The traditional settlement of Kastro on Thassos

Abstract

Kastro is an abandoned settlement which lies in the middle of the
island of Thassos at a height of 500m. above sea - level. It received
its name (which means castle or fortress) from the medieval fortifications
at its south - east end. The settlement was established at the
end of the eighteenth century when fear of pirates drove its inhabitants
to abandon their homes by the sea and to flee to the interior of the
island.
The life of the settlement was brief, little more than a hundred
years; for with the political and economic changes of the end of the
nineteenth century the inhabitants moved back to the coastal areas
(Kalyvia, Limenaria).
The arrangement of the houses follows the slope of the ground,
and they are rarely built across the slope and facing the sea. They are
constructed from local materials, rock, timber, and they are roofed
with slate tiles.
In the first half of the nineteenth century the most prevalent style
of house was large (150m.2) with a verandah on the first floor, a livingroom
at the back, and subsidiary rooms on the ground floor. The largest
houses had a «best room». In the second half of the nineteenth
century the verandah disappeared and was replaced by a closed sittingroom.
The demand for housing increased and the inhabitants began
to build small houses close together in rows, with external stone staircases
with timber landings which served as terraces / verandahs / balconies.
At the end of the century the «twin» house appeared, also known
as «adelfomiri» — divided into two parts, it was shared by two brothers.
At the beginning of the twentieth century the inhabitants moved
to Kalyvia near the sea and their farm lands. The church, the school,
the well - maintained houses, the coffee - shops, the wells, and the
shops, all attest to the vigorous life of the settlement. Today the
village is quite neglected and its houses are gradually collapsing year
by year.