Zatouna
Encyclopedia
Zatouna is a Greek
settlement in the west-southwest of Arcadia
. It is in the municipal unit of Dimitsana
in the Peloponnese
. Zatouna is connected with the road linking Dimitsana as well as the Karytaina-Dimitsana Road
. Zatouna had a 2001 population of 75 for the village and 203 for the municipal district. The settlement's name is of Slavic origin in which it means 'away from the river'. It was inhabited by the Slavs in 6-8th century.
, 4 km west of Dimitsana
and approximately 46 km north-west of Tripoli
, the prefecture's capital. It is also 2½ hours from Athens. Zatouna has two nearby settlements, Markos and Vlongos.
valley as well as the mountains around the area including the west. The area is forested to the central and the east, the Loussios gorge to the east and grasslands and barren land to the west. Farmlands are within the village area. Zatouna has several rural roads and approximately 5 km of hydro lines. The settlement's buildings are located on both sides of a 200 to 300 m stretch of the local road between Zatouna and Dimitsana. Many of the houses were stone built until the 1960s, the same year in which electricity became available in the village. Motorised vehicles arrived in the 1970s, although the main road was not paved until the 1980s and television arrived in the 1980s. Many people still do not have access to computers or the Internet
, and up-to-date technology is not common.
s, citrus
fruits and vegetables as well as several other crops.
Due to its high altitude of 1050m it cannot produce olives & citrus trees.Wallnuts ,almonds and cherries are some of the crops that thrive
and the Greek Civil War
, the population began to decline as residents moved to larger towns and cities and outside of Greece.
, who laid siege to the castle of Palamidi
in 1821 while it was under Turkish control. The Greek composer
, Mikis Theodorakis
, was banished to the village in 1968, following a putsch.
Famous Greek actor Mimis Fotopoulos
(1913–1986) was born in Zatouna.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
settlement in the west-southwest of Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
. It is in the municipal unit of Dimitsana
Dimitsana
Dimitsana is a village and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Gortynia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is built on the ruins of the ancient town Teuthis...
in the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
. Zatouna is connected with the road linking Dimitsana as well as the Karytaina-Dimitsana Road
Karytaina-Dimitsana Road
The Karytaina-Dimitsana Road is a 30-km long road that connects the two federal roads, the GR-76 near Karytaina and the GR-74 The Karytaina-Dimitsana Road is a 30-km long road that connects the two federal roads, the GR-76 near Karytaina and the GR-74 The Karytaina-Dimitsana Road is a 30-km long...
. Zatouna had a 2001 population of 75 for the village and 203 for the municipal district. The settlement's name is of Slavic origin in which it means 'away from the river'. It was inhabited by the Slavs in 6-8th century.
Location
Zatouna is located south of LagkadaLagkadia, Arcadia
Lagkadia , is a village and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Gortynia, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The village is connected by GR-74...
, 4 km west of Dimitsana
Dimitsana
Dimitsana is a village and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Gortynia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is built on the ruins of the ancient town Teuthis...
and approximately 46 km north-west of Tripoli
Tripoli, Greece
Tripoli is a city of about 25,000 inhabitants in the central part of the Peloponnese, in Greece. It is the capital of the prefecture of Arcadia and the centre of the municipality of Tripolis, pop...
, the prefecture's capital. It is also 2½ hours from Athens. Zatouna has two nearby settlements, Markos and Vlongos.
Geography
Zatouna is built on a mountainous slope that overlooks the LoussiosLoussios
The Lousios is a river and a gorge in western Arcadia that stretches from Karytaina north to Dimitsana in Greece. The river begins near Lykochori and flows into the Lousios Gorge. The river is treacherous and flows rapidly. It empties into the Alfeios 2.5 km northwest of Karytaina and south of...
valley as well as the mountains around the area including the west. The area is forested to the central and the east, the Loussios gorge to the east and grasslands and barren land to the west. Farmlands are within the village area. Zatouna has several rural roads and approximately 5 km of hydro lines. The settlement's buildings are located on both sides of a 200 to 300 m stretch of the local road between Zatouna and Dimitsana. Many of the houses were stone built until the 1960s, the same year in which electricity became available in the village. Motorised vehicles arrived in the 1970s, although the main road was not paved until the 1980s and television arrived in the 1980s. Many people still do not have access to computers or the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, and up-to-date technology is not common.
Agriculture
The village produces oliveOlive
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...
s, citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
fruits and vegetables as well as several other crops.
Due to its high altitude of 1050m it cannot produce olives & citrus trees.Wallnuts ,almonds and cherries are some of the crops that thrive
Population
| Year | Population village | Population municipal district |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 160 | - |
| 1991 | 103 | - |
| 2001 | 75 | 208 |
History
The village used to have a large population before the beginning of the 20th century. After World War IIWorld 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...
, the population began to decline as residents moved to larger towns and cities and outside of Greece.
Famous Inhabitants
Zatouna is the birthplace of Staikos StaikopoulosStaikos Staikopoulos
Staikos Staikopoulos was a participant in the Greek War of Independence.-Biography:Staikopoulos was born at Zatouna, Gortynia, in Arcadia and from an early age was involved in the fur trade...
, who laid siege to the castle of Palamidi
Palamidi
Palamidi is a military fortress to the east of the Acronauplia in the town of Nafplion in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. Nestled on the crest of a 216-metre high hill, the fortress was built by the Venetians during their second occupation of the area .The fortress was a very large and...
in 1821 while it was under Turkish control. The Greek composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
, was banished to the village in 1968, following a putsch.
Famous Greek actor Mimis Fotopoulos
Mimis Fotopoulos
Dimitris "Mimis" Fotopoulos was a Greek actor, writer, poet and academic....
(1913–1986) was born in Zatouna.