Αμπελάκια Ν. Λάρισας

[ General Elements ]

INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OF AMBELAKIA- PREFECTURE OF LARISSA

It is a community, which belongs to the Province of Larissa, Prefecture of Larissa, Region of Thessaly. (The name originates with the existence of the great number of vineyards, during the season of its foundation - a rescued record informs us that in 1899 there was a cultivation of 1.100 acres of vineyards.

Or the name may originate with the word "Amfilakia" (see "-lakia"=pits), because five pits crossed and they still cross the town even today).

It is found at the foots of mountain "Ossa" or "Kissavos", 5 kilometers away from the Valley of Tempi (the National Road of Athens-Thessalonica passes by there), 31 kilometers away from the city of Larissa, 120 km from Thessalonica and 380 km from Athens.

The foundation of Ambelakia is appointed in the middle of the 14th century A.D. and it is one of the Thessalian settlements of the late Byzantine era.

HISTORICAL ELEMENTS

The town of Ambelakia has become worldwide known mainly because of the foundation of the first cooperative in the world, in the year of 1778, which was called "Common Company and Brotherhood of Ambelakia". The Company produced, treated and dyed the roots of the plant "rizari" and traded scarlet- not fade away- yarns.

By the saved second Articles of the cooperative, we've known that in 1780 there were 6.000 members. 4.000 of them worked in the 24 workshops, yarn dye houses and laundries in the town of Ambelakia. The rest 2.000 members worked in the plain. They cultivated and produced the raw materials, rizari and cotton. To note that in that period the total number of inhabitants was 6.000 people. They also cooperated with other 22 villages of the region.

The dyed yarns were promoted for sale to the 17 branches of the cooperative in Europe and other cities, like; Vienna, Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, Marseille, Budapest, Dresden, Lyon, Rouen, Odessa, Smyrna, Constantinople, Thessalonica.

Roots "rizari"and thread dyed with "rizari"

Education

Faculty Adamantios Th. Mainjaris in photograph of some day of elections

Education flourished in Ambelakia before the foundation of the cooperative, in 1749 with the establishment and function of the famous "Ellinomousio", a school where great tutors like Konstantinos Koumas, Gregory Konstantas, Evangelos Voulgaris, Doucas Spyros Assanis and many others taught.

Another school, the "Maniarios Faculty" was built in 1873 with the help of benefactor Adamantios Th. Maniaris. It was equal to the previous school and it made known o lot of great scientists. The building had a total surface of about 5.000 square meters. Today, only some ruins of it have been saved.

ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS

Fountains
There are 13 fountains, within and outside the borders of the settlement and 5 more outside the settlement.

Towers
There are the ruins of the ground floors of 3 towers, which were built within the settlement in 1750.

Windmills
500 meters away from the settlement there is the ground floor of a windmill, which was destroyed in 1797 by a raid of Turkarvanitans (of about 2 meters high).

Industrial Buildings
There is a two-storeyed building, which had functioned as a factory of textile, since the end of 19th century, in an area of a total surface of 350 square meters, owned by the legacy of Alevizos Asterios.

Looms have been saved till today and re owned by the legacy of Alevizos Asterios too. It is about 150 years old and initially it was Alevizos Asterios' residence. Even today you can see some of its frescos.

The Cultural Association of Ambelakia uses its ground floor for the purposes of the Center of Cultural Heritage of Ambelakia.

Photomap of Ampelakia with opinion the mansion of G. Svarts