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Tripoli City
General Kolokotronis Statue in Tripoli |
Welcome to Tripoli!
Tripoli is a place of natural contrasts. Because of its situation, it can satisfy the desires of the most demanding visitor, offering him enchanting landscapes and resorts, winter and summer, with a combination of mountain and sea. It appears in history at about the middle of the 15th c. Built in a harsh, rocky environment in the plain of Mantineia, in the most advantageous location in the center of the Morea [Peloponnese], it holds countless surprises for the visitor.
Tripoli is 165 kilometers from Athens. Being a military center, it played a leading role in the War of Independence of 1821-1827. Capital of Arkadia, it was reconstructed after its destruction, which was carried out by Pasha Ibrahim in 1827. Since the beginning of the revolution against the Turkish rulers, Tripoli was the first key point for the Greeks in their fight against the Turks. It was under siege and eventually freed in September 1821. During this War of Independence, it had a very important role and suffered many calamities, including the bombing by Ibrahim. In the heart of the town is Areos Square with the bust of Kolokotronis, a major hero in the war of Independence and with a very central strategic role in it.
The square is surrounded by the Court of Justice, the old Hotel Mainalon, and the lovely park with its hospitable Chalets. The splendid Cultural Center of the Municipality of Tripoli stands in the West Park. Prominent monuments include the Malliaropouleio Theater, the Church of Ag. Vassilios, which is unusual in having shops on the ground floor, the Archaeological Museum, one of the finest in Greece, housed in a building designed by Ziller (1910), the houses of the poet K. Kariotakis and of Th. Synodinos, and numerous neo-classical buildings.
In the environs of the town the visitor will find lovely little churches (Ai. Georgios, Ai. Thanasakos, Ai. Yannis, Kartsova, etc) clinging to the green hillsides, and the picturesque monasteries of Epano Chrepa, Varsoi, and Gorgoepikoos. It is worth it to visit the town at many different times of the year, such as during carnival, or during Easter Sunday, when the Municipality of the town organizes a whole feast, with the traditional lamb offered to everybody, along with local wine, and accompanied by traditional dances until late in the evening.
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