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Goumenissa (Template:Lang-el) is a small traditional town, capital of Paionia Province of Kilkis Prefecture in Central Macedonia, Greece. The town sits on the southeastern part of the Paiko mountain range. Located 69 km northwest of Thessaloniki, 539 km north of Athens and 20 km north of Pella, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Macedon.

Goumenissa is also the seat of the Bishop of Diocese of Goumenissa, Axioupolis and Polykastron (Greek: Ιερά Μητρόπολις Γουμενίσσης, Αξιουπόλεως & Πολυκάστρου.

Goumenissa has splendid narrow streets lined with traditional houses and is renowned for a wide range of things; apart from its preindustrial monuments built beside lush springs, there are traditional wineries which prove the expertise of this small country town to produce good quality wine. Its multifarious identity accounts for the unfailing enthusiasm overwhelming the different kinds of tourists Goumenissa attracts. Its folklore museum, its impromptu brass bands (Ta Xalkina tis Goumenissas, The Brass Band of Goumenissa) as well as its customs, events and fetes, all of them are reflective of the traditional lifestyle that has resisted the course of time.

Name

There are a lot of versions of the origin of the name Goumenissa. Most likely is that according to the local tradition, robbers hung the Abbot (Greek: Ηγούμενο egoumeno) of the abbey, and the city's name (goumen che-a), which means place of Abbot derived from this; later it became Goumenissa.

History

Hellenistic Era

Goumenissa possesses a small part from the land of the Paionians (Ancient Greek: Παίονες, Paiones), the exact boundaries of which, like the early history of its inhabitants, are very obscure. According to the national legend (Herodotus v. 16), they were Teucrian colonists from Troy. Homer (Iliad, book II, line 848) speaks of Paionians from the Axios fighting on the side of the Trojans, but the Iliad does not mention whether the Paionians were kin to the Trojans. Homer gives the Paionian leader as a certain Pyraechmes (parentage unknown); but later on in the Iliad Homer mentions a second leader, named Asteropaeus, son of Pelagon.

Roman Era (146 BC - 330)

After the Roman conquest of Macedon in 146 BC, Paionia east and west of the Axios formed the second and third districts respectively of the Roman province of Macedonia (Livy xiv. 29). Centuries later under Diocletian, Paionia and Pelagonia formed a province called Macedonia secunda or Macedonia Salutaris, belonging to the Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum.

Byzantine Era (330 - 1387)

When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western segments ruled from Constantinople and Rome respectively, Goumenissa came under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire). Goumenissa passed out of Byzantine hands in 1204, when Constantinople was captured by the Fourth Crusade and became part of the Kingdom of Thessalonica - the largest fief of the Latin Empire, covering most of north and central Greece.

In 1224 it was seized by Theodore Komnenos Doukas, the Greek ruler of Despotate of Epirus. The area was recovered by the Byzantine Empire in 1246. First report with the name Goumenissa we have at the year 1346, at the era of Palaiologos Dynasty. In an Imperial Act of this year, the region of Goumenissa is granted in the Holly Abbey Ibyron of Mount Athos and becomes religious centre because of the Monastery of Virgin Mary. Next to Monastery existed a settlement that little later with the union of small agro-pastoral settlements will create a dynamic town that will be named Goumenissa.

Ottoman Era (1387 - 1912)

The Ottomans had captured Goumenissa in 1387. In the period of Ottoman domination the area was characterized self-governed town and acquired privileges because the residents were compelled to deal with the creation of buckrams by which were manufactured the uniforms of Ottoman army. From then Goumenissa developed in as economic, cultural and religious centre. The production of wine makes Goumenissa acquaintance beyond the borders of Ottoman Empire, particularly in Central Europe.

Even if region with privileges, was not however uninvolved in the Greek War of Independence of 1821. Afterwards the outbreak of Revolution, the Ottoman army searched the residences and found 49 rifles. They were hardly punished and they were compelled to give what they had in money, foods and other material, like animals and carriages. The residents did not correspond completely in the order and the Pasha Abdoul Amboud of Thessaloniki start violent islamization.

The Macedonian Struggle

Since 1899, the Bulgarian guerrillas of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) turned against Ottoman authorities with the slogan "autonomy for Macedonia". The guerrillas purported to be protectors of all Christians in the area, for this reason they initially did not bother Greece. But gradually, increasing tensions emerged among the followers of the Patriarchate of Constantinople (the patriarchalists, mostly, but not only, Greeks) and those of the Bulgarian Exarchate (exclusively Bulgarians); this brought to the assassination by the IMRO of members of pro-Greek and pro-Serbian parties. From 1900 onwards, the danger of Bulgarian control had upset the Greeks of Macedonia.

As Ion Dragoumis (visited two times Goumenissa) wrote in his calendar "I am thinking how these communities of Greece outside of the Greek Kingdom can affiliate in our state. Why wait their liberation only from Greece? Let them work as Greece didn’t exist and then she will help them."

While Dragoumis concerned himself with the financial organisation of the efforts, Bishop of Kastoria Germanos Karavangelis collaborating with the Ottomans animated the Greek population against the IMRO and formed committees to promoting the Greek national interests.

The fighters for the Greek cause labelled themselves "Macedonomachoi" (Macedonian Fighters) and were portrayed by Greek writer Penelope Delta in her novel Ta Mystika tou Valtou (The Secrets of the Swamp:1937) as well as in the book of memoirs The Macedonian Struggle by Germanos Karavangelis.

These Greek forces were often backed up by the Turkish authorities and armed forces and occasionally operated together against the IMRO. The rioting in Macedonia, the atrocities of Bulgarian guerrilla troops against locals who considered themselves as Greeks and especially the death of Pavlos Melas in 1904 (he was the first Greek officer to enter Macedonia with guerrillas) caused intense nationalistic feelings in Greece. This led to the decision to send more guerrilla troops in order to thwart Bulgarian efforts to entice all of the Slavic speaking majority population of Macedonia with their propaganda (not only the exarchists but also the patriarchists).

Conflicts ended after the revolution of Young Turks in July, 1908, as they promised to respect all ethnicities and religions and generally to provide a constitution.

On October 23, 1912, during the course of the First Balkan War Goumenissa was liberated and incorporated into the Greek Kingdom.

Macedonian fighters

• Goumenissa: Dimitrios Aliris, Ioannis Aliris, Christos Aliris, Ioannis Vouzas, Vassilios Karakolis, Athanassios Maltsis, Georgios Metaxas, Georgios Pazaretzos, Ioannis Papageorgiou, Nikolaos Papamanolis, Ioannis Pissoutas, Athanassios Pipsos, Georgios Poulkas, Aggelos Sakellariou, Eleni Samara, Georgios Samaras, Dimitrios Samaras, Konstantinos Samaras, Athanassios Slapakis, Dimitrios Slioupikidis, Athanassios Tzanas, Georgios Totsis, Christos Toumpas, Athanassios Tsimirikos, Nikolaos Chatzivrettas, Christos Chatzidimitrakis
• Kastaneri: Georgios Dogiamas, Lazaros Dogiamas, Traianos Dogiamas, Christos Dogiamas, Traianos Touloupis,
• Karpi: Athanassios Zaras, Athanassios Betsis, Traianos Partoulas, Georgios Softsis, Traianos Softsis,
• Griva: Ioannis Ekonomou, Christos Poulkas, Christos Pipsos

Modern Era (1912 - present)

Duyring World War I, late 1915, Franco-British divisions under the command of French General Maurice Sarrail marched on Paionia Province. A French Division camped in Goumenissa and built a military hospital, a power station and the famous Fountain in Central Square.

The population exchanges among Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria after 1923 resulted in the replacement by Greek refugees from Asia Minor and Romilia region of most of the Slavic and Turkish elements.Greek Macedonia experienced radical demographic transformations with the arrival of the Greek refugees; by 1928, 427 families comprising of 1,676 inhabitants arrived from Turkey. The Macedonian-speaking minority in Greek Macedonia, who were referred to by the Greek authorities as “Slavomacedonians”, “Slavophone Greeks” and “Bulgarisants”, were subjected to a gradual assimilation by the Greek majority. Their numbers were reduced by a large-scale emigration to North America in the 1920s and the 1930s and to Eastern Europe and Yugoslavia following the Greek Civil War (1944-1949). During World War II Goumenissa and Central Macedonia were occupied (1941–44) by Germany.

In the 50s there was a massive emigration to the United States, Australia, Canada, West Germany and other Greek cities, mainly to Thessaloniki and Athens. In the 80s many civil war refugees were allowed to re-emigrate.

Government

Districts of the municipality of Goumenissa:

• Goumenissa (η Γουμένισσα) Town Hall
• Griva (η Γρίβα)
• Gerakon (η Γερακών)
• Karpi (η Κάρπη)
• Kastaneri (η Καστανερή)
• Omalos (ο Ομαλός)
• Pentalofon (το Πεντάλοφον)
• Stathis (ο Στάθης)
• Filyria (η Φιλυριά)

Mayors of Goumenissa

Landmarks

• Central Square
• The French Fountain
• Square of St. George
• Small Square
• Folklore Museum of Goumenissa
• Silk Factory
• Boutari Winery, Aidarinis Winery, Domaine Tatsis, Distillery Dimitri Kambouri
• Two Rivers
• Traditional mountainous settlement of Kastaneri

Monasteries

• Monastery of the Virgin Mary at Goumenissa (Est. 1100)

Belongs to: Diocese of Goumenissa

• Monastery of St. Nikodimos at Pentalofon (Est. 1981)

Dependency of: the Monastery of Simonos Petra, Mount Athos

• Monastery of St. Raphael, Nicholas & Irene at Griva (Est. 1992)

Belongs to: Diocese of Goumenissa

• Monastery of St. George at Anydron (Est. 1991) (convent)

Belongs to: Diocese of Goumenissa

Demographics

According to the National Statistical Center of Greece, as of 2001, Goumenissa was the third largest town in population in Kilkis Prefecture, with an estimated population of 4,073.

In Goumenissa live a population of 300 of Rom origin. They live in the south-eastern department of city, which in 1983, with an Act of Municipal Council, was named “Settlement of Saint George”.

Economy

Goumenissa is a famous wine producing region with Appellation d’origine de Qualite Superieure ,centre of a region that has been renowned for the quality of its wines for hundreds of years.

Culture

Goumenissa as filming location:

• 1986 The BeeKeeper (Greek Ο Μελισσοκόμος)

Director:Theo Angelopoulos

• • Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Nadia Mourouzi, Jenny Roussea, Dinos Iliopoulos
• 1981 The Factory (Greek Το Εργοστάσιο)(French L 'Ucine)

Director:Tasos Psaras

• • Cast: Vasilis Kolovos, Dimitra Hatoupi

Sport clubs

Climate

Transportation

Goumenissa is accessed

• From Athens with GR-1/E75 to Polykastron Interchange
• From Thessaloniki with E86 to Gefyra Junction then E75 to Polykastron Interchange or E86 to Intetchange after 1 km from Nea Pella
• From Igoumenitsa and Alexandroupolis with GR-4/GR-2/E90 (Via Egnatia motorway) to Chalastra Interchange then E75 to Polykastron Interchange
• From the F.Y.R.O.M with E75 to Polykastron Interchange

• By bus from Athens and Thessaloniki Bus to Kilkis
• By railway from Thessaloniki and Central Europe to Polykastron Station 15 km from Goumenissa Greek Railways
• By air from Makedonia Airport SKG Thessaloniki.If you have a private plane Polykastron Airport 15 km from Goumenissa

References

1. De Facto Population of Greece Population and Housing Census of March 18th, 2001 (PDF 39 MB). National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003.
2. in Greek: "Obscure Native Macedonian Fighters" published by Company of Macedonian Studies, 2008
3. Κατάλογος των προσφυγικών συνοικισμών της Μακεδονίας σύμφωνα με τα στοιχεία της Επιτροπής Αποκαταστάσεως Προσφύγων (ΕΑΠ) έτος 1928

External links

• Goumenissa Template:El icon
• MUNICIPALITY OF GOUMENISSA - SIGHTSEEING

Template:Kilkis

• Kilkis Prefecture
• Cities and towns in Greece
• Tourism in Greece
• Wine regions of Greece
• Municipalities of Greece