Zoni, Evros
Encyclopedia
Zoni is a village in the northwestern part of the Evros Prefecture
in Greece located west of Turkey
and Edirne
, southeast of Ormenio
and Svilengrad
, Bulgaria, north of Alexandroupoli
and east of Kurdzhali, Bulgaria, Athens
, the Greek capital is nearly 1100 km (684 mi) northeast. Zoni is in the municipal unit of Kyprinos
. Zoni is linked with the road connecting GR-51
/E85
(Alexandroupoli - Soufli - Orestiada - Ormenio) near Ormenio and Komara
. Bulgaria
is bordered a few kilometres to the west. Its 2001 population was 238 for the village and 811 for the municipal district. The eastern portion are flat, the remainder of the area are hilly.
Turks. Its inhabitants were 3/4 Bulgarian and 1/4 Turkish before the village was annexed by Greece from Bulgaria in 1920 and before the aftermath of the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
. Greek refugees east of the Evros river and from Asia Minor
arrived into the village. Its Turkish originated name changed its name to its current Greek form Zoni afterwards. 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 lost three fourths of its population between 1981 and 1991 and two thirds between 1991 and 2001 totaling to four fifths between 1981 and 2001; its inhabitants left for the larger cities and outside Greece.
). Its nearest lyceum (middle school) and gymnasium (secondary school) are in Kyprinos.
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 located west of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
, southeast of Ormenio
Ormenio
Ormenio is the northernmost place in all of Greece. It is located in the municipal unit of Trigono in the Evros Prefecture of Thrace, immediately south of the Bulgarian border. Ormenio is located west-northwest of Orestiada, about 200 km north of Alexandroupoli, about 40 km west of...
and Svilengrad
Svilengrad
Svilengrad is a town in Haskovo Province, South-central Bulgaria, situated at the border of Turkey and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svilengrad Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 18,132 inhabitants....
, Bulgaria, 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:...
and east of Kurdzhali, Bulgaria, 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...
, the Greek capital is nearly 1100 km (684 mi) northeast. Zoni is in the municipal unit of Kyprinos
Kyprinos
Kyprinos is a town and 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 Orestiada, of which it is a municipal unit. Its 2001 population was 1,157 for the village and 2,915 for the municipal...
. Zoni is linked with the road connecting GR-51
National Road 51 (Greece)
The Greek National Road 51 is a highway in northeastern Greece. It connects the Greek National Road 2 near Feres with the Bulgarian border near Ormenio. The main towns on the GR-51 are Didymoteicho and Orestiada. The entire GR-51 is part of the European route E85. Its length is about 128 km...
/E85
European route E85
European route E 85 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 85 starts from Klaipėda runs south through Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria to Greece, ending at Alexandroupolis....
(Alexandroupoli - Soufli - Orestiada - Ormenio) near Ormenio and Komara
Komara
Komara is a village in the northwestern part of the Evros Prefecture in Greece located south of Svilengrad, Bulgaria west of Orestiada, north of Soufli and north-northeast of Alexandroupoli. Komara is linked with the road connecting to the GR-51/E85 to the east. Komara is in the municipal unit...
. 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...
is bordered a few kilometres to the west. Its 2001 population was 238 for the village and 811 for the municipal district. The eastern portion are flat, the remainder of the area are hilly.
Population
| Year | Village population | Municipal district population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | - | 1,328 |
| 1991 | 310 | - |
| 2001 | 238 | 811 |
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. Its inhabitants were 3/4 Bulgarian and 1/4 Turkish before the village was annexed by Greece from Bulgaria in 1920 and before the aftermath of the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
The Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, known as the Western Front of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey and the Asia Minor Campaign or the Asia Minor Catastrophe in Greece, was a series of military events occurring during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I between May...
. Greek refugees east of the Evros river and from Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
arrived into the village. Its Turkish originated name changed its name to its current Greek form Zoni afterwards. 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 lost three fourths of its population between 1981 and 1991 and two thirds between 1991 and 2001 totaling to four fifths between 1981 and 2001; its inhabitants left for the larger cities and outside Greece.
Other
Zoni has a nearby school, church, banks, a post office, and a square (plateiaPlateia
Plateia or platia is the Greek word for town square. Most Greek and Cypriot cities have several town squares which are a point of reference in travelling and guiding...
). Its nearest lyceum (middle school) and gymnasium (secondary school) are in Kyprinos.