Vigla, Arta
Vigla
Βίγλα | |
|---|---|
Vigla | |
| Coordinates: 39°05′01″N 20°51′53″E / 39.08361°N 20.86472°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Epirus |
| Regional unit | Arta |
| Municipality | Arta |
| Municipal unit | Amvrakikos |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Community | 368 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Vigla (Greek: Βίγλα) is a village in the Arta regional unit of Greece, located on the northern shore of the Ambracian Gulf. It is split into two neighborhoods, Palaia Vigla (Παλαιά Βίγλα, Old Vigla) and Nea Vigla (Νέα Βίγλα, New Vigla). Nea Vigla was established as an extension of the existing village of Vigla in 1957 by Pontic Greeks, who were relocated there from the Kazakh SSR in Central Asia, where they had been transferred during the deportation of the Greeks of the Soviet Union. It is the only notable Pontic Greek community in all of the Arta regional unit.
Administration
Vigla is a community of the municipal unit of Amvrakikos in the municipality of Arta.[2] It is located near the western edge of the Arta regional unit, in the geographical and administrative region of Epirus.[3]
History
Vigla was ceded to Greece from the Ottoman Empire in 1881 after the Convention of Constantinople, along with the rest of what is now the Arta regional unit and most of Thessaly.[4] It more than doubled in size in 1957, with the arrival of about 100 Pontic Greek families from what is now Kazakhstan in Central Asia, where they had been transferred during the deportation of the Greeks of the Soviet Union. Their ancestors had fled the Pontic Genocide in the 1910s and 1920s and had moved to the Black Sea coasts of the Soviet Union, from where they were expelled in the 1940s to Central Asia. Their subsequent transfer to Greece was done in cooperation with the United Nations.[5] The neighborhood established by the Pontic Greeks was named Nea Vigla, which translates to New Vigla,[6] while the original settlement became known as Palaia Vigla, which translates to Old Vigla.
On 15 March 1985, a mass shooting took place in Palaia Vigla resulting in the death of six people. The perpetrator was a drunk local enraged by a personal dispute.[7]
Historical population
The village recorded its highest population in the 1961 census,[8] shortly after the move of the Pontic Greeks into the village,[6] having a total population of 652 at that time. Since then it has been in a slow but steady decline.[8] In the most recent census in 2021, it had a population of 368,[1] while in the previous one in 2011 the population was 382.[9]
The following diagram presents data from as early as 1920:[8][9][1]
Notable people
- Antonios Nikopolidis (born 1971), main goalkeeper for the Greece national football team during its win in the UEFA Euro 2004.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Δημοτική Ενότητα Αμβρακικού". Municipality of Arta (in Greek). 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ "Map of Arta". Greek maps. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ "24 Ιουνίου 1881: Η «αμαχητί» απελευθέρωση της Άρτας". Τα Νέα της Μικροσπηλιάς 24 (in Greek). 24 June 2017. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ "Βίγλα: Το ποντιακό χωριό της Άρτας". Τα Νέα της Μικροσπηλιάς 24 (in Greek). 19 May 2024. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ a b "Τα μεταναστευτηκά κύματα των Ελλήνων της πρώην Σοβιετικής Ένωσης προς την Ελλάδα τον εικοστό αιώνα". www.xanthi.ilsp.gr (in Greek). 1998. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ "Εγκλήματα που συγκλόνισαν: Ο αγρότης από την Παλιά Βίγλα της Άρτας που σκότωσε έξι συγχωριανούς του". 7meres.gr (in Greek). 2024-08-10. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ a b c "Αρχείο Εθνικής Στατιστικής Υπηρεσίας της Ελλάδος" (in Greek). Retrieved 2025-11-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού 2011 – Μόνιμοι Κάτοικοι". www.statistics.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 2013-12-25. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ "Αντώνης Νικοπολίδης, ο φύλακας άγγελος της Εθνικής ομάδας". Athletic Square (in Greek). 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
