Chalastra

Chalastra, Thessaloniki Χαλάστρα
Chalastra, Thessaloniki
Location within the regional unit 250x250px
Coordinates:
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Central Macedonia
Regional unit	Thessaloniki
Municipality	Delta
Population (2001)
• Municipal unit	9,837
Community
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Chalastra is a town and former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece; the town has also been known as Campania, Pyrgos and Kulakija. Since the local government reform of 2011 it has been part of the municipality Delta, of which it is a municipal unit. The town is located 20 km west from the city of Thessaloniki, on the north side of Greek National Road 1, near the Axios river and the Thermaic Gulf. The municipal unit of Chalastra consists of the two communities of Chalastra itself and Anatoliko. The population was 9,837 inhabitants according to the 2001 census, most of them working in agriculture and small industry.

History

File:Bulgarian woman from Kolakia and young girl from Balca.jpg

A Bulgarian woman from Chalastra/Kulakia (left) by Raphäel Jacquemin, 19th century

The Kulakia Gospel, a Bible written in the native Slavic dialect of Chalastra in 1863

Chalastra (Greek: Χαλάστρα, Strabo vii.; Χαλέστρη, Herod. vii. 123; Χαλαίστρα, Plut. Alex. 49; Plin. iv. 10. § 17, xxxi. 10. § 46) was known as a town of Mygdonia in ancient Macedonia, situated on the Thermaikos gulf at the mouth of the Axios river, which belonged to the Thracians and possessed a harbor. (Steph. B. s.v.) A large part of the population was absorbed in Thessaloniki when it was founded by Cassander. Little remains of the original town, but it is considered that it was close to modern Kulakia.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: