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Stemnitsa (Greek: Στεμνίτσα) is a village and a municipality located in northwestern Arcadia. It is the seat of the municipality Trikolonoi. The village is connected by a road connecting Karytaina and GR-76 and Dimitsana (see the Karytaina-Dimitsana Road. The road is narrow and has only one lane within town limits, while it is two-laned outside the village. GR-74 is about 20 km south. The town is located about 9 km south of Dimitsana, southwest of Levidi and Vytina, west of Tripoli, and north of Megalopoli and Dimitsaina. Trikoloni had a 2001 population of 1,260 for the municipality. Its nearest neighbouring communities are Dimitsana to the north and Zygovitsi to the southeast. Its main industry are agriculture and services.

Geography

The village is located on the eastern slope of a valley, which has a small creek to its east. The residential area covers the eastern part of a mountain. Another mountain is located to its west and southeast. Most of the area to the west is deforested, the forests are to the south. It overlooks the Lousios river and its gorge. It can see the mountains to the west, the north and the east. Its length is approximately 800 m by 100 and as far as 200 m, several houses are abandoned. It has approximately 3 to 5 km of hydro lines. Farmlands are to the north and around the hilltop of Stemnitsa. Its mainh production are olives and cattle, fruits and vegetables are not grown due to the slopey hills. Its main shops and buildings are within the main road.

Information

It is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Arcadia. The village's name comes from a Slavic word meaning "a thick forest shaded with trees." The village was known by the name of Hyspous (Υψούς) until about the time of the Black Plague. In the 1500s, it was the most populated village in Gortynia. This was the place of birth of Greek Prime Minister Gennaios Kolokotronis in 1803.

The village has a school, a church, a post office, a few taverns a square (plateia) and a folklore museum.

Its librabry of Stemnitsa used to have around 5,000 volumes until the Greek War of Independence of 1821. It is now a monument and is located next to the square. Stemnitsa also has a silvery school (see Stemnitsa Silvery School).

Stemnitsa was ravaged during World War II and the Greek Civil War, buildings were rebuilt later and the population began to decline slowly to other towns and cities across Greece and the richest nations.

Until the 1960s, much of the village did not have electricity and until the 1980s, most of the houses were stone-built. In the 1970s, the town was illuminated for the first time. Television also arrived later on as well as computers in the late-1990s but still in small numbers.

Municipal districts

• Elliniko
• Palamari
  • Psari
• Pavlia
• Stemnitsa
• Syrna or Sirna
  • Ano Kalyvia

Population history

The municipality today covers about 39.44% of the municipal population.

Other

Stemnitsa has a school, a lyceum (middle school), churches, a post office and a few squares (plateies).

External links

• Official Website of Stemnitsa and Trikolonoi or Trikolones
• Stemnitsa
• Folklore Museum of Stemnitsa
• Brief history of Stemnitsa
• GTP - Stemnitsa
• GTP - Trikolones
• traveljournals.net - Stemnitsa
• Stemnitsa Museum

See also

• Communities of Arcadia

Template:Arcadia

1. De Facto Population of Greece Population and Housing Census of March 18th, 2001 (PDF 39 MB). National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003.

• Cities and towns in Arcadia
• Trikolones