Lixouri

Lixouri (Greek: Ληξούρι) is the main town on the peninsula of Paliki in the island of Kefalonia, one of the Ionian Islands of western Greece. Lixouri is the second largest community in Kefalonia after Argostoli and before Sami and is the capital of the peninsula. It is located south of Fiskardo and west of Argostoli.

Lixouri

Ληξούρι
Lixouri
Coordinates: 38°18′N 20°25′E
CountryGreece
Administrative regionIonian Islands
Regional unitKefalonia
MunicipalityKefalonia
Municipal unitPaliki
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Rural
3,752
Community
 • Population4,301 (2011)
 • Area (km2)14.521
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
282 00
Area code(s)26710
Vehicle registrationKEA-KEB
Websitewww.paliki.gr

History
Central square of Lixouri in 1910. Postcard of the 20th century.
Inside St.Sofia's Church in Mantzavinata

The town was founded when citizens of Pale/Pali found a new location for a town. The old city was abandoned completely by the 16th century. The oldest document which contains the name "Lixouri" was sent in 1534 by local authorities to the Senate of Venice. In the 19th century Lixouri was a popular tourist destination; Richard Strauss visited the town. Many houses were destroyed in the earthquakes on January 23, 1867 and in August 1953. In the early 1950s the Royal Family of Greece sent their children for summer holidays to Lixouri. In the 1990s Lixouri increased in popularity as a tourist destination and some larger hotels were built south of the town near the beaches.

Literature

Lixouri is the home town of the poet and satirical author Andreas Laskaratos, who wrote about life in his home town. The Kay Cicellis book "Death of a Town" (1954) begins in Lixouri and describes the time of the earthquake. In 1720 Petros Katsaitis, who lived in Lixouri, wrote his play "Iphigenia"; Spyros Evangelatos' edition of the play in 1995 retitled it "Iphigenia in Lixouri". Ilka Chase wrote about the town in "The Varied Airs of Spring" (1969) as did Georges Haldas in "A la recherche du rameau d'or" (1976).

Infrastructure
Iakovatios Library (and Museum)
Ionian Sea view from Moni Kipoureon monastery.

Lixouri has a few primary schools and few middle schools (gymnasia), and high schools (lyceums). The 1st Primary School of Lixouri is one of the few buildings in the town that still stands from before the 1953 earthquake. The Technological Educational Institute of the Ionian Islands has a campus in Lixouri, where the department of Sound and Musical Instrument Technologies and the department of Business Administration are housed.[2]

The public library and a museum are located at the Iakovateios building, also preserved from before the earthquake.[3] Since 2003 Lixouri also has a theatre.

Transportation

Lixouri has a small port with a ferry to Argostoli (in peak season running every hour or half-hour) that is used for vehicles under 5 tons. In the summer, there is also service to Patras and Killini on the mainland. The KTEL bus service has a station in Lixouri and offers routes ending in Patras and Athens (via the port of Sami). Some Hotels offer own bus services e.g. from Lixouri to the XI-Beach and Kounopetra. One bus line drives twice a day through all villages of the peninsula Paliki but it is not very often used.

Demographics
YearTown populationCommunity population
19813,004-
19913,181-
20013,6103,940
20113,7524,301

Subdivisions

The administrative subdivisions (the bold) and settlements of Lixouri ("Dimos Palikis) since 1997:

  • Agios Dimitrios
  • Agia Thekli
  • Agios Vasileios
  • Atheras
  • Chavdata
  • Chavriata
  • Damoulianata
  • Dellaportata
  • Favatata
  • Kalata
  • Kaminarata
  • Kontogenada
  • Kouvalata
  • Skineas
  • Lepeda
  • Livadi
  • Lixouri (centre)
  • Longos
  • Loukerata
  • Parissata
  • Rifi
  • Soullaroi
  • Skineas
  • Mantoukata
  • Mantzavinata
  • Michalitsata
  • Monopolata
  • Vlychata
  • Vilatoria
  • Vovikes
  • Vouni

Matzavinata contains also the settlement Kounopetra and the island Vardiani and had with them the official name "Katogi".

Notable people
gollark: ++remind 3h deploy osmarkscalculator™ prototype or something
gollark: So something can be x^2 and* x*x.
gollark: That sounds optimal and flawless.
gollark: Hmm. Alternative idea which would probably be 28292993939 to implement: an expression can be stored as being equal to multiple equivalent expressions!
gollark: I was going to make it unexpand them before displaying them but I needed more predicate capabilities and I got sidetracked on that.

See also

References
  1. "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
  2. "Cephalonia". www.teiion.gr. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  3. "Iakovatios Library in Kefalonia, Greece - Greeka.com". Greekacom. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
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