Karditsa

{{#invoke:Hatnote|hatnote}} Template:Infobox Greek Dimos

Karditsa (Template:Langx {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) 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.Template:Cn

ClimateEdit

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

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HistoryEdit

File:Karditsa.jpg

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Leake, William Martin. Travels in Northern Greece. (1835).</ref>

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.

MunicipalityEdit

The municipality Karditsa was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:<ref name=Kallikratis>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The municipality has an area of 647.3878 km², the municipal unit 110.086 km².<ref name=stat01>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Formerly, Karditsa had a neighbourhood known as Vlachomachalas, which was populated by Vlachs (Aromanians).<ref name=":0">Rousiakis, Sotirios (2021). THE MODERN GREEK DIALECT OF THE KARAGOUNS IN WEST THESSALY. p. 19.</ref>

SubdivisionsEdit

The municipal unit of Karditsa is divided into six parts (communities):<ref name=Kallikratis/>

Historical populationEdit

File:Николаос Пластирас, памятник в городе Кардица.jpg

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

EducationEdit

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.

TransportEdit

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

SportsEdit

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