Agrafa

Agrafa is a mountainous region in northwestern Thessaly in mainland Greece. It is mainly comprised of small villages, including Krioneri, Morfovouni (Vounesi), and others. The Agrafa is famous for being autonomous throughout the entire 400 years of Ottoman Turkish occupation. The word agrafa literally translates to "unwritten." Because the Turks were unable to conquer this region, the area and its population were not recorded in the Sultan's tax register.

Modernization

Before modernization, most people's occupations in the Agrafa involved harvesting nuts and fruits from orchards, farming, shephering, and textile manufacturing. Most of the produce from the Agrafa are traditional cold weather crops or crops which can survive in poor soil. The beans grown in the Agrafa are second to none for flavor and quality. The residents of the Agrafa purchased tracts of land from the monasteries hundreds of years ago and these forests remain in the communal hands of the current inhabitants and proceeds of the timber sales continue to benefit the community as a whole.

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The most famous person from the Agrafa and the driving force behind modernization was General Nikolaos Plastiras. It was General Plastiras' vision to create a hydroelectric dam in the region so that nearly all of mainland Greece, excluding the Peloponese, would be supplied with electricity, particularly the many fractured villages and rural communities. This project was begun in during peacetime in the 1950s after World War II and the Greek Civil War, and General Plastiras' hydroelectric dam propelled the Greek nation into the modern era. The majority of the workers on this project were residents of the villages within the Agrafa. As a result of their dedication and sacrifice to the project, the residents of the region enjoy free electricity up until this day. The Agrafa, originally one of the poorest and most isolated regions of Greece, is quickly becoming a hot tourist destination, as the area's beauty is reminscent of the Alps of Austria and Switzerland.

Related Topics:
Nikolaos Plastiras - Hydroelectric - Dam - Peloponese - World War II - Greek Civil War

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Many Agrafiotis left their villages and settled in the major metropolitan cities in Greece as well as the United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany, seeking an escape from the abject poverty and lack of opportunities which once haunted the area. The migration from the region first began in the 1920s and has nearly ceased after the military junta which had ruled Greece from 1967-1974 was toppled.

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