Messini


Messini is a municipal unit and the seat town of the municipality of Messini within the regional unit of Messenia in the region of Peloponnese, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided. Before 2011 the same hierarchy prevailed, according to Law 2539 of 1997, the Kapodistrias Plan, except that Messenia was a nomos and the Municipal unit was a locality. The dimos existed under both laws, but not with the same constituents.
Messini is not to be confused with its ancient namesake, Messene, located to the north in the shadow of Mount Ithome. Ancient Messene is an equally large but abandoned site of ruins partially occupied by the small village of Mavrommati.

Geography

The modern town has some 6,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest municipality of Messinia regional unit. The town centre is from the Messinian Gulf coast, near the right bank of the river Pamisos. The major city of Messinia, Kalamata, is to the east of Messini and has almost 9 times its population. The town is accessed by Greek National Road 82. The Kalamata International Airport is two kilometers to the east. Since 1892, Messini had a railway station on a branch line from the Corinth–Kalamata railway known as Messinian Suburban Railway. It was closed in 1976, reopened in 2007.Regular operations on the line ceased in 2011 however, until 2016, when it was rendered unusable due to severe weather damage, it operated seasonally from 20 to 28 September for the Messini fair, as well as during the holiday period from 24 December to 10 January.

Administration

Before the reorganization, the municipality of Messini contained 14 local divisions for a total population of 11041. Since 2010 Messini has still been a municipality, one of the six of Messenia. However, it has absorbed seven other former municipalities. These, and the former municipality of Messini, have become municipal units of the municipality Messini, with a total population of 19,170. These are as follows:
Municipal unitPopulation
Aipeia1,319
Androusa1,800
Aristomenis1,696
Voufrades853
Ithomi1,537
Messini8,937
Petalidi2,555
Trikorfo473

The municipality has an area of, the municipal unit. The municipal unit of Messini contains the same subdivisions and populations as did the previous municipality of Messini but the subdivisions are now local communities. These are as follows:
Local communityPopulation
Messini 5,958
Avramiou424
Analipsis380
Velika294
Karteroli374
Lefkochora184
Lykotrafos225
Madena106
Mavrommati Pamisou406
Neochori113
Pilalistra154
Piperitsa112
Spitali77
Triodos130

In summary, Messini is a town, a municipal unit and a municipality.

Province

The province of Messini was one of the provinces of the Messenia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality Messini and the municipal units Andania, Meligalas and Oichalia. It was abolished in 2006.

History

Messini began its communal existence as Nisi, a settlement placed on an island in the extensive marshland at the mouth of the Pamisos River. It was placed in Frankish territory, the Principality of Achaia, dated 1205-1432, consisting of 40 villages in Messenia and Elis. The ethnic content of the population in the vicinity at that time was Greek. After 1432, when the Byzantine Empire fell and was commandeered by the Ottoman Empire, some Turks entered the region. Except for the names, these distinctions have more or less disappeared in modern Greece.
The government of Greece changed the official name to Messini in 1867. Baedeker's for the later 19th century and early 20th centuries referred to Nisi as "now officially Messini," a phrase that was widely used in travelogues of the period. The earliest Baedeker's to do so is the German edition of 1888. Prior to 1887 Nisi is not treated as Messini. Subsequent references to the place often refer to Nisi as "the popular name".

Recent population growth

The populations of the town for the last few census' are given below.
Census YearTown population
19816,854
19916,453
20016,912
20116,287
20215,958

Notable people