Kalentzi

Kalentzi municipality Δημοτική Ενότητα Καλεντζίου (Καλέντζι)
Basic data
State :	Greece
Region :	West Greece
Regional District :	Achaia
Municipality :	Erymanthos
Geographic coordinates :	37 ° 57 '  N , 21 ° 46'  E Coordinates: 37 ° 57 '  N , 21 ° 46'  E
Height above d. M .:	920 m Kalentzi
Area :	23.907 km²
Residents :	380 (2011)
Population density :	15.9 inhabitants / km²
Code No .:	370402
Structure:	1 local community
Location in the municipality of Erymanthos and in the regional district of Achaia

Kalentzi ( Greek Καλέντζι ( n. Sg. ) Kalendzi ) is a mountain village in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula . From 1912 to 2010 it formed the rural community of the same name (kinotita) in the Achaia prefecture with three other small villages . On January 1, 2011 it was merged with three other parishes to form the new Erymanthos parish , where Kalentzi has since formed a parish. In 2011, there were 71 inhabitants in the village of Kalentzi itself.

location

Kalentzi is 49 kilometers from Patras on the slopes of Erymanthos at an altitude of 920 meters.

It is connected to the road network via Erymanthia, which belongs to the municipality of Tritea .

history

The first settlements were likely in the area of ​​Agios Sotiros, where 12th century tombs were found in 1965 . The church of the same name also dates from the same period. For the first time the village appears in the Ottoman tax list in 1461.

Kalentzi had had a primary school since 1892, and others opened in the districts in 1931, 1945 and 1962. All four elementary schools were closed in 1986 due to a lack of students; the few remaining students now attend school in neighboring Erymanthia.

The village was bombed by the German Wehrmacht on July 28, 1943 and set on fire by Germans on April 14, 1944, during which 19 houses burned down.

The electricity was laid in 1961 due to personal efforts by Georgios Papandreou .

Families of Kalentzi

Several families from Kalentzi played important roles in politics.

• The Stavropoulos-Papandreou family produced three prime ministers: Georgios, Andreas and Giorgos Andrea Papandreou . Georgios Papandreou was born as the third child of the priest ( Greek παπάς papas ) Andreas Stavropoulos in Kalentzi and called Papandreou (literally '[son] of the priest Andrew'). He later officially adopted this name as a family name instead of the name Stavropoulos.
• The Balasi-Balasopoulou family is one of the oldest families in the village, their descendants now live in Kalentzi and in the neighboring communities of Erymanthia and Patras . Well-known family members are Balasis Balasopoulos, who, like Athanasios Balasopoulos, contributed to the financing of the revolution of 1821 and participated in the Siege of Patras and the Battle of Saravali, while Avramis Balasopoulos served in the revolutionary army and was Demogeront of Kalentzi. Mayors of Tritea were Andreas Balasis (1887-1891) and Christos Balasis (1895-1912).
• The Katsifara family, from which the politician Apostolos Katsifaras (PASOK MP and Vice-Prefect of Achaia) comes from.

Districts

The municipal district (topiki enotita) Kalentzi includes, in addition to Kalentzi, the places

• Bantzeika or Lazario (141 inhabitants). Lazario was listed as an independent village in the Ottoman tax list. In 1836 the parish was assigned to Erymanthia, and in 1841 to the parish of Tritaias. In 1961 the settlement was called Bantzeika. Today it is inhabited by the family of the same name. Bantzeika had its own primary school from 1945 to 1986.
• Agios Georgios (100 inhabitants). This settlement, which is named after the church of the same name, also belonged to Erymanthia.
• Avrami or Diaselo (68 inhabitants). This settlement was also mentioned as an independent municipality in Ottoman tax lists. Later it belonged to Erymanthia and from 1961 to Kaletziou. There was a primary school in Avrami from 1962 to 1986.
• Vasiliko

Attractions

Ancient ruins of a large Palioklissi complex have been preserved in Vasiliko . In the same settlement there is a mountain with an underground old palace building. Legend has it that a king lived here and the princess drowned in the nearby spring. The king then ordered the spring to be plugged with hair and the water came to light elsewhere.

Also worth seeing are the renovated old primary school and the house of the Papandreou family, in which a small museum is set up, the monastery of All Saints and the small Poros gorge.

A monument with a life-size statue commemorates Georgios Papandreou.

Web links

• Page about Kalentzi (English, Greek)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Results of the 2011 census. ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) ( MS Excel ; 2.6 MB) National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ)
2. ↑ Biographical information on rulers.org