Neochori, Arta

The transfer of the village of Kakoudia to the new location called Neochori took place between 1771 and 1794, as evidenced by the Belin Map (1771) [4] and the Test of Artis dated 1794. Father Cosmas the Aetolian toured in the area of ​​Kampos and throughout Epirus during the years 1775, 1777, 1778 and 1779. In Neochori Arta there is the Church of Agios Dimitrios with the icons that Patrokosmas saved from the rushing waters of Arachthos. Outside the village, the Church of Agios Kosmas was built at the location where the villagers testify that the Saint appeared. [5] During the Turkish occupation, Omer Tefim and Feimi Efendis had a crush on the two pashas. According to Makrygiannis in his memoirs, during the revolutionary struggle of 1821, clashes took place in Neochori between the Greeks and the Turks, in which he and Georgios Karaiskakis took part. [6] During the years of Turkish rule, it was the seat of the Turkish Prison in the Voteika area. [7]

In January 1829, in the Vouvala Islands of the Amvrakikos Gulf, in front of the Platanaki area, the Turkish fleet of Kioutachis anchored to campaign against Koronisia against the Chilearch Athanasios Koutsonikas. [8]

Greek-Turkish War 1897

On April 6, the Turkish positions in Neochori were bombed by the field artillery. On the evening of April 7, 1897, units of the 2nd Greek Brigade (III Division) under the command of Colonel Thrasyvoulos Manos crossed the Arachthos after a bridge was built by the engineer battalion on the side of the village of Loutrotopos (Bani) in the area of ​​Haliki. Initially, the deportation of the Turks from Neochori was difficult due to the fortifications built by the Turks in the northern part of Neochori. The difficulty of the operation can be seen in the note of the battalion commanders to Colonel Leonidas Golfinopoulos: Land acquired through sacrifice and precious blood, we must not think, we must abandon it. [9]

When the attack on the Turks began, the commander of the Turkish battalion in Neochori informed the commander of the 2nd Division that the number of Greek soldiers was 6,000, asking for reinforcements. The Turks were forced to collapse from the line Neochori - Pachykalamou to the defensive line Gribovo - Lourou Bridge. On April 8, the 2nd Brigade had occupied Neochori, Pachykalamos, Acropotamia (Tsaprali. The liberation of the area was celebrated with the bells of St. Demetrius ringing happily. Aneza. [10] [11]

Unfortunately, the initial advance of the Greek army was then bent on the front of Thessaly and after the defeat in the Five Wells, the Greek army was closed in Arta on April 23, dragging a wave of Greek refugees. Residents of Neochori and Pachykalamos left the villages during Holy Easter Week, fearing retaliation from the Turks. About a month later, on May 4, 1897, the two opposing armies were in the same positions before the war operations, and on May 7, a truce was signed at the Arta geyser. The armistice was ratified on May 19, 1897. The 2nd Brigade was scattered in the villages of the plain of Arta from where it retreated. The military corps of Thrasyvoulos Manos remained on the border of the river Arachthos in 1881. The above villages were recaptured by the Turks. Theodoros Pangalos states that complete anarchy prevailed in the theater of operations in Epirus and that the bodyguards act as they see fit. [12]

In 1910, the Diocese of Nikopolis and Preveza published the census data of the same year throughout the ecclesiastical region and informed us that Neochori belonged to the Louros department and the village was inhabited by 808 people. [13] The village was liberated in 1912 during the Balkan War.

Interwar

In 1936-1938, during the dictatorship of Io. Metaxas, the riverbed of the river Arachthos was diverted to its current form due to the floods that plagued the village and the embankment along the river as anti-flood works, the old river (old river area). it has dried up and its traces still exist, while there has been tree planting along the embankment, which is now largely lost. [14]

Fighters of the Greek-Italian War (1940-1941)

Megapanos Dimitrios of Nikolaos, born 1906, Neochori, Soldier 39th Co. Evzonon, 8/3/1941, He was killed on the hill of Dodi (SE Tepeleniou).
Papavassiliou Zois of Konstantinos, born 1907, Neochori, Soldier, 22/4/1941, Died at the Military Hospital of Arta.
Papafotis Ioannis son of Konstantinos, born 1915, Neochori, Dean 40th Coll. Evzonon, 19/12/1940, He was killed in the Battle of Fteri. [15]

Occupation

During the occupation, more than fifty Neochorites ran and joined the organization of EOEA - EDES (Tzoumerka Headquarters, Xirovouni Headquarters, Lakka - Souli Headquarters, Radovyzi).

Civil War

Neochori was occupied after a demonstration by ELAS led by Captain Gerasimos Maltezos or Tzoumerkiotis for one day. According to Maltezos himself [16], the most risky intrusion was in Neochori, located opposite Kommeno. The first job was to cut the telephone line with Arta and we immediately rushed to the houses and invited the people to attend the church. I visited my uncle Christos Nikolou who lived there with his family as a village teacher and we invited the youth to join ELAS. He regrets that no young man from Neochori joined ELAS except for Dr. Kantas, who offered great services to the Elasitian guerrilla movement.

During the civil war in the area of ​​Neochori - Akropotamia, there was a force of EDES and it was considered a base by the forces of ELAS. In April 1944, the independent guerrilla unit of EDES, led by K. Voidaros and other small units led by Rigani, Papapanos, entered the lowland area of ​​Arta and in the summer of the same year was promoted to the hill of Peranthi near Arta where he took over. area control. From the hill he controlled the whole plain area towards the river Arachthos, the road arta of Arta - Amfilochia and the area towards the city of Arta. The Edessites had set up a prison for 35-40 men. [17]

During July, EDES and ELAS forces clashed on the hill of Peranthi and EDES units, after strong resistance from several dead, were forced to retreat to Neochori, seeking to escape by boat through the Amvrakikos Gulf. [18] The hill of Peranthi, according to the ELAS archive, was recaptured by EDES forces in September and October 1944.

In the area of ​​the plain, the Rural Defense Units (also known as the Maides) were still active, and in 1945 most of the Edessites joined the National Guard after the Zervik guerrillas had ceased to exist and had long since been displaced in Corfu.

Fallen in the civil war

Boufos Nikolaos, a guerrilla of EDES, fell in the battle of Peranthi,
George Kamaroulas, EDES guerrilla
Apostolos Tsolis, Demodidaskalos was executed on the way to Keramates on 27/12/1944 by ELAS [19]

Five years 2010 - 2015

The village was visited by journalist Nikos Manesis with the show of 60 Fine Greece on January 22, 2014, he talked with the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality Nikolaos Skoufas, Kosmas Voulgaris and the residents of the village, while he visited the divas of the area. [20] On February 1, 2015, after heavy rains flooded the river park, the river's water reached the floodplain works (embankment) of 1938, while preparations were being made for the evacuation of Neochori and the neighboring villages. [21]

Folklore of the area

Local Legend

Neochori and the legendary Kommeno were once united. The two were a village. It was located on the shores of the Amvrakikos below today's Neochori in the location Kakoudia or Kakoudi. Perhaps it was named after the hardships suffered by its inhabitants by the robbers, who, when raiding the area, used their village as a refuge and base. Once a Arachthos flooded and changed bed. Its waters passed through the village and divided it in two, with a fairly deep and wide ditch that they had created, then its inhabitants abandoned it. Not all of them went to one place together, half went and created today's Neochori and the other half went to today's Kommeno. [22]

Demographics
1920 1928 1940 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 1991 2001
914 inhabitants 1004 inhabitants 1432 inhabitants 1526 inhabitants 1862 inhabitants 1643 Inhabitants 1759 inhabitants [23] 2489 Inhabitants 2207 inhabitants

Based on the 2001 census, the actual population is 2207. The peak population of 20 years is estimated at 2869 inhabitants. [24] [25]

Climate

The climate of the area is characterized as temperate, with mild, rainy winters and dry summers. The average annual temperature is between 17-18 C, while the winds that usually blow are east and south. Frost is also a common occurrence with the known damage caused to the area's arboricultural production. 26]

Agriculture - Livestock - Fisheries

Neochori is also the largest local community. It is also characteristic that the average area (49.1%) is arable land. This fact alone is a key criterion for classifying it as a rural area. A significant percentage (33%) is occupied by pastures, which are probably fishing areas, where there is little livestock activity. The primary sector includes agriculture, livestock and fishing. The main crops in the area are tree planting, citrus fruits with basic varieties of sour orange, merlin, navelina, salustiana, olive with the canned varieties of Arta and reeds as well as large quantities of kiwi. Also important part of the crop is occupied by kiwi now. There are still areas where cotton, corn and beans are grown to a lesser extent. There is a small network of wind turbines to protect against frost. The livestock sector includes free spatial exploitations of small size, mainly sheep, cattle, pigs and poultry. In the fishing sector there is a small cooperative, the public fish farm (Ivari type) and several individual fishermen. The main fish species that exist in the sea area of ​​Amvrakikos are the mullet, sea bass, sea bream, tongues, eels, Amvrakikos shrimp, cuttlefish, etc. [27]

The tertiary sector includes various services such as the branch of ELTA, KEP, rural doctor's office, kindergarten, Elementary, High School and Lyceum, while previously there was a police station located in the village square.

Churches

Father Cosmas of Aetolia, while touring the village in 1794, said that a church was predicted for this place, in 1830 the river Arachthos was flooded, destroying the foundations of the church of Agios Dimitrios, while in 1857 it was completely destroyed by the floods. The new Church of Agios Dimitrios in Dokimion, Arta and Preveza, was rebuilt in 1858 and inaugurated on November 8, 1860. [28] The Old bell tower in its inscription on the side of the street dates back to 1871. The new Holy Temple of Agios Dimitrios, as we know it today, was built in 1967-68 on the days of Father Nick. Economou from Filippiados with a fundraiser in the surrounding areas and Preveza, the roof of the temple is made of pumice, a kind of volcanic, light and porous rock that is used as building material so as not to support the dome of excess weight on the back of the temple. which moved. There is no date for the original construction of the church.

Riverside Park

The River Park of Neochori with its picturesque harbor, the recreation area with the traditional cafe, playground, stands and unobstructed views of the river. This is where the throwing of the Cross, the Epiphany and events such as Arachtheia and that of Holy Monday take place. [29] Pix Lax and Michalis Hatzigiannis [30] have given concerts in the riparian park, while in the summer of 2014 there is a river party for the first time with a small participation of citizens.

Sport

The football field and the indoor basketball court of the local team, Achilles Neochori, are located in the village. [31] In 1983, the local newspaper The Voice of the Neochorites of the Association of Neochorites of Arta, prefecture of Attica, was also published.

Important Persons

It originates from Neochori:

Konstantinos Siozos, EPE MP elected in 1961
Konstantinos Papasiozos, New Democracy MP elected in the prefecture of Arta in 2007. [32]
Lieutenant Commander Anastasios Katsimbras, Commander of the Air Force Command of the National Guard of Cyprus 2009/2010. [33]
Lambros Vangelis, football player. [34]
Kati Tsoli, author [35]
Giannis K. Tsolis, retired police officer and writer, poet [36]

Notes - References - Sources
Government Gazette 181 A / 14-08-1919 Government Gazette of administrative changes in the Local Government
"Government Gazette 244A / 04-12-1997 p. 5" (PDF). It was archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
"Neochori High School of Arta". It was archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
Map of the Gulf of Arta, 1771
"The tours of Agios Kosmas". Archived from the original on October 4, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
Memoirs of Makrygiannis p. 16,17,18
Despot of Arta Seraphim Xenopoulos, Essay on Artis
Artina Historical Issues, Giannis Tsoutsinos, Arta 2001, pp. 50-51
Christou K. Evangeliou, war diary of the Greek army on the continent, Patras 1898, pp. 58-61
The Greek-Turkish War of 1897, General Goltz, Athens 1899, p.196
The Greek-Turkish War of 1897, M. Gonzaga 1899, p.194
Artina Historical Issues, Giannis Tsoutsinos, Arta 2001, p.119
The late Gianniotiko Pasaliki: space, administration and population in the Turkish-occupied Epirus (1820-1913), Michalis Kokolakis, p.492 [1]
THE DEFINITIVE LIMITATION OF THE LOAN OF POTAMOS ARACHTHOS [dead link]
The first published full catalog of the Fallen of the Prefecture of Arta during the Greek-Italian war of 1940-41
EAM-ELAS, Gerasimos Maltezos, Volos 1987, pp.166-168
ELAS Archive, 4th Volume
The leaders of EDES in Epirus 1942 - 44, Vangelis Tzoukas, Estia Publications
Historical memories of the Kastania Battalion of EOEA-EDES 1942-1945 prefecture of Arta, Dinos Papadimitriou, Member of Parliament, Athens
"Show, 60 minutes Greece, Nikos Manesis". Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
Epirus is in a state of emergency
Lambrou Ch. Kasselouris Historical and folklore of Arta 1980
Development of the population of the rural areas of Greece - 1920 to 1981, Michael Chouliarakis
"How many of us live in Epirus - The entire 2011 census." It was archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved on April 24, 2014.
The "peak population" includes the projected permanent and seasonal residents, when all the houses in the settlement are inhabited and the equivalent in residents corresponding to the estimate of the number of tourist beds for the year - the target of the forecast. In other words, it is a "population equivalent" that compares the capacity of the settlement.
Municipal Unit of Arachthos
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE 3 COMMUNITY SUPPORT PLANNING [dead link]
"Despot of Arta Seraphim Xenopoulos, Essay on Artis and Preveza, p. 47". It was archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved on April 26, 2014.
Neochorio River Park Municipality of N. Skoufa
Agenda Culture Archive
"APS EPSA: Achilleas Neochoriou 2011/2012". Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
Papasiozos Kon. [Dead link]
Municipality of Lakatamia
"Brilliant Vangelis". It was archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
Curriculum vitae Kati Tsoli
Curriculum vitae of Giannis Tsolis

Municipal unit Arachthos
Municipal Community Neochori
Neochori (Νεοχώρι, το)
Community Agia Paraskevi
Agia Paraskevi (Αγία Παρασκευή, η)
Anthotopos (Ανθότοπος, ο)
Kalomodia (Καλομόδια, τα)
Community Akropotamia
Akropotamia (Ακροποταμιά, η)
Community Loutrotopos
Loutrotopos (Λουτρότοπος, ο)
Νέος Συνοικισμός Λουτροτόπου, ο
Community Pachykalamos
Pachykalamos (Παχυκάλαμος, ο)
Community Peranthi
Peranthi (Περάνθη, η)
Community Sykies
Sykies (Συκιές, οι)

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