Preveza Πρέβεζα | |
|---|---|
 The promenade and port | |
  Preveza Location within the region  | |
| Coordinates:38°57′27″N20°45′06″E / 38.95750°N 20.75167°E /38.95750; 20.75167 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Epirus |
| Regional unit | Preveza |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nikolaos Georgakos[1] (since 2019) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 380.5 km2 (146.9 sq mi) |
| • Municipal unit | 66.8 km2 (25.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Municipality | 30,841 |
| • Density | 81/km2 (210/sq mi) |
| • Municipal unit | 22,868 |
| • Municipal unit density | 340/km2 (890/sq mi) |
| • Community | 21,099 |
| Demonym | Prevezian |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 481 00 |
| Area code(s) | 26820 |
| Vehicle registration | ΡΖ |
| Website | www |
Preveza (Greek:Πρέβεζα,pronounced[ˈpreveza]) is a city in the region ofEpirus, northwesternGreece, located on the northern peninsula of the mouth of theAmbracian Gulf. It is the capital of theregional unit of Preveza, which is the southern part of the region ofEpirus. TheAktio-Preveza Immersed Tunnel –the first, and so far only,undersea tunnel in Greece– was completed in 2002. The 1,570 m (5,150 ft) long immersed tunnel connects Preveza in the north, toAktio of westernAcarnania to the south. The ruins of the ancient city ofNicopolis lie 7 kilometres (4 miles) north of Preveza.
Despite the fact that the namePreveza is attested in theChronicle of the Morea (Greek:Πρέβεζα,Italian:Prevesa,French:la Prevasse, la Prevesse), in the narratives referring to the suppression of the rebellious prince of theDespotate of Epirus,Nikephoros I, which occurred in 1290,[3][4][5] this does not prove that the city existed in that period.[6] The name is commonly regarded as deriving from the Slavic wordprěvozъ, meaning 'passage', but transmitted via anAlbanian formprevëzë, 'transportation, crossing'.[7][4][8] These words correspond to the ancient Greek wordpereosis (Greek:περαίωσις), which meanspassing across, pointing to it as a likely ultimate origin of the name.[9]
An alternative derivation is that proposed in 1857 byPanagiotis Aravantinos as coming from the Italian wordprevesione, which means 'provision, supply'.[10] Aravantinos' proposal has no solid foundations, according to recent academic views.[11]
The present form of the Municipality of Preveza was established in 2011, through the Reform Legislation for Local Government, which merged the following three former municipalities, which in turn became its Municipal Units. (The constituent communities are mentioned in brackets):[12]
The municipality has an area of 380.541 km2, the municipal unit 66.835 km2.[13]
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Inantiquity, the south-southwestern part ofEpirus was inhabited by theGreek tribe of Cassopeans, part of a larger tribe, theThesprotians.[14] Their capital city wasCassope (today, near the village ofKamarina). At the southernmost part of Epirus, kingPyrrhus founded, in 290 BC, the town ofBerenike orBerenice, named after his mother-in-lawBerenice I of Egypt.[15][16] Today, it is believed that Berenike lies on the hills near the village of Michalitsi, following the excavations by Sotirios Dakaris in 1965. The Ionian Sea, near Berenike, was the site of the navalBattle of Actium, on 2 September 31 BC, in whichOctavian's forces defeated those ofMark Antony and queenCleopatra ofEgypt. The city ofNicopolis (Νικόπολις, "Victory City") was built nearby by Augustus to commemorate his victory.[17] The city is believed to have, at its peak, a population of 150,000.[18] In AD 90,Epictetus arrived at Nicopolis, after he had been banished by the Roman emperorDomitian and established a school of philosophy. One of his studentsArrian became a famous historian and recorded all of his works.[citation needed]
The namePreveza was first attested in theChronicle of the Morea for the year 1292, when theGenoese allies ofByzantine emperorAndronikos II Palaiologos raided its port of Saint Nicholas.[19][20][21] However, it likely dates to the abandonment of Nicopolis after theUzes raids in Greece in the 1060s.[21]
Preveza is not mentioned thereafter until the 15th century, indicating that it was likely abandoned or was of negligible importance.[4] No medieval monuments survive, either.[4] The modern city likely traces its sources to a foundation (or at least fortification) after theOttoman conquest of the region, likelyc. 1486–1487, followed by a second fortification in 1495.[4][21] Therefore, it is most unlikely that Preveza constitutes the continuation of ancient Nicopolis, as earlier scholars have suggested.[22]
The Ottomans refounded Preveza probably in 1477, with a subsequent strengthening of the fortifications in 1495.[23] The navalBattle of Preveza was fought off the shores of Preveza on 29 September 1538, where the Ottoman fleet ofHayreddin Barbarossa defeated a united Christian fleet under the Genoese captainAndrea Doria. This day is a Turkish Navy National Holiday, and some of today's Turkish submarines are called "Preveze".
Preveza was hotly contested in severalOttoman-Venetian Wars. In September 1684, in the early phase of theMorean War, the Venetians, aided by Greek irregulars, crossed from the island ofLefkada (Santa Maura) and captured Preveza as well asVonitsa, which gave them control ofAcarnania – an important morale booster towards the main campaign in theMorea.[24] However, at the end of the war in 1699 Preveza was handed back to Ottoman rule. Venice captured Preveza again in 1717, during itsnext war with the Ottomans and was this time able to hold on to the town and fort it – a meager achievement in a war which otherwise went very badly for the Republic. Venetian rule would persist until the very end of the Venetian Republic itself in 1797. During this period, in 1779, the Orthodox missionaryKosmas visited Preveza where it is said he founded a Greek school, which would be the only school of the city during the 18th century.[25] At the end of the 18th century, Preveza became a transit center of trade with western Europe (particularly France), which resulted in the increase of its population to approximately 10,000–12,000.[26]
Following theTreaty of Campo Formio, whereNapoleon Bonaparte decreed the final dissolution of theVenetian Republic, Preveza – like other Venetian possessions in Greece andAlbania – was ceded toRevolutionary France. 280 Frenchgrenadiers arrived in Preveza under the commands of General La Salchette. The people of Preveza welcomed the French troops, and formed a pro-French civic militia.[citation needed] Around this same time the poetRigas Feraios was combining support for the ideas of the French Revolution with calls for a Greek uprising against Ottoman rule. He was intercepted and killed by the Ottoman authorities when en route to meet Napoleon and directly ask for his help for the Greek cause.
Napoleon Bonaparte, however, focused his attention in another direction, launching theFrench Campaign in Egypt and Syria, placing France at war with theOttoman Empire and giving little thought to the fate of the small Preveza garrison exposed on the edge of Ottoman territory. In October 1798, the local Ottoman governorAli Pasha Tepelena – having great ambitions to make himself a semi-independent ruler – attacked Preveza with an overwhelming force. In theBattle of Nicopolis on 12 October 1798 the troops of Ali Pasha and his son Mukhtar completely overwhelmed the French troops and their local allies. Over the next two days, 13–14 October 1798, a major massacre of the French troops and the local Greek population which defended the city took place in Preveza and Port Salaora, on theAmbracian Gulf, starting before Ali Pasha entered Preveza on 13 October but also continuing in his presence.[27] On 14 October, Ali Pasha called on those citizens of Preveza who had escaped to theAcarnanian Mountains to return to the city, and declared that they would be in no danger. However, upon their return, 170 of them were executed by the sword at the Salaora Port Customs.[28] Many prisoners who survived the massacre died from the hardships on the road toIoannina. In the grand return and reception held for his victorious troops, which Ali Pasha organized at Ioannina, surviving French and rebel prisoners were given the unpleasant role of walking at the head of the procession, holding the cut and salted heads of their companions, under the shouts and jeers of Ioannina's pro-Ottoman residents. From Ioannina, nine captured French grenadiers, and two officers were sent chained toIstanbul for questioning. One of them, CaptainLouis-Auguste Camus de Richemont, was later released, possibly mediated by the mother of Napoleon Bonaparte, MariaLetizia Bonaparte, and eventually became a general. Some popularly circulating tales, of doubtful historical authenticity, link this incident with the origins of theSpoonmaker's Diamond, one of the most closely guarded treasures of Istanbul'sTopkapı Palace.[citation needed]
Though Preveza would remain under Ottoman rule for more than a century, this event – both the short period of Greek militias active in the city and the shock of the massacre that followed – and the influence of the ideas of theFrench Revolution had a part in the development ofGreek nationalism towards theGreek War of Independence, which broke out three decades later.
From 1798 to 1820, Preveza was under the rule of the semi-independentAli Pasha. Following his death in 1822 in Ioannina, Preveza was more directly controlled from Constantinople. Preveza became the seat of a province (theSanjak of Preveze) in 1863, until the year 1912 when the city joinedGreece. In 1835, educational activity in the city revived with the foundation of a newGreek school, theTheophaneios, named after its sponsor, Anastassios Theophanis. In the following decades, this school became a centre of education in the surrounding area and in 1851 it also hosted a female and a secondary school.[29]
According to theCongress of Berlin in 1878, parts of southern Epirus, including Preveza, were to be ceded by the Ottoman Empire to theKingdom of Greece. Under this context, five meetings were held in Preveza, between Greek and Ottoman representatives, but all of them failed to reach an agreement.[30] Even before negotiations started, the Ottoman side used a number of Albanian national figures for delaying purposes and appointedAbedin bey Dino, member of theLeague of Prizren and representative of the Albanian national movement, as Ottoman foreign minister.[31] Moreover, Abedin Dino managed to gather various Albanian personalities in Preveza, from all over Albania and Epirus,[32] who believed that the Ottomans will provide full support to the Albanian movement and were against annexation of Epirus to Greece.[33][34][35][36] They also organized ameeting there in January 1879[37] and on 28 February 1879, signed a petition with a threat to take arms to prevent an annexation of Preveza to Greece.[38] As a result of the unrest created, led byAbdyl Frashëri, another Albanian national figure, the local Ottoman governor was recalled.[39] Abedin Dino was also recalled from Preveza, while the recently arrived Albanians left the city and returned to their homelands.[40]
The discussions between the two sides continued later in Constantinople, but the Ottoman side disagreed with the proposed border by using as an excuse the unrest created by Albanian representatives.[41] In March 1881, the Ottoman side proposed the cession ofThessaly and Arta regions, a proposal that ignored the Albanian positions, and was finally accepted by Greece, although most of Epirus was still outside Greece.[42] On the other hand, the Greek organisation,Epirote Society, founded in 1906 by members of the Epirote diaspora,Panagiotis Danglis andSpyros Spyromilios, aimed at the annexation of the region to Greece[43] by supplying local Greeks with firearms.[44]
From 1881 to 1912 the main sectors of the local economy witnessed dramatic decline and the port of the city lost most of its former commercial significance. However, education was still flourishing with two schools operating: one boys' and one girls' school. The school system of the city was primarily financed by Anastasios Theofanis, notable member of the diaspora.[45]
The city of Preveza remained under Ottoman control until finally taken by theGreek Army on 21 October 1912, during theFirst Balkan War. The city was liberated after theBattle of Nicopolis, by the Greek forces under Colonel Panagiotis Spiliadis. A garrison of the8th Infantry Division was stationed in the city by December. Later on in the same war, on 8 February 1913, the inhabitants of Preveza were involved in the first instance in world history of a pilot being shot down in combat. The Russian pilotNikolay Sakov [ru;el], flying for the Greeks, had his biplane hit by ground fire following a bomb run on the walls of FortBizani nearIoannina. He came down near Preveza, and with the help of local townspeople repaired his plane and resumed his flight back to base.[46] In the following months there arrived in Preveza the famousSwiss photographerFrederic Boissonnas, and a lot of photographs from this period are available today. Preveza along with the rest of southernEpirus formally became part of Greece via theTreaty of London in 1913.
After theBalkan Wars the harbor of Preveza became a significant regional commercial center in western Greece. Moreover, local labor unions were created during the Interwar period.[45]
Along with the rest of Greece, Preveza wasoccupied byFascist Italy (1941–1943) andNazi Germany (1943–1944) duringWorld War II. Before the occupation, theJewish community had 250 members. They were arrested and exterminated in the Nazi death camps, only 15 survived.[47] After the departure of theWehrmacht from Preveza, in September 1944, an episode of theGreek Civil War known as theBattle of Preveza took place, lasting for 16 days, between armed partisans of the right-wingEDES and the left-wingEAM-ELAS. The fights stopped after theCaserta Agreement between Great Britain and the two main Greek resistance groups, EDES and ELAS.
Today Preveza is a commercial harbor and tourist hub, with a marina, four museums, two cinemas, an open theatre, a music Hall (OASIS), many clubs, taverns, and cafes, benefiting from its proximity to the nearbyAktion National Airport and the nearby island ofLefkada, a major tourist destination. There are in the city the university department of Financial (department ofuniversity of Ioannina) and CommercialNavy Academy. TheAktio-Preveza Immersed Tunnel, opened on 2002, is an important work of infrastructure for what has traditionally been a remote and underdeveloped region, and links Preveza toActium (Greek:Άκτιο,Aktio) on the southern shore of theAmbracian Gulf, greatly shortening the distance of the trip toLefkada.
In July 2022, Preveza was affected by thelarge wildfires.[48]
Preveza is linked by road to Igoumenitsa and other coastal settlements through the E55 national road, and is also linked with other cities in Epirus such asIoannina and Arta. TheAktio-Preveza Undersea Tunnel links Preveza by road toAetolia-Acarnania inCentral Greece. Preveza also has a small commercial and passenger port and is served by the nearbyAktion National Airport, which also serves the island ofLefkada.
| Year | Community | Municipal unit | Municipality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 13,624 | – | – |
| 1991 | 13,341 | 16,886 | – |
| 2001 | 17,724 | 19,605 | – |
| 2011 | 20,795 | 22,853 | 31,733 |
| 2021 | 21,099 | 22,868 | 30,841 |
Preveza is a founding member of theDouzelage, a uniquetown twinning association of 24 towns across theEuropean Union. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals.[50][51] Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three further towns (Agros in Cyprus,Škofja Loka in Slovenia andTryavna in Bulgaria).
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
| Regional unit ofArta |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofIoannina | ||
| Regional unit ofPreveza | ||
| Regional unit ofThesprotia | ||
| ||
European Union: Members of the town twinning "Douzelage" | ||
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| Current members |  | |
| Former members | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
