PRESENTATION OF THE HOSTING CITY AND COUNTRY

KAVALA, CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATIONS
Neapolis, Christoupolis, Kavala

With a history carved in the stone and the sea, the “apple of discord” of conquerors, and flooded with the fragrances of trade from West and East, Kavala stands proudly in Northern Greece with its authentic beauty.

Kavala is a city in northern Greece, a principal seaport  and the capital of Kavala regional unit. The unique indigenous population, the Aromanians, name it Cavala. The etymology of the modern name of the city is disputed. Some mention an ancient Greek village Skavala near the town. Others propose that the name is derived from the Italian cavallo which means horse. The city's nickname is "the cyan city" (Η γαλάζια πόλη) and its symbol the ancient ship.

Its geographical location, its natural port and its adjacency with gold-bearing Mt Pangaion make Kavala one of the oldest coastal towns, with its traces being lost in the mists of prehistory.

    The city was founded in the late 7th century BC by settlers from Thassos. It was one of several Thassian colonies along the coastline, all founded in order to take advantage of rich gold and silver mines, especially those located in the nearby Pangaion mountain (which were eventually exploited by Phillip II of Macedonia).

Worship of Parthenos / the Virgin, a female deity of Greek–Ionian origin associated with Athena, is archaeologically attested in the Archaic period. At the end of the 6th century BC Neapolis claimed independence from Thassos and began issuing its own silver coins with the head of Gorgo on one side. A few decades later a large Ionic temple made from Thassian marble replaced the Archaic one. Parts of it can now be seen in the town's archaeological museum.

In 411 BC, during the Peloponnesian War, Neapolis was besieged by the allied armies of the Spartans and the Thassians, but remained faithful to Athens. Two Athenian honorary decrees in 410 and 407 BC rewarded Neapolis for its loyalty.

Neapolis was a town of Macedonia, located 14 km (9 mi) from the harbour of Philippi. It was a member of the Second Athenian League; a pillar found in Athens mentions the contribution of Neapolis to the alliance.

 It became a Roman civitas in 168 BC, and was a base for Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, before their defeat in the Battle of Philippi. Given the historical fact that the city is situated on the famous Ancient route Via Egnatia and the inhabitants were the retired Roman legionnaires and their families, one may understand that Cavala designated 'the Horses" (cavalla) - as there was a Roman fortress with a "post" where Imperial couriers had rest and changed the horses.

. It was to this town that the Apostle Paul came to teach the message of Christianity for the first time in Europe in 49 AD, and baptised Lydia, the first European Christian woman, on the banks of the River Zygaktis.

In the 6th century, Byzantine emperor Justinian I, a descendant of a Romanised noble Thracian familly (see Aromanians), fortified the city in an effort to protect it from barbarian raids. In later Byzantine times the city was called Christoupolis ( "city of Christ") and belonged to the theme of Macedonia.

During the Ottoman period, the town was razed to the ground, to be reborn from its ashes and, from the 18th century, once again became an important commercial port, acquiring its current, modern appearance. Until 1864, the Old Town was confined to the triangular peninsula on Kavala hill, which was itself a continuation of ancient Neapolis and Byzantine Christoupolis. Within this same space, the same city appeared in different eras, and with different names.

It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the Egnatia motorway, a one-and-a-half-hour drive to Thessaloniki (160 kilometres) and a forty-minute drive to Drama (37 km) and Xanthi (56 km). It is also about 150 kilometers west of Alexandroupoli.

GREECE