Kerameies

Kerameies (Greek: Κεραμειές, presently Κεραμιές), also Keramies is a community located in the southwest part of the island of Kefalonia. It is the seat of the municipality of Leivathos. In the village exists the head of the municipality and the largest school in the area, from kindergarten to high school.

Nearest places

The nearest places are ordered clockwise
*Travliatata, north
*Peratata, north
*Dorizata, east-northeast
*Pessada, east
*Spartia, southeast
*Kourkoumelata, west-southwest
*Metaxata, west

Geography

Kerameies are surrounded by farmlands that are mainly pastures, fruits, vegetables, groves and some others as well as some forests. The hills dominate the north. Kerameies is linked with a road linking Dorizata, Pessada and Metaxata, Keramies also links roads with Travliatata.

Information

The village is divided (locally by the residents) into the upper village (ανωχώρι), where the great shipowner family Lykiardopoulos (Λυκιαρδπουλος) lived, and the lower village (κατοχώρι), home to another great shipowning family of Vallianos (Βαλλιάνος). The Vallianos family is considered a great benefactor of Greece as a result of their donations made to the country, and particularly for the funding of the building of the National Library of Greece in Athens (1888 - 1903) received from the three brothers Andreas, Panagis and Marinos. It is rumoured that this money was given in order to seek forgiveness from the Queen for their clandestine imports of Russian gold to Greece. The village as well as almost the entire island (excluding the Fiskardo area) was struck by the August 1953 Earthquake that shook and destroyed every building in the village, and caused emigration to other parts of Greece and the world. Buildings were being rebuilt years later, up to near the late-1950s. The population recovered between the 1980s and the 2000s. Tourism and hotels are now its main industry but agriculture still maintains its importance.

Population

Other

Kerameies has a school, a lyceum (middle school), a gymnasium (secondary school), a church and a square ("plateia").

External links

* [http://www.gtp.gr/LocPage.asp?id=6339 Kerameies on GTP Travel Pages] (in English and Greek)
*Map and aerial photos:
**Street
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=38.1575&longitude=20.58&zoom=6 Street map from Mapquest] , [http://local.live.com/map.aspx?&lats1=38.1575&lons1=20.58&alts1=35 LiveLocal] or [http://maps.google.com/maps?||=38.1575,20.58 Google] or [http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?lat=38.1575&lon=20.58&mag=2 Yahoo! Maps]
**Satellite
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.1575,20.58&spn=0.11,0.18&t=k Google] or [http://virtualearth.msn.com/default.aspx?cp=38.1575|20.58&style=h&lvl=15&v=1 Microsoft Virtual Earth] - image now available
*Coordinates: coord|39|6|56|N|21|33|26|E|type:city(374)_region:GR

ee also

*List of settlements in the Kefalonia prefecture