History

Historical Data

From ancient Paionia to Byzantium…

Goumenissa in the depths of centuries…

The history of Goumenissa is intertwined with the development of ancient Paionia. However, the first mention of the name by which it is known today was in the Byzantine era (1346). On the throne of the Byzantine Empire was the dynasty of the Paleologues and Goumenissa was granted to the Holy Monastery of Iberon of Mount Athos and turned into a religious center of the wider area, with the monastery of Panagia as its core.
The settlements that developed there with an agricultural-livestock economy composed a dynamic town that took the name “Goumenissa”, honoring the memory of the Abbot of the monastery of Panagia, who was hanged by robbers.

The Ottoman occupation and the revolution

From the Ottoman Empire to the Greek Revolution…

In 1387, Goumenissa came under Ottoman occupation, but acquired the special privilege of a self-governing region, as its inhabitants created fabrics of unsurpassed quality with which the uniforms of the Ottoman army were made. Its craft activity combined with wine production spread its reputation throughout Central Europe and the region experienced a great commercial and economic boom in the 19th century.
Despite its privileged treatment, Goumenissa actively participated in the Greek Revolution of 1821. It is characteristic that after the start of the conflicts, 49 rifles were found in Goumenissa’s residents homes, resulting in exemplary punishment of the inhabitants and forcing them to hand over food, money and property (e.g. animals, carriages) to the pasha of Thessaloniki Abdul Aboud. Their non-compliance provoked the wrath of the Ottoman official, who ordered the violent conversion of the inhabitants to Islam and the expulsion of the monks from the monastery of Panagia. In 1978, the Hellenic School and the Educational Brotherhood were founded with the help of local residents.

From the Macedonian War until today…

The Newest History

In the Macedonian War (1903-1908) the actions of local chieftains such as the Doyama brothers, Naoumis, Sionidis, Karaiskakis, but also Greek army officers such as Moraitis, Fragopoulos, Papadopoulos, Kapoulides and others are memorable. The action of the spiritual world of the region was also important, such as the teacher Ioannis Pitsoulas, who was hanged by the Bulgarian army, as well as the doctor Angelos Sakelarios, in charge of the Hellenic County of Goumenissa, who was a personal friend of Ionas Dragoumis and corresponded with Pavlos Mela.

Goumenissa was liberated on October 23, 1912 in the battle of Giannitsa. At the beginning of the 20th century the Greek population of the region was strengthened by the arrival of refugees from Asia Minor and the Slavic minorities assimilated over the years. In World War II, Goumenissa was under German occupation from April 1941 to October 1944.

In the 1950s, the inhabitants of the city followed the migration flows to the USA, Canada, Australia, West Germany, but also to Thessaloniki and Athens.