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Administrative Region : West Greece
Regional unit : Achaia

Kalavryta (Greek: Καλάβρυτα) is a town and a municipality in the eastcentral part of the peripheral unit of Achaea, Greece. It is the southern terminus of the Kalavryta - Diakopto Road and the eastern terminus of the Patras - Kalavryta Road. It is located approx. 40 km S of Aigio, 38 km S of GR-8/E65, about 190 km W of Athens, about 85 km NNW of Tripoli and about 130 km NE of Olympia.

History

Kalavryta is famous for developments that occurred on the 21 March 1821, which ignited the Greek War of Independence. On this day the Greek flag was raised at the monastery of Agia Lavra.

Mt Chelmos near Kalavryta.
Kalavryta.

Modern
See also: Massacre of Kalavryta

Graphik2 Graphik4

On 13 December 1943, in what is commemorated as the Holocaust or Massacre of Kalavryta, allegedly in retribution for the killing of 81 German soldiers captured by partisans during the Nazi occupation in World War II, German troops ordered all male residents of Kalavryta, aged 12 years and up, to gather in a field just outside the village. There, they machine-gunned down 696 of them. Only 13 survived. After that they burnt down the town before they left and the next day they burnt down the Monastery of Agia Lavra, birth place of the Greek War of Independence. Post-war, the federal Government of Germany offered gestures of atonement in the form of free school books for the high school, scholarships for orphans of the massacre and built an old peoples' home. No German commanders, (e.g. Major Ebersberger who carried out the destruction of Kalavryta; Hauptmann Dohnert who led the firing party), were ever brought to book for these events.

Kalavryta

Kalavryta, Kalavryta

Historical population
Year Municipal district Municipality
1981 2,015 -
1991 2,111 8,306
2001 - 8,609

Landmarks
The memorial site.
View of the Cathedral.
The railway station.

The famous Diakopto-Kalavryta Railway was built by Italian engineers between 1885 and 1895. It is the southern terminus. The railway runs through a gorge but for the southern part runs within the road linking Kalavryta and Trapeza. Its length is 22 km and the journey is 68 min long. In Kastria, near to Kalavryta, there is a famous cave system which is filled with beautiful lakes and strange rock formations. Kalavryta also has the Kalavryta Ski Centre which is located east of town, situated on the slopes of Mount Aroania (Chelmos), which at 2,341 m is the tallest mountain in Achaia. The monastery of Agia Lavra is located on a hill approximately 3.5 km SW via the road from Kalavryta. Its elevation is about 940 m. Another famous monastery nearby is Mega Spilaion which is located around 8 km northeast.
Municipality

The municipality Kalavryta was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:[1]

Aroania
Kalavryta
Lefkasio
Paion

Subdivisions

The municipal unit of Kalavryta is divided into the following communities:

Ano Vlasia
Ano Lousoi
Doumena
Drosato
Flampoura (Flampoura, Neochori, Ortholithi)
Goumenissa
Kalavryta (Kalavryta, Avlonas, Vrachni, Krastikoi, Moni Agias Lavras, Souvardo)
Kallifoni
Kandalos
Kato Lousoi (Kato Lousoi, Lousiko)
Kato Vlasia (Kato Vlasia, Menychtaiika, Metochi)
Kato Zachlorou
Kerpini
Kertezi
Korfes
Kouteli
Kryoneri
Lagovouni
Lapanagoi
Manesi Kalavryton (Manesi, Boumpoukas)
Mikros Pontias (Mikros Pontias, Karousi, Lompokas, Megas Pontias)
Petsakoi (Petsakoi, Bosi)
Plataniotissa (Plataniotissa, Digela, Spartinou)
Priolithos
Profitis Ilias (Profitis Ilias, Mouriki)
Rogoi
Sigouni (Sigouni, Lefki)
Skepasto
Trechlo (Trechlo, Lapatheia)
Valta
Vilivina

Notable persons

Asimakis Fotilas (1761–1835) politician and revolutionary leader