Trikala

Infobox Greek Dimos
name = Trikala
name_local = Τρίκαλα
periph = Thessaly
prefec = Trikala
population = 51862
population_as_of = 2001
area = 69.2
elevation = 115
lat_deg = 39
lat_min = 33
lon_deg = 21
lon_min = 46
postal_code = 421 00
area_code = 24310
licence = ΤΚ
mayor = Michael Tamilos
website = [http://www.trikalacity.gr www.trikalacity.gr]


caption_skyline = The Castle of Trikala
city_

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districts =
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Trikala ( _el. Τρίκαλα; formerly Trikka) is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala Prefecture, and is located NW of Athens, NW of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa.

History

Located in the fertile plain of Thessaly in central Greece, modern Trikala is the Homeric "Trikka" (or "Trikke"), the birthplace of three of the Argonauts and one of the areas touted as the birthplace of Asclepius ("Asklepios"), who is more often said to have been born at Epidaurus, where his main temple was sited in antiquity. Ruins of an old sanctuary to the physician-god, an Asklepieion, or healing place, are located between the central square and the church of Saint Nicholas ("Agios Nikolaos") in Trikala; it is the oldest "Aesculapium" of Greece - a kind of medical centre, from which the worship of Aesculapius gradually spread.

There are other late Hellenistic and Roman period remains to be seen, mosaic floors, a stoa, and baths. Dominated by its Byzantine fortress on Hellenistic foundations occupying the ancient Acropolis, the picturesque city is divided in two by the river Lithaios, with the churches of "Agios Demetrios" and "Agii Anargyri" lending more Byzantine character to the modern town. It was captured by Ottomans during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 on April 28 for six months.

During the Principality of Pindus the national assembly of this state sat in Trikala.

Trikala also has the General Hospital of the Trikala Prefecture. The Physical Education and Sport Science department of the University of Thessaly is also located in Trikala, and was founded in 1994, with the first students being admitted in the academic year 1994-1995; it was originally housed in the Matsopoulos Park facility, but moved to the new Karyes campus in July 1999. Trikala has over 20 schools of secondary education, and a modern night technical school also functions in the town.

Since December 2005, the Municipality of Trikala offers its residents free high speed Wireless Internet connection. As of 2007, around 95% of the total area of Trikala has access; this is one of the few European cities to offer such a service for free.

Trikala is also home to A.O. Trikala, a professional football team that competed in the Greek first division as recently as the year 2000.

One of its most famous citizens was Vassilis Tsitsanis, one of the greatest musicians of modern Greece.

Landmarks

*The Asklepeion at Trikala, [http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21115n/e211on05.html Website]
*Barousi of Trikala city, [http://www.geocities.com/barousi Website]

ister cities

*flagicon|Germany Amberg, Germany
*flagicon|USA Tucson, Arizona, USA
*flagicon|Romania Braşov, Romania

Natives of Trikala

*Œcumenius (about 990) Bishop of Trikka (now Trikkala)
*Georgios Kondylis (1879-1936) army officer, Prime Minister of Greece
*Vassilis Tsitsanis (1915-1984) songwriter and singer
*Christos Papanikolaou (1941) pole vaulter
*Sotirios Hatzigakis (1944) politician
*Vasia Loi (1975) fashion model and television presente
*Efthimios Rentzias (1976) basketball player
*Sotirios Kyrgiakos (1979) footballer

References

External links

* [http://www.trikalacity.gr City of Trikala]
* [http://www.trikalacity.gr/e-trikala/ Trikala wi-fi Internet coverage]