Kamari

By car: Through the National Road connecting Athens to Corinth, you follow the slip road to Xylokastro. Kamari is the first village you meet after you pass by Xylokastro (a total distance of 126 km / 78,3 mi from Athens).

There are quite few interpretations for the origin of this place name. The following two seem to be the most likely: a) Kamari took its name from the arches (kamares) of an ancient aqueduct, situated to the east of the village, near Krios river or b) an old hostel (more of an inn), named Kamaras, built on the east side of Karyotika, on a broad piece of land, gave its name to Kamari. Indeed, since its establishment, Kamari is mentioned by this exact name in all historical documents.

• PERIOD OF THE TURKISH RULE

1821: Kamari was an estate (a chiflik  to be exact) of Turkish officials (agha) which then wasn't populated. With the exception of the desolated manor house of Khalil Agha, some wooden huts and a shabby hostel, no other building stood on the area.

• MODERN HISTORY

1840: The first people to settle in the village were Gheorghios Tsaldaris and Gheorghios Kamariotis. Their houses, the one on the north side and the other on the west side of Agios Gheorghios church, have survived to this day. Villagers from the surrounding mountainous areas gradually begin to populate Kamari. The first inhabitants are farmers who, at the same time, learn how to cultivate wheat, barley, yellow split peas and vines.

1886: Ilias Mourikas of Kamari, lodges the village's first school under the roof of his own house.

1908: A public school is built, starting its lessons in this same year, with Konstantinos Bakanakis as its teacher.

1912: By the royal decree of August 31st, Kamari is officially declared the capital of Kamari community, which also includes the locations of Ano Kamari and Karyotika.

1936: Two agricultural cooperatives are founded in Kamari, (in 1936 and 1937 respectively) aiming at the promotion of raisin and other local agricultural products.

1958: For the same agricultural and commercial purposes, a sapling cooperative is founded that year. The village's youth form an association and a football team that remains active till 183.

1961: A citrus fruit cooperative is founded in Kamari.

1972: Kamari has its first kindergarten.

1979: A group of local producers form an agricultural products processing cooperative.

1983: The "Culture and Sports Association of Kamari" is founded in 1983. In 1992, the Association takes the initiative to organize an annual Carnival celebration of unprecedented success for the whole region. Since 2000, the association also gives football essons for children.

1986: Kamari now has a brand new elementary school.

• PANAGHIS TSALDARIS

The prominent Greek politician and leader of People's Party, Panaghis Tsaldaris (1868-1936) was born in Kamari.

1873: Tsaldaris has his first school lessons in the "Self-Funded Elementary School" of Kamari and then registers in the middle school of Xylokastro. The "Rallion Prize" is awarded to him for his academic excellence.

1883: He studies law in the Athens Law School.

1890-1893: He begins his career as an attorney in Patras and he then registers in the University of Göttingen in Germany. He continues his studies in Leipzig, Berlin and Paris and returns to Greece in 1893.

1910: He is elected deputy of the region of Argolis and Corinthia and on September 6th of the same year, he impresses the members of the parliament with his first parliamentary speech.

1915-1917: Tsaldaris is appointed Minister of Justice by the government of Dimitris Gounaris. After he refuses to officially acknowledge the Venizelos' government, he is sent into exile to the islands of Hydra and Skopelos.

During that period, he meets Spyros Lambros, a chronicler of the Greek War of Independence of 1821 and a university professor. Tsaldaris marries Lambros's daughter Lina, who later becomes the first woman to be a minister in Greece, in the government formation of Konstantinos Karamanlis.

After the execution of Dimitrios Gounaris, Panaghis Tsaldaris becomes the leader of the People's Party.

1932: The People's Party succeeds in the elections and Tsaldaris becomes the prime minister of this government which, however lasts only for two and a half months.

1933: On May 10th, the Liberal Party (komma Fileleftheron) of Venizelos is elected and is in charge of the government for a short period, until Tsaldaris forms a coalition government with G. Kondylis, I. Metaxas and Al. Hatzikyriakos.

1935: After the coup against the People's party government, committed by Kondylis and the chiefs of the armed forces Papagos, Reppas, and Economou, Tsaldaris is forced to resign.

Panaghis Tsaldaris was a politician that believed in political stability and honest collaboration between political leaders for the greater good, he shunned discord and political hatred. Corinth as well as the rest of Greece always mentions with respect this prominent personality who fought for political morality and parliamentary legality.

• KONSTANTINOS TSALDARIS

Konstantinos Tsaldaris (1884-1970) (Panaghis Tsaldaris' nephew) was a Greek politician.

1926: He is elected deputy of the region of Argolis and Corinthia under the Freethinkers' political party (Komma Eleftherofronon) of Ioannis Metaxas.

1928: He joined the People's party, which then was under the leadership of his uncle, Panaghis.

He served as a minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the Ministry of Justice and Social Development, as a state secretary for the Ministry of Transport, as a Government President and as the vice-president for the People's Party. 

1946-1947: He was elected Prime Minister of Greece for the period between April 18th and October 2nd 1946.

In August 1946, the controversial referendum which restored George II of Greece was held under Tsaldaris's ministry. On September 7th of 1947, Tsaldaris passed the ministry to the hands of Themistoklis Sophoulis, in order to form a type of a national coalition government and to confront the rising problems of internal affairs.

1958: On that year, Konstantinos Tsaldaris hadn't been elected and he decided to withdraw from politics.

The municipality of Xylokastro had erected a statue in his honor, right opposite to the Town Hall.