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| '''Kilkis''' (]: Κιλκίς |
'''Kilkis''' (]: Κιλκίς) is a small provincial city in ], ]. It had a population of 16,000 citizens in ]. It is also the capital city of the prefecture (or ''nomos'') of ] and the capital of one of the two local provinces (or ''eparchia'') of its prefecture. | ||
| The city was ruled by the ] before being taken by ] in the ] of ]. In the ] of ], the Greek army captured the city after a three-day battle between ]-]. Although costly, with over 5,000 casualties on the Greek side and 7,000 on the Bulgarian, the Greek victory proved a decisive step towards victory in the war. Kilkis was almost completely destroyed during the battle, and its 7,000 Bulgarian residents were transferred to Bulgaria as a result of the ], settling, for the most part, in ]. The new town was built closer to the railway to ], around the Greek church of Saint George, and was settled by Greeks transferred from ] and ]. | The city was ruled by the ] before being taken by ] in the ] of ]. In the ] of ], the Greek army captured the city after a three-day battle between ]-]. Although costly, with over 5,000 casualties on the Greek side and 7,000 on the Bulgarian, the Greek victory proved a decisive step towards victory in the war. Kilkis was almost completely destroyed during the battle, and its 7,000 Bulgarian residents were transferred to Bulgaria as a result of the ], settling, for the most part, in ]. The new town was built closer to the railway to ], around the Greek church of Saint George, and was settled by Greeks transferred from ] and ]. | ||
Revision as of 06:26, 26 June 2006
Kilkis (Greek: Κιλκίς) is a small provincial city in Central Macedonia, Greece. It had a population of 16,000 citizens in 2001. It is also the capital city of the prefecture (or nomos) of Kilkis and the capital of one of the two local provinces (or eparchia) of its prefecture.
The city was ruled by the Ottoman Empire before being taken by Bulgaria in the First Balkan War of 1912. In the Second Balkan War of 1913, the Greek army captured the city after a three-day battle between June 19-June 21. Although costly, with over 5,000 casualties on the Greek side and 7,000 on the Bulgarian, the Greek victory proved a decisive step towards victory in the war. Kilkis was almost completely destroyed during the battle, and its 7,000 Bulgarian residents were transferred to Bulgaria as a result of the Treaty of Neuilly, settling, for the most part, in Sofia. The new town was built closer to the railway to Thessaloniki, around the Greek church of Saint George, and was settled by Greeks transferred from Bulgaria and Asia Minor.
The significance of the Battle of Kilkis-Lahanas can be appreciated by the fact that Greece named a battleship after the city. However, Kilkis - formerly the USS Mississippi - was sunk by a German Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka) dive-bomber on April 23 1941, along with its sister-ship, in the third week of the invasion of Greece by Nazi Germany. The city of Kilkis came under Bulgarian rule in 1943 when the Bulgarian zone of occupation was expanded to include the prefectures of Kilkis and Chalcidice. The Greeks claim that the Bulgarians pursued a policy of "Bulgarianisation" with considerable brutality and intended to annex the region to Bulgaria, but were forbidden from doing so by their German allies, who feared destabilising Greece if the Bulgarians proceeded. The region became a major centre for partisan resistance activity before being liberated in 1944.
Famous inhabitants of Kilkis
- Giorgos Floridis, Greek politician, ex minister
- Savvas Tsitouridis, Greek politician, minister of agriculture
- Dimitris Basis, Greek singer
- Kiltidis Kostas, Greek politician
- DAF, famous Greek entertainer
- Tonikidis Aristidis
- Goce Delchev, BMARC/SMARO revolutionary (1872-1903)
- Ivan Hadzi Nikolov, Bulgarian Revolutionary (1861-1934)
- Aleksandar Stanishev, Bulgarian physician, scientist and politician (1886-1945)
- Hristo Smirnenski, Bulgarian poet (1898-1923)