Xylokastro is a seaside town in the regional unit of Corinth. It is the seat of the municipality of Xylokastro - Evrostini. According to the 2011 census, it has 5,500 permanent residents. It receives thousands of visitors every summer and is one of the most important tourist destinations in the Peloponnese. Points of interest are the pine forest of Pefkias and the beaches of the area. It is 120 km from Athens and 94.6 km from Patras.
Designation
Xylokastro took its name from a wooden barracks in
the area where an observatory operated during the years of Venetian
rule. The barracks was located on the west side of the hill "Kati
ton Pefko", above the current city, near the river Sytha. From there
the guard could control traffic in the Gulf of Corinth and oversee
the port of the Aristonauts. He also had visual contact with the
castles of Zemenos and Pellini and could inform their administration
with smoke signals. The barracks was named a wooden castle by the
locals, and from it the area which includes the settlements of
Ypsila Alonia, Mertikeika, Georganteika and Riza, was named
Xylokastro. In the 18th century it was called Oxokampos.
History
In the area there was initially a large pine forest.
During the pre-revolutionary years, Xylokastro consisted of a few
houses and some warehouses and functioned as a port of Trikala,
Corinth. The forest was then deforested to cultivate the land and of
the original forest only Pefkias is left because it is located on
sandy soil. Raisins were grown in Xylokastro, with the production
reaching 1,300,000 Venetian liters, which brought Xylokastro income
of 500,000 drachmas. The raisins were transported to Patras by
boats, from where they were exported mainly to England.
Xylokastro became known to foreigners, who began to visit it in the
early 20th century, and called it "Anthoupolis" because of its many
flowers. In 1906, the first nudists in Greece appeared in the area
of Xylokastro. Xylokastro was officially judged as a summer
residence of foreigners in 1919 and was visited by various famous
people (eg kings, prime ministers and actors). Xylokastro became a
spa town. In 1923, the Krokideion Primary School was founded with
the donation of Sotiris Krokidas. At the same time, Greek refugees
from the area of Nikomedia settled in Xylokastro. There was a camp
of the Typaldos brothers in Pefkias. Mostly foreigners spent their
holidays at the camp. Tourism has led Xylokastro to economic
development and improved living conditions.
In the 1970s, the
water supply problem was solved with the transfer of water from
Gellini (a small village near Trikala, Corinth). The Typaldos camp
is closed. In the 1970s neoclassical houses with rich decoration
began to be replaced by apartment buildings. These houses were built
in an effort for the residents to get a house more beautifully
decorated by their neighbors. The apartment buildings were built on
the coastal road.
At the end of the 20th century, the
reconstruction of Xylokastro began. The open-air theater "Vassilis
Georgiadis", the indoor theater "Angelos Sikelianos", the general
and technical Lyceum of Xylokastro, the 2nd High School of
Xylokastro, the 3rd Primary School "Vardaveion", the 1st
Kindergarten "Voudou" and Kindergarten in the settlement of
Aristonavtes. Tennis courts and a marina were also built on the
banks of the river Sytha and the 1st Primary School was repaired.
Xylokastro also experienced cultural and athletic development, as
beach volleyball games and concerts were organized.
Administrative history
Xylokastro was annexed to the municipality
of Trikala in 1845. In 1876 it was designated the winter seat of the
municipality. In 1912 it was detached from the municipality and was
designated as the seat of the community of Xylokastro. In 1961 it
absorbed the settlements of Zevgolatio and Ypsila Alonia. The
Kapodistrias program defined the seat of the municipality of
Xylokastro and in 2010 the Kallikratis program defined the seat of
Xylokastro-Evrostina.
Pefkia Forest
Pefkia forest is a
natural pine forest between Xylokastro and Sykia. It stretches along
the shores of the Corinthian Gulf and has been characterized as an
aesthetic forest. 83 species of plants have been developed in the
brackish soil, among which the Aleppo pine, the spruce, the myrtle,
the wicker, the cedar, the Phoenician holly, the tamarisk, the bear
bear, the reed, the rabbit, the thyme and the aphana stand out. It
is mentioned by Kostas Karyotakis as the "green beach of the
homeland", while it was a source of inspiration for Angelos
Sikelianos.