Today, Nea Moudania is a town inhabited by 6537 people. It is the
seat of the Municipality of Moudania as well as the main commercial, financial
and intellectual centre of Halkidiki. The town has an intense tourist and financial
development, and is likely to become the educational centre of Halkidiki, as there
is a Τ.Ε.Ι. (Technical Education Institute) college operating there too.
Nea Moudania is situated at a distance of 60 km from the city of Thessaloniki
and is linked to it by a comfortable motorway, which goes through vineyards and
hillocks. The Halkidiki coach company, KTEL (Single Bus Exploitation Fund) offers
regular services (every quarter of an hour) linking Nea Moudania with Thessaloniki
and the rest of Halkidiki. ”Macedonia“ airport is only 35 km away
from the town.
On the outskirts of Nea Moudania, there is a vast olive plantation,
a landmark which in 1923 was one of the attractions for the pioneer settlers of
the town.
Having passed the olive plantation, one can revel in the marvellous
vastness of the sea, which looks ready to take the visitor in her bosom. The depth
of the waters is ideal for the little visitors, as well as for those who are not
particularly good swimmers.
At the beach of Nea Moudania you can enjoy your coffee, and the very
fresh fish and also the ouzo titbits offered at the fish-houses.In the summer
the town has also a cinema.The visitor can have unforgettable moments at the various
town bars and clubs.
At the highest point of the town, called ”the hillock of Panagia
(Virgin Mary) Koryfini“ there is a pretty three-aisled basilica church,
built in a captivating environment. The icon of Panagia Koryfini, which came from
Kalolimnos of Asia Minor, is kept there. The Virgin is commemorated with splendid
celebrations on 8th September, which is a local public holiday.
The sunset behind Mount Olympus from the numerous cafes in central
Nea Moudania is a superb view to please every romantic visitor. Moreover, when
the weather permits, the visitor can be photographed against the background of
the Kassandra peninsula.
At the Open-air Theatre, the jewel of the town, with a capacity of
2000, quality theatre productions and high-class concerts are hosted as part of
the events of the ”Sea Festival“ right next to the waterfront, throughout
summer. The festival is certain to monopolize your interest at summer nights.
Nea Moudania also has an important museum of marine exhibits and seashells, which
is unique in Greece, as well as a folklore museum with exhibits from the inhabitants'
never-forgotten homelands.
In mid-July the cultural club ”Faros“, under the auspices
of the Municipality of Moudania, offers the locals and the visitors of the town
times full of entertainment and thrill in a week of folklore, which also includes
dance, music and theatre events peaking on Sunday with the ”Sardine festival“,
a feast marked by the smell of grilled sardine and retsina, which are offered
generously to all.
After a Thessaloniki Τ.Ε.Ι. (Technical Education Institute) college
branch was formed in the Municipality, all tiers of education are available, i.e.,
creches and day nurseries, Preschools, Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, TEE
(technical high school), Senior High School, IEK (vocational high school), Conservatoires,
etc.
The indoor gymnasium, football pitches with sod, of the classic type
(5X5) and also other sports grounds, such as basketball, volleyball and tennis
courts encouraged the development of basketball, volleyball and football teams
which progressed into top league divisions.
Every year, beach soccer, beach volleyball, and beach tennis matches
are organized, with entries from all over Greece.
The Yachting Club of Nea Moudania, with its numerous activities, has
often gained international distinction for its sailing courses and in international
fishing competitions.
In Nea Moudania there is a Health Centre, a great number of private
surgeries and laboratories of almost every specialization. There are chemist's
shops that stay open twenty-four hours a day as well as a public veterinary hospital
and four surgeries for pets.
A new deluxe hotel unit with a state-of-the-art conference centre
and a spa section will soon start operating in the town.
Seeing that Nea Moudania boasts of one of the largest fish-wharves
in Greece, the fish catch of the town is considerable.
The cultivated land area is 110,000,000 sq. metres, yielding considerable
quantities of olives, peanuts, apricots etc. Olive presses and olive, salted preserves
and fruit packing factories cater for the needs of the consumers. These products
are also exported to many other countries.
The town of Nea Moudania, the centre of the Municipality, is the commercial
centre of Halkidiki par excellence. There are Agricultural Bank, National Bank,
Commercial, Piraeus and ALPHA bank branches, where there are automatic transaction
machines. Big supermarkets and many good commercial shops cater for consumer needs.
Every Wednesday, the biggest outdoors market in Halkidiki takes place. There are
also agricultural machinery factories and other manufactures.
Tickets for excursions to the Sporades islands on small ferries and
”dolphin“ ferries or for a tour around Mount Athos are also available
at the Post Office and on-line bureaux.
Nea Moudania was founded in 1923 by refugees of the areas of Moudania,
Kios, Kalolimnos, Sigi, Eligmoi and the surrounding area of Proussa. The victims
of the Asia Minor tragedy were faced with huge problems, mostly survival problems.
The situation was desperate, as there was not an inhabited area around. The place
mainly consisted of fields of the neighbouring villages, while the remaining parts
were swamps, a breeding ground of bacteria. The only inhabitants were some fishermen
and the olive plantation guard.
The area was called ”Kargi Limani“, which in Turkish means
”leeward harbour“ and was marked with an anchor on nautical maps,
just like Moudania of Vithynia, where the refugees came from. In 1925, this name
was replaced by ”Nea Moudania“.
In August 1923 the first refugees arrived and tried to start anew
in a place far from home.
They opted for this area thanks to the immense olive plantation which
is still there, to the west of the town, and the red rocks to the east. The help
offered by the Reverend Saint of Kampania, Mr Diodoros, then president of the
Committee for the Settlement of Refugees was substantial.
The following extract from the book by Stavros Kouvrakis ”Nea
Moudania“ gives an expressive account of the situation:
”One spring morning of 1923 Zafiris Zafiriou and an American
friend of his got into a motorboat named ”Dolphin“ and pushed out.
They were travelling eastwards along the coast of Halkidiki. It was dark, when
they reached the shore of Epanomi. There was not a soul in sight. Only the village,
at a distance of four kilometres from the shore. They spent the night on the beach
and in the morning they pushed out again. Night was getting near, when they got
to a place about four miles away from Kassandra. They turned off the motor immediately.
That they did, seeing that they had found what they had been looking for in the
surrounding area. A range of hillocks, in horseshoe shape, with the left side
planted with olive trees with leaves glistening in the setting sun as they were
stirred by the light land breeze, filled them with enthusiasm. Everybody knew
about the cultivation of olive trees, as this blessed tree thrived everywhere
on the coast of Asia Minor. In the distance, vast fields, suitable for vineyards,
orchards, and granaries. Before them a small bay, with small vessels and two or
three buildings. That was it. They made their decision on the spot“
Bibliography. ”Echoes from Moudania and the surrounding area“, distributed
by the Municipality of Moudania.
