μπεστινίκα). The historian

Yannis Kordatos Yanis Kordatos (; 1 February 1891 – 29 April 1961) was a Greek Marxist historian, sociologist and politician. Kordatos wrote over twenty historical works dealing with Ancient, Byzantine, and Modern Greek history. Some of his most notable books ...

describes the origin of the name Bistinika that comes from the

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

word pestinik or pecnik which means

oven upA double oven A ceramic oven An oven is a tool that is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means of heating the chamber in a controlled way. In use since antiquity, they have been use ...

. Other think that the origin of the previous name came from the Greek word for narrow, one of its areas are built in a narrow area that are filled with two and three hilltops. During the

Ottoman Period The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an 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 Central Euro ...

, Bestinika was the mahala of

. In the mid-19th century, the village had 65 to 80 houses and around 325 inhabitants, cultivating olives, grapes, figs and fruits. The village was not wealthy and it did not have a school. It participated in the revolts against the Ottomans in 1821, 1823, 1854 and 1878. It is said that the Ottomans set fire to the village in the 1823 revolt. After the liberation of

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

in 1881, Bestinika became a part of the municipality of

Spalathra Spalathra () or Spalauthra (Σπάλαυθρα), also called Spalethre (Σπαλέθρη) and Spalathron (Σπάλαθρον), was a town and polis (city-state) of Magnesia, in ancient Thessaly, upon the Pagasetic Gulf. It is conjectured that thi ...

, which had its seat in Argalasti. Besides Argalasti and Bestinika the municipality also contained the villages Metochi, Bir �πιρ(now Kallithea) and Ski �κι(now Syki). In 1914, Bestinika became an independent community and opened a school. In 1927, the name was officially changed to Xinovrysi, after its sour spring. During the difficult wartime periods of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...

, and also after the wars, many of its inhabitants left for larger towns and cities including

. Its nearby beaches at the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

(Mourtitsa, Potistika, Kourites and Melani) have been attracting tourists. Nevertheless, population kept declining, and the local school closed in the 1990s. In 1998, Xinovrysi became a municipal district of the enlarged municipality of Argalasti. Potistika3

References

{{Argalasti Populated places in Pelion South Pelion

Population

History

See also

References