Karditsa

Karditsa is also the old name of Akraifnio in Boeotia.

Karditsa (Greek: Καρδίτσα, romanized: Kardítsa [karˈðitsa]) is a city in western Thessaly in mainland Greece. The city of Karditsa is the capital of Karditsa regional unit of the region of Thessaly.

Karditsa Καρδίτσα
Municipality
Karditsa Location within the region
Coordinates: 39°22′N 21°55′E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Thessaly
Regional unit	Karditsa
Government
• Mayor	Vasileios Tsiakos[1] (since 2019)
Area
• Municipality	647.4 km2 (250.0 sq mi)
• Municipal unit	110.1 km2 (42.5 sq mi)
Elevation	108 m (354 ft)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Municipality	55,979
• Density	86/km2 (220/sq mi)
• Municipal unit	44,700
• Municipal unit density	410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
• Community	40,272
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	431 00
Area code(s)	24410
Vehicle registration	ΚΑ
Website	dimoskarditsas.gov.gr

Climate

Karditsa has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). Karditsa experiences hot, dry summers and cool winters with substantial precipitation.

Climate data for Karditsa
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	10.25 (50.45)	13.54 (56.37)	11.76 (53.17)	20.28 (68.50)	25.29 (77.52)	30.73 (87.31)	32.31 (90.16)	31.39 (88.50)	27.78 (82.00)	21.85 (71.33)	15.33 (59.59)	10.36 (50.65)	20.91 (69.63)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5.36 (41.65)	6.83 (44.29)	10.49 (50.88)	14.86 (58.75)	19.85 (67.73)	25.59 (78.06)	26.68 (80.02)	25.38 (77.68)	21.73 (71.11)	15.95 (60.71)	10.38 (50.68)	6.47 (43.65)	15.80 (60.43)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.94 (35.49)	2.81 (37.06)	5.28 (41.50)	8.65 (47.57)	13.08 (55.54)	16.28 (61.30)	17.75 (63.95)	17.29 (63.12)	13.91 (57.04)	10.50 (50.90)	5.49 (41.88)	2.46 (36.43)	9.62 (49.32)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	82.64 (3.25)	77.22 (3.04)	59.32 (2.34)	62.20 (2.45)	45.88 (1.81)	19.50 (0.77)	14.01 (0.55)	16.78 (0.66)	26.91 (1.06)	91.44 (3.60)	90.18 (3.55)	91.01 (3.58)	677.09 (26.66)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	113.51	122.05	165.50	206.01	267.05	330.90	333.92	310.91	237.76	170.41	121.35	102.84	2,482.21
Source: Hellenic National Meteorological Service[3]

History

View of the cathedral church of Saints Constantine and Helena.

During the period of Ottoman rule in Thessaly, the main settlement in the location of modern Karditsa was called Sotira.^[4] In 1810, the English traveler William Martin Leake mentioned a sprawling village named Kardhítza, consisting of between 500-600 houses, of which the majority of the inhabitants were Turkish.^[5]

Karditsa was incorporated as a new city in 1882, the year after its liberation from the Ottoman Empire (1881).

During World War II, the resistance in Thessaly was fought primarily by the ELAS. On March 12, 1943 Karditsa was liberated temporarily by ELAS after the Italian capitulation.

In September 2020, the city was badly hit from catastrophic floods that resulted in 4 deaths.

Municipality

The municipality Karditsa was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:^[6]

• Itamos
• Kallifoni
• Kampos
• Karditsa
• Mitropoli

The municipality has an area of 647.3878 km², the municipal unit 110.086 km².^[7] Formerly, Karditsa had a neighbourhood known as Vlachomachalas, which was populated by Vlachs (Aromanians).^[8]

Subdivisions

The municipal unit of Karditsa is divided into six parts (communities):^[6]

• Agiopigi
• Artesiano
• Karditsa
• Karditsomagoula
• Palioklissi
• Rousso

Historical population

Statue of Nikolaos Plastiras (1883-1953) in Karditsa.

Year	Community	Municipal unit	Municipality
2001	35,971	41,411	-
2011	39,119	44,002	56,747
2021	40,272	44,700	55,979

Education

Veterinary Medicine Department of the University of Thessaly which is one of only two Veterinary departments in Greece and three other university departments of the University of Thessaly based in the city.

Transport

Karditsa is served by trains on the Palaiofarsalos-Kalambaka line, with connections to both Athens and Thessaloniki.

Sports

Football clubs include Anagennisi Karditsa, A.S.Karditsa (el), AO Karditsa, Asteras Karditsas (el) and Elpides Karditsas. SPA Karditsa (el) is a volleyball club.

Sport clubs based in Karditsa
Club	Founded	Sports	Achievements
Anagennisi Karditsas	1904	Football	Presence in Beta Ethniki
AO Karditsa	1966	Football	Earlier presence in Beta Ethniki
ASK Karditsa	2006	Basketball	Presence in Alpha Ethniki
SPA Karditsa	1987	Volleyball	Presence in A2 Ethniki volleyball
Elpides Karditsas	1994	Football	Presence in A Ethniki women

Notable people

Seal of Bartholomew, Latin Bishop of Karditsa and Velestino in the early 13th century

• Ioannis Bourousis, basketball player
• Antigoni Drisbioti, Olympian race walker
• Charilaos Florakis, politician
• Georgios Karaiskakis, hero of the Greek War of Independence
• Alexandros Papamichail, Olympic race walker
• Helena Paparizou, singer and winner of 2005 Eurovision Song Contest
• Nikolaos Plastiras, army officer and Prime Minister
• Georgios Siantos, politician, Greek Resistance figure
• Dimitris Sioufas, politician
• Dimitrios Tsiamis, jumper, bronze medalist at European Championships
• Panagiota Tsinopoulou, Olympic race walker
• Seraphim of Athens, archbishop
• Stefanos Tsitsipas, tennis player
• Dimitris Mitropanos
• Konstantinos Thanos
• Kostas Tsiaras
• Sakis Tsiolis
• Vaios Karagiannis

See also

• Fanari, Karditsa

Gallery

• 
  Lake Plastiras, near the city
• 
  Monument to Greco-Russian friendship at Lake Plastira
• 
  Dam of Sykia
• 
  View to Argithea
• 
  Stefaniada lake