Kilkis

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Kilkis (Greek Κιλκίς (n. sg. ), Bulgarian / Macedonian Koukoush Кукуш ) is a town and municipality (Greek Dimos Δήμος ) in the Greek region Central Macedonia. Since the Greek administrative reform in 2010, with which the municipality was expanded to six neighboring communities, Kilkis is the fourth largest municipality in area in the country. The western neighboring municipality of Kilkis Peonia and are now the only two municipalities of the Regional District Kilkis, corresponding to the territory of the former prefecture of Kilkis.

The core city with Kilkis (2011) around 51 990 inhabitants is located in a hilly landscape at an altitude of about 280 m above sea level.

History

In 1873 the city counted about 5,500, 1905 - around 10,000 inhabitants, the Bulgarians, according to a publication of DMBrancoff constituted the majority and two primary schools and a secondary school possessed.

During the Second Balkan War in 1913 the town was almost destroyed after three days of fighting. On June 21, conquered by the Greek army and expelled the Bulgarian population living there. When the city was incorporated in 1913 in the Greek state, was one of the former settlement only 1,600 inhabitants, most of whom came from the neighboring villages.

A major growth spurt experienced the settlement by the large number of Greek refugees who settled there in the 1920s. These were mostly Pontic Greeks and other refugees from Asia Minor, but also from Bulgaria. 1928 was one of the newly built city to the 6,500 inhabitants.

Only in the last years before the Second World War began the urbanization of the settlement, after she was officially diagnosed in 1934 for economic and administrative center of the entire region.

1997 under the auspices of the Greek local government reform, the current municipality ( Dimos ) Kilkis was combined with other villages to a new (extended) Municipality of Kilkis. The municipality has increased from 87.45 km ² to 319.834 km ² and its population of 19,358 ( 1991) to 24 874 (2001 ), where the city of Kilkis itself the largest share of the increase had (1981 11 148 inhabitants, in 1991 12,139 inhabitants, in 2001 19,247 inhabitants).

Economy

From 1974 to 2001 here produced the German medium-sized companies Stiebel Eltron solar systems (solar panels ). In Kilkis ALUMIL Milonas produces aluminum semi-finished products. Resident in the village is also the Kleemann Group, a major manufacturer of elevators and escalators.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Christow Krum, Bulgarian journalist and diplomat (1906-1988)
• Gotse Delchev, Bulgarian revolutionary (1872-1903)
• Niki Eideneier (also: Eideneier - Anastassiadi ) Νίκη Αΐντεναερ - Αναστασιάδη, German - Greek Neogräzistin, literary translator and publisher ( b. 1940 )
• Giorgos Floridis, Greek politician
• Wassilios Fthenakis Βασίλειος Εμμανουήλ Φθενάκης, Greek educator, anthropologist, geneticist and psychologist ( b. 1937 )
• Theokletus Karipides, Greek poet (1926-1975)
• Kostas Lachas, Greek painter
• Panagiotis Moullas Παναγιώτης Μουλλάς, Greek Neogräzist (1935-2010)
• Fotios Papadopoulos, Greek footballer
• Christo Smyrnenski, Bulgarian poet (1898-1923)
• Aleksandar Stanishev, Bulgarian politician (1886-1945)
• Savvas Tsitouridis, Greek politician
• Theodoros Orfanidis, conductor

Twinning

Kilkis is twinned with the following cities:

• Asenovgrad, Bulgaria