Mega Dereio
Encyclopedia
Mega Dereio is a village in the northcentral part of the Evros Prefecture
in Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Orfeas
. The location is near the heart of the prefectural mainland and is centrally located between the Bulgarian and the Turkish borders as well as the Evros River. Its 2001 population was 571. The area are hilly and forested while the mountains dominate the west, most of the area are forested, farmlands are within the village.
mountains, the Erythropotamos
is 20 km northeast by the Bulgarian-Greek border. Mega Dereio is located about 90 km southwest of Orestiada
, 65 km west-southwest of Didymoteicho
, west-northwest of the Evros River and the Turkish
border, 70 km north of Alexandroupoli
, northeast of the Greek capital city of Athens
and east-southeast of the Bulgaria
n border.
Turks in the 14th century, its name was known as (Голям Дервент Goljam Dervent, Turkish: Büyük Dervent). According to Anastas Razbojnikov, its 1830 population was 700, 700 Bulgarians and 50 Turks, 450 in 1878 with 400 Bulgarians and 80 Turks and 1912, 500 with 420 Bulgarians and 500 Turks. According to professor Ljudomir Miletiš, the 1912 population had around 300 Bulgarian exarchists. On August 8, 1913, the village battled with the Turks and handed to the Bulgarians. At the end of the Bulgarian rule, 300 Bulgarians moved northward into Burgas
, Mokren (4 families), Zagortsi (4 families), Veselne, Mamarčevo, Sokolenči (2 families) and Drugi Selitsa, the remainder of the Turks were pushed to the western portion of today's Turkey. Historically, the area was once again Greek in centuries, it also translated its name into Greek and became Mega Dereio, today Goljam Dervent, a different settlement is now to the northeast next to the Turkish border in the Jambol province. During the Greco Turkish War (1919-1922), refugees east of the Evros river and from Asia Minor arrived into the village. It became entirely Protoklissi after the annexation. After World War II
and the Greek Civil War
, many of its buildings were rebuilt. Electricity and automobiles arrived in the 1960s, it was linked with pavement in the late-20th century, television arrived in the 1980s. Internet and computers arrived in the late-1990s. The village's lost three fourths of its population between 1981 and 1991 and two thirds between 1991 and 2001 totaling to nearly half between 1981 and 2001, its inhabitants left for the larger cities and outside Greece.
Evros Prefecture
Evros is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the river Evros, which appears to have been a Thracian hydronym. Evros is the northernmost regional unit. It borders Turkey to the east, across the river Evros, and it...
in Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Orfeas
Orfeas
Orfeas , named after the mythical musician Orpheus, is a former municipality in the Evros peripheral unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Soufli, of which it is a municipal unit. Its land area is 643.266 km² and its...
. The location is near the heart of the prefectural mainland and is centrally located between the Bulgarian and the Turkish borders as well as the Evros River. Its 2001 population was 571. The area are hilly and forested while the mountains dominate the west, most of the area are forested, farmlands are within the village.
Location
It is in the Eastern RhodopeRhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik , is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain...
mountains, the Erythropotamos
Erythropotamos
The Erythropotamos , Luda reka in Bulgaria is a river that flows from south of Mega Dereio next to the Ivaylovgrad municipality in southern Bulgaria and northern Greek Thrace entirely in the Evros Prefecture. Its Turkish name was Küzüldeli Su...
is 20 km northeast by the Bulgarian-Greek border. Mega Dereio is located about 90 km southwest of Orestiada
Orestiada
Orestiada is the northeasternmost and northernmost city of Greece and the second largest city of the Evros peripheral unit of Thrace. The population is around 25,000. Orestiada is only 2 km west of the banks of the Evros, which forms a natural border between Greece and Turkey...
, 65 km west-southwest of Didymoteicho
Didymoteicho
Didymóteicho is a town located in the eastern part of the Evros peripheral unit of Thrace, Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town sits on a plain and located south east of Svilengrad, south of Edirne, Turkey and Orestiada, west of Uzunköprü, about 20 km north...
, west-northwest of the Evros River and the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
border, 70 km north of Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli , is a city of Greece and the capital of the Evros peripheral unit in Thrace. Named after King Alexander, it is an important port and commercial center of northeastern Greece.-Name:...
, northeast of the Greek capital city 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...
and east-southeast of the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n border.
Population
| Year | Village population | Municipal district population |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 561 | - |
| 2001 | 549 | 1,120 |
History
The village was founded by the OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Turks in the 14th century, its name was known as (Голям Дервент Goljam Dervent, Turkish: Büyük Dervent). According to Anastas Razbojnikov, its 1830 population was 700, 700 Bulgarians and 50 Turks, 450 in 1878 with 400 Bulgarians and 80 Turks and 1912, 500 with 420 Bulgarians and 500 Turks. According to professor Ljudomir Miletiš, the 1912 population had around 300 Bulgarian exarchists. On August 8, 1913, the village battled with the Turks and handed to the Bulgarians. At the end of the Bulgarian rule, 300 Bulgarians moved northward into Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
, Mokren (4 families), Zagortsi (4 families), Veselne, Mamarčevo, Sokolenči (2 families) and Drugi Selitsa, the remainder of the Turks were pushed to the western portion of today's Turkey. Historically, the area was once again Greek in centuries, it also translated its name into Greek and became Mega Dereio, today Goljam Dervent, a different settlement is now to the northeast next to the Turkish border in the Jambol province. During the Greco Turkish War (1919-1922), refugees east of the Evros river and from Asia Minor arrived into the village. It became entirely Protoklissi after the annexation. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, many of its buildings were rebuilt. Electricity and automobiles arrived in the 1960s, it was linked with pavement in the late-20th century, television arrived in the 1980s. Internet and computers arrived in the late-1990s. The village's lost three fourths of its population between 1981 and 1991 and two thirds between 1991 and 2001 totaling to nearly half between 1981 and 2001, its inhabitants left for the larger cities and outside Greece.