History of Preveza

Συλλογικός τόμος που περιέχει τις τρεις καλύτερες εργασίες που προέκυψαν από τον δεύτερο διαγωνισμό που προκήρυξαν τα Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους - Αρχεία Νομού Πρέβεζας και το Ίδρυμα "Ακτία Νικόπολις" για τη συγγραφή μελετών που αφορούν στην ιστορία της Πρέβεζας. Στον τόμο συμπεριλαμβάνονται οι εργασίες του Δρ. Δημητρίου Ντούρου, της Δρ. Φωτεινής Χαιρέτη και του κ. Στέφανου Αγάθου.

The volume contains the three best papers submitted in the "History of Preveza Prize Competition 2019", organized by the General Archives of Greece and the Actia Nicopolis Foundation. The papers included in the volume are by: Dr. Dimitrios Douros, Dr. Fotini Chaireti, and Mr. Stefanos Agathos.

Strategically placed οn the crossing from the coast of Acarnania to that of Epirus and from the Ionian Sea to the gulf of Amvrakikos, the city of Preve-za and its surrounding area constituted an important channel in the area of Western Greece, with manifold strategical advantages. It is this advanta-geous location of the city that the dominant powers of the era tried to ex-ploit, perceiving the accrued strategical importance of this nodal passage for the support and propulsion of their interests and the consolidation of their dominance in the wider area of Western Greece and the Ionian Sea.

The creation of the first residential core on the peninsula of Preveza seems to have followed the gradual decline and the subsequent desolation of the neighboring city of Nicopolis. The residential and communication “vacuum” that the withering of the erst vivid and powerful middle byzan-tine nautical center caused from the middle of the 11th century and onwards, was covered by the establishment of a new or the revivification of an al-ready existing naval settlement on the meridian coast of the peninsula. This settlement will gradually develop turning stepwise from a simple commer-cial transit point into a small town. The exact date of the establishment of this new settlement its location and its historical course up to the middle of the 15th century approximately still remains latent.

In 1463 the Ottomans became rulers of Riniassa and along with it of the area of Preveza. In 1477/8, the new dominants fortified the crossing, constructing the castle of Bouka. Α second fortification of the castle fol-lowed in 1495 in order to strengthen its defense against Charles VIII of France. On the 3rd of May 1605 the order of the knights of Saint Stephen devastated Preveza in a rapid venture, causing appreciable damages to the castle and the settlement as well as to its population. This venture though, did not alter the political balance in the region. The Ottomans continued to dominate the city until the advent of the Venetians in 1684. The conquest of the city on the 29th of September 1684 by Francesco Morosini marked the beginning of the first Venetian occupation which though proved to be of short duration. In 1699/1701, with the treaty of Karlowitz, the Ottomans gained once more the control of the city, and a demolished castle of Bouka.

During the period of the Ottoman rule, probably by the beginning of the 17th century, Preveza was the seat of a kaza which appertained to the sandjak of Ioannina and was governed by a subaşı and a kadı. During the first Venetian rule the city became the seat of a distinct administrative pre-fecture governed by two Provveditori who were assisted by a considerable number of support services. The protection of the city against the Ottoman danger was assigned to the corps of the Guardia while that of the surround-ing region to the corps of the civil guard (Cernidi).

The form of the city during the 17th century, as it is shown in a series of drawings related to its conquest by the Florentines and the Venetians in 1605 and 1684 respectively, is characterized by the distinction between the castle and the unfortified settlement. The houses of the settlement as well as the commercial activity of the city was developed alongside a road while inside the castle lived the authorities. The conquest of the city by the Vene-tians in 1684 marked the making of a series of important fortification pro-jects in the castle of Bouka as well as in the surrounding area with the con-struction of six towers, in an attempt to reinforce the defense of the city and to better monitor the crossing.

At the beginning of the 17th century the population of Preveza num-bered more or less the same number, as the one given in the last Ottoman census of 1579, counting 300-350 people. In the years to follow, the city seems to have witnessed some population growth, the extent though of which, due to the lack of reliable evidence, is hard to determine with cer-tainty.

Concerning the economic and commercial activities, the city of Preveza emerged as an important commercial center in the early 17th century and witnessed economic growth. Important factors of the economic develop-ment were the fisheries and the fish farming. Between Preveza and Arta there was a wooded area, which was suitable for the repair of large vessels and the construction of small ships. The trade of salt was systematized, when the Venetians became dominants of Lefkada, while Preveza was a production center of olive oil. The main aim of the Venetians was to exploit the trade of the area of Amvrakikos. Their pursuit was modeled with the establishment of customs authorities and of a sanctuary in Preveza, and by taking measures to stimulate the local trade.

Information about the taxes paid by the local population to the Otto-mans, until 1684, is given in the Report of the Provveditore Extraordinario of Lefkada P. Bembo. Among the fiscal obligations due to the Ottoman rulers, the most important were the capital tax and the taxation on the land, while considerable revenues were also raised by the exploitation of the salt marshes and the fish-farms. During the Venetian rule the area of Preveza was financially subject to the fiscal chamber of Lefkada. From 1696 and onwards the Venetians established a systematic taxation system, raising money from various taxes and custom duties, such as the tithe and the tar-iffs imposed on the inbound and outbound products coming and leaving the port.

Attention is also given to the field of the artistic creation in the nearby area, given the fact that no ecclesiastical monuments of this period survive in the city. In a nearby settlement from the city of Preveza we can find one of the most important monuments of the 17th century in the region, the Dormition of Virgin Mary at Kastri, near Rizovouni. The monument is influ-enced by the art of the region of Epirus the same period, while the art of the painter is distinguished for aesthetic and artistic excellence.

The article is a study of a military report for the defensive works of Preveza, written before its liberation in 1912 and submitted to the head of the Greek Army in Epirus by the minister of military affairs El. Venizelos.

Το άρθρο είναι μία κριτική μελέτη της έκθεσης που υποβλήθηκε από τον υπουργό στρατιωτικών της Ελλάδας Ελευθέριο Κ. Βενιζέλο προς τον αρχηγό του Στρατού Ηπείρου αντιστράτηγο Κωνσταντίνο Σαπουντζάκη σχετικά με την αμυντική κατάσταση της Πρέβεζας πριν την απελευθέρωσή της το 1912.

Stefanos S. Agathos: The two-year hospitality of the Ziros’ Paidopolis “Aghios Alexandros” at the facilities of the Paidopolis “Aghios Andreas” in Attica (1948-1950)

This paper attempts to approach one of the most controversial episodes of the Greek Civil War (1946-1949), the Queen Frederica’s “Paidopoleis” (children’s cities aka childtowns). More specifically, an aspect of this Civil War also concerned the transfer of many juvenile children from war zones to safe centers in order them to be saved and protected. Ιn this way, those children were involved somehow in the “diplomatic game” of the Cold War. In particular, the article focuses on the two years period 1948-1950 of the Ziros’ Paidopolis, named “Aghios Alexandros”, examining a series of official documents of that institution. A quite large part of the archivial material of the Ziros' Paidopolis was found a few years ago in poor condi-tion, but now is kept in the Archives of Prefecture of Preveza.

Although at the Ziros’ Paidopolis in Preveza, which was quite similar with a small village, children from nearby areas had found shelter since early 1948, its activity abruptly interrupted a few months later (summer 1948) due to warfare in the neighboring Souli’s region. In cases where the safety of the Paidopolis and the lives of the children were in immediate danger, appropriate measures had to be taken in order them to be protect-ed. So, children and staff of Paidopolis “Aghios Alexandros” were hur-riedly transferred in Attica, where they were hosted in the premises of the similar institution of “Aghios Andreas”.

Ιn this new environment, there were initially workable difficulties due to the large number of children and staff (almost 800 persons in the begin-ning and more than 600 later on), the lack of space and sometimes short-age of water. However, there were remarkable efforts to deal with these functional problems, while special care has been taken for significant areas, such as diet, health care, basic and technical education and enter-tainment. Children’s contacts with the royal family and the “outside world” have been more “counterfeit”, impersonal and standardized than essential due to the fact that the former always followed a strictly struc-tured program. After all, the historical documents examined in this short study were written by adults (Paidopolis’ staff) without any participation of those who were directly involved, the children themselves, and as a result the view of the latter was not officially recorded or asked. Unfortu-nately, no informants were found to explain us how they emotionally experienced this “experience of moving” from Ziros’ area to Attica and how they lived there during the period 1948-1950. Thus, those questions –from the children’s point of view and their emotional world– remain in essence unanswered. All in all, these experiences that those boys and girls lived within the regulatory framework during a civil war have affected their lives either positively or negatively.

Dimitrios N. Douros: Aspects of the Metaxas dictatorship (1936-1941) in Preveza; The case of the National Youth Organisation (Ε.Ο.Ν.)

This paper analyses certain aspects of the royalist dictatorship established in Greece by the former General Ioannis Metaxas, on August 4, 1936. In particular, it studies the formation and the operation of the local branch of the National Youth Organisation (E.O.N.) in the region of Preveza. As formally stated, the main goal of E.O.N. was «the mental, ideological and physical education, as well as the military training of the Greek youth, in accordance with the moral, social and political foundations of the State, as it has been formed since the 4th of August». Thus, our study investi-gates the organisation’s impact on and interaction with the local communi-ty, as well as the evaluation of its deeds by the regime’s authorities.

Firstly, the introduction sets out the demographic, social and political framework of Preveza during the interwar period. Afterwards, through the examination of Ioannis Metaxas’ visit to Preveza, in the summer of 1937, we outline the state of things in the wider region during those very years. The dictator’s speech highlights the issues that concern the local communi-ty on the one hand, and on the other, the ways in which the regime per-ceives and incorporates in its rhetoric the local resources and distinct characteristics of Preveza and its people. In its next section, the essay sketches the constitution and the administrative structure of E.O.N., pre-senting its ideological background, its fundamental goals and, broadly speaking, its key position within the regime.

Ιn its core section, the paper focuses on the 19th Regional Admin-istration of E.O.N. in the Prefecture of Preveza. It describes its depart-mental structure, its personnel, its activities, as well as the troubles and disputes arising from its operation. In this respect, the defects of E.O.N.’s local branch are brightly illuminated in a report of Metaxas himself, draft-ed in 1940. Finally, we attempt to draw a summary of our conclusions, evaluating the -rather ailing- effectiveness of the organisation in regard to the expectations and the propaganda of the regime.

Apart from the vast literature concerning the Metaxas regime and the rather scarce one concerning E.O.N., the paper’s account of its regional administration in Preveza is based on fragmentary, yet valuable sources from the Archive of E.O.N., which can be found in the General State Archives of Greece, in Athens. Added to local histories of Preveza, the Minutes of the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Preveza were also a valuable source for this study.


Το ιστοριογραφικό ενδιαφέρον για τις νεολαιίστικες οργανώσεις και ευρύτερα για τη νεολαία ως ιδιαίτερη κοινωνική και πολιτισμική κατηγορία κάθε άλλο παρά πρόσφατο μπορεί να θεωρηθεί.  Στην παρούσα εργασία, η οποία πραγματεύεται τοπικές όψεις της ιστορίας της Εθνικής Οργάνωσης Νεολαίας (ΕΟΝ), η σύμφυση της ιστορίας της νεότητας με την πολιτική, αλλά και την τοπική ιστορία, φιλοδοξεί να συμβάλλει στη μελέτη ειδικότερων πτυχών των αυταρχικών καθεστώτων που εξαπλώθηκαν στην Ευρώπη μετά το τέλος του Α΄ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου.

Αρχικά, η παρούσα μελέτη θέτει επί τάπητος το ιστορικό πλαίσιο της Πρέβεζας του Μεσοπολέμου, εστιάζοντας στην πολιτική ζωή του νομού Πρεβέζης μέχρι και την επιβολή της δικτατορίας της 4ης Αυγούστου. Έπειτα, εξετάζει την επίσκεψη του Ιωάννη Μεταξά στην πόλη στα μέσα Ιουνίου του 1937, αναδεικνύοντας τα ζητήματα που απασχολούσαν την περίοδο εκείνη την ευρύτερη περιφέρεια. Στη συνέχεια, αναλύει τη συγκρότηση και τη δομή της ΕΟΝ, καθώς και την ιδεολογία και τους στόχους που αυτή εξυπηρετούσε. Στο κυρίως θέμα, επικεντρώνεται στη δράση της ΧΙΧ Περιφερειακής Διοίκησης του Νομού Πρεβέζης. Καταληκτικά, επιχειρείται μια σύνοψη των εξαχθέντων συμπερασμάτων και μια αξιολόγηση της αποτελεσματικότητας της οργάνωσης σε σχέση με τις προσδοκίες του δικτατορικού καθεστώτος.

Βασική πηγή της εργασίας αποτέλεσε το Αρχείο της ΕΟΝ, το οποίο βρίσκεται στην Κεντρική Υπηρεσία των Γενικών Αρχείων του Κράτους (στο εξής: ΓΑΚ–ΕΟΝ).  Επιπλέον, αποδελτιώθηκε το περιοδικό Νεολαία της ΕΟΝ, ενώ προσπελάστηκαν επίσης τα Πρακτικά του Δημοτικού Συμβουλίου του Δήμου Πρεβέζης (στο εξής: ΠΔΣΠ) κατά την περίοδο 1936-1941. Τέλος, σε βιβλιογραφικό επίπεδο, μελετήθηκαν τα σπουδαιότερα έργα για την ιστορία της περιοχής κατά το πρώτο ήμισυ του 20ού αιώνα.

Two volumes (xxxviii & 1050 pages) of the Proceedings of the Second International Symposium for the History and Culture of Preveza, held in Preveza between 16 and 20 September 2009.
The Proceedings were published in July 2010, by the University of Ioannina, the Municipality of Preveza and the Actia Nicopolis Foundation.
Scientific Editors: Marina Vrelli-Zachou & Christos Stavrakos.
Editors: Nikos D. Karabelas & Michael Stork.
ISBN: 978 960 99475 0 3

Δύο τόμοι (xxxviii & 1050 σελίδες) των Πρακτικών του Δεύτερου Διεθνούς Συμποσίου για την Ιστορία και τον Πολιτισμό της Πρέβεζας, που διεξήχθει στην Πρέβεζα από 16 έως 20 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009.
Τα Πρακτικά εκδόθηκαν στην Πρέβεζα τον Ιούλιο 2010, από το Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων, τον Δήμο Πρέβεζας και το Ίδρυμα Ακτία Νικόπολις.
Επιστημονική Επιμέλεια: Μαρίνα Βρέλλη-Ζάχου & Χρήστος Σταυράκος.
Επιμέλεια: Νίκος Δ. Καράμπελας & Michael Stork.
ISBN: 978 960 99475 0 3