Kopanaki
Encyclopedia
Kopanaki is a small but scenic Greek
town in Messenia
which lies in the south-western corner of Peloponnese. It was the seat of the municipality of Aetos
. Famous for its lively Sunday market, where local producers sell livestock, clothing, fresh fruit and vegetables. Kopanaki, used to be for the local people synonymous with the word ‘marketplace’.
Located north of the GR-9A/E55
(Kyparissia - Kalamata), the major highway between Patras and Kalamata and its train track (formerly SPAP
) now used only for passengers. It is also located 75 km SE of Pyrgos, east of Kyparissia
, about 45 km NW of Kalamata
and SW of Athens
.
.
During the Second World War Kopanaki was one of the first places where the Greeks began an organized resistance against the Nazi invaders.
, specifically olive
farming, is the main economic
activity in the village .
Raising sheep and goat
s has also been a traditional form of economic activity for villagers . However, a lack of economic opportunities has led to emigration from the town, mainly to larger Greek cities such as Kalamata
, Patras
and Athens
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
town in Messenia
Messenia
Messenia is a regional unit in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided by the Kallikratis plan, implemented 1 January 2011...
which lies in the south-western corner of Peloponnese. It was the seat of the municipality of Aetos
Aetos, Messenia
Aetos is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is a municipal unit. Its 2001 population was 595 for the village and 3,264 for the municipality...
. Famous for its lively Sunday market, where local producers sell livestock, clothing, fresh fruit and vegetables. Kopanaki, used to be for the local people synonymous with the word ‘marketplace’.
Located north of the GR-9A/E55
European route E55
European route E 55 is a E-route. It passes through the following cities:Helsingborg … Helsingør – Copenhagen – Køge – Vordingborg – Nykøbing Falster – Gedser … Rostock – Berlin – Lübbenau – Dresden – Teplice – Prague – Tábor – Linz – Salzburg – Villach – Tarvisio – Udine – Palmanova – Mestre...
(Kyparissia - Kalamata), the major highway between Patras and Kalamata and its train track (formerly SPAP
Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways
Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways or SPAP was a Greek railway company founded in 1882, which owned and operated the line connecting Piraeus and Athens to Peloponnese. The company was nationalized in 1954 and absorbed by the Hellenic State Railways in 1962.-History:The first line section...
) now used only for passengers. It is also located 75 km SE of Pyrgos, east of Kyparissia
Kyparissia
Kyparissia is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The town proper has around 5,708 inhabitants. The town is located on Greek National Road 9,...
, about 45 km NW of Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
and SW of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Settlements
- Agios Dimitrios Kopanaki
- Rizochori
Nearest places
- Agios Georgios, northeast
- Dorio, east
- Agios Dimitrios, south
- Glykorrizo, northwest
Population
| Year | Village population | Municipal district popularion |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1,437 | - |
| 1991 | 1,282 | - |
| 2001 | 1,429 | 1,624 |
Geography
Parts of the area are barren, mountainous and grassy, farmlands and forests are situated in the area. Lying north of the Peristeri River. It is between Tetrazi and the Kyparissia mountains. Nearly 2 km east is the watershed division between Peristeri and PamisosPamisos
Pamisos is a former municipality in the Karditsa peripheral unit, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Mouzaki, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,622 . The seat of the municipality was in Agnantero....
.
History
The ruins of a very ancient dwelling can be seen in the village. The finds from the ruins are in the Benaki Archeological Museum in Kalamata .During the Second World War Kopanaki was one of the first places where the Greeks began an organized resistance against the Nazi invaders.
Economic activities
AgricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, specifically olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
farming, is the main economic
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
activity in the village .
Raising sheep and goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s has also been a traditional form of economic activity for villagers . However, a lack of economic opportunities has led to emigration from the town, mainly to larger Greek cities such as Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
, Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
and Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
People and Culture
- Panagiotis MeltemisPanagiotis Meltemis-Biography:Meltemis was born in Kopanaki in 1918. He participated at Aetos Middle School, Meligala and Kyparissia Middle Schools. He studied law at the University of Athens and crossroaded as a councillor at the employment office...
, (1918–1978) (born Panayiotis K. Papadopoulou), poet and a newspaper editor - The team is home to a soccer team (see Messinia Football Clubs AssociationMessinia Football Clubs AssociationThe Messinia Football Clubs Association is part of the Greek Football Federation that includes football teams in the Messinia prefecture.-History:...
) known as Diagoras
External links
- http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~broustis/various/misc_kopanaki.htm
- http://www.youtube.com/mimisgian
- Kopanaki at the GTP Travel Pages