Tripoli, Greece

Tripoli is a city in the central part of the Peloponnese, in Greece. It is the capital of the Peloponnese region and also of the regional unit of Arcadia. The city has a rich history and is an important place in Greece.

In 2021, the municipality of Tripoli had 44,165 inhabitants. The city's name in Greek is Τρίπολη, which is written as Trípoli when using the Latin alphabet. In an older form of Greek called Katharevousa, it is written as Τρίπολις, or Trípolis in Latin letters.

Tripoli is part of modern Greece, and it holds the position of being a key city in the beautiful Peloponnese area.

Names and etymology

In the Middle Ages, the city now known as Tripoli was called Drobolitsa, Droboltsá, or Dorboglitza. Some think this name came from the Greek word for "Water City." Others believe it might mean "Plain of Oaks" from a South Slavic language.

Later, the name was sometimes linked to ideas about "three cities" like Tegea, Mantineia, and Pallantium, but these ideas were later found to be incorrect guesses. Over time, different groups called the place by various names such as Dorbogliza, Tripoliça, Trepoliça, and Trapoliça.

History

Not much is known about an old place called Drobolitza, which was listed in 1467 after a leader named Mehmed took over this part of Greece. Later, after another leader named Osman took control, the main town moved from Mouchli to Drobolitza.

In 1770, during a time when Greeks were trying to fight for their freedom, the city of Tripolitsa was a strong point. Before Greece gained its independence, Tripolitsa was an important Ottoman city with many Muslim and Jewish people. In 1821, Greek fighters took the city after a long fight.

Later, the city was rebuilt and became an important place in Greece, serving as the capital of the Arcadia district. Over time, it grew to be a key center for business and travel in the southern part of the Peloponnese.

Geography and climate

Tripoli has a warm climate with hot summers and cool winters. It is found in the middle of the Peloponnese, near a big valley that is mostly farmland. The city is surrounded by mountains, including the wooded Mainalo to the west.

Because it is high up and far from the sea, Tripoli can get very cold in winter and very hot in summer. Snow sometimes falls between November and April. The city's streets are lined with plazas, and it has an industrial area in the southwest.

Surrounding area and geology

In the large Tripoli Basin and surrounding areas of the Arcadian Highland, special landforms have developed. There are several plains and small basins, including the Tripoli-Basin, the Argon Pedion, the Basin of Levidi, and the Basin of Vlacherna Arcadia/Hotoussa/Kandila.

Water in these areas often seeps underground instead of flowing on the surface. This creates special waterways called ponors. There are many ponors in these basins, and sometimes heavy rains can cause temporary flooding or small lakes to form.

Municipality

The municipality of Tripoli was formed in 2011 by joining together eight smaller areas. These areas are now known as municipal units and include Falanthos, Korythio, Levidi, Mantineia, Skiritida, Tegea, Tripoli, and Valtetsi. The whole municipality covers an area of 1,475.805 km², with the main part of Tripoli covering 119.287 km².

The main area of Tripoli is divided into several communities. These include Agios Vasileios, Agios Konstantinos, Evandro, Makri, Merkovouni, Pallantio, Pelagos, Perthori, Skopi, Thanas, and Tripoli itself.

Education

Tripoli is home to the main campus of the University of the Peloponnese, which opened in 2000.

At this campus, you can find the School of Economy, Management, and Informatics. This school includes the Department of Economics and the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications.

Transportation

Tripoli is a key spot for travel in the middle of the Peloponnese. It is close to several cities like Corinth, Pyrgos, Patras, Kalamata, and Sparti.

You can reach Tripoli from Athens and other parts of Greece using the A7 toll motorway. There is also a shorter road called the EO7 national road and other roads from Pyrgos and Sparta. Trains also run from Corinth to Kalamata, but these stopped for a while and then started again before stopping once more.

Military

Tripoli has two big training schools for soldiers in Greece. One is run by the army and the other by the air force. These schools help new soldiers learn their jobs.

Sports

Tripoli has three sports clubs that play in the top leagues of Greek football and basketball. These clubs are listed below.

In popular culture

The old siege of Tripolitsa is remembered in a famous folk song called "Forty lads from Livadeia."

Historical population

Notable people

• Theodoros Kolokotronis (3 April 1770 – 4 February 1843), a general and important leader of the Greek War of Independence
• Epameinontas Deligeorgis (1829–1879), Prime Minister of Greece
• Nikos Floros, a sculptor
• Konstantinos Georgakopoulos (1890–1978), a lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Greece
• Kostas Karyotakis (1896–1928), a poet
• Ioannis Kossos, a sculptor
• Yiannis Kouros (1956), an ultramarathon runner
• Konstantinos Manetas (1879–1960), a general and politician
• Theodoros Manetas (1881–1947), a general and politician
• Alexandros Papanastasiou (1876–1936), a politician and sociologist, Prime Minister of Greece
• Dr. Giorgos Peponis, a medical practitioner, sports administrator and former captain of the Australian Rugby League team, born in the city in 1953
• Petros Tatoulis (1953), a politician
• Semni Karouzou (1897–1994), an archaeologist and curator

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Greece

Twin towns — sister cities

Tripoli, Greece has special friendly connections with:

• Peine, Germany
• Arcadia, California, United States