Preveza

There are three different views that have been suggested by scholars as to the origin of the name Preveza (Πρέβεζα in Greek). The view that is widely accepted amongst them, today, is that Preveza means Passage, and the name has reached its form from the Slavic word prěvozъ, through the Albanian word prevëzë –za.

The area was first settled by the Greek tribe of the Thesprotians and subsequently formed part of the Kingdom of Epirus and later the Roman Empire. The Battle of Actium took place in the area in 31 BC, following which the city of Nicopolis ("city of victory") was built by Augustus. The area became part of the Byzantine Empire, and following the Fourth Crusade, split off along with the rest of Epirus to form the Despotate of Epirus. The area passed to Ottoman rule in the 14th century, which lasted until 1913. Following the Balkan Wars, the area was awarded to Greece in 1913, at which point the prefecture was created. The prefecture included the island of Lefkada, until the latter was split off in 1955 as a separate prefecture Lefkada.