2024-03-21 18:38:56
Can a plain be taxed as an urban area? Don’t rush to rule it out, before taking into account that in today’s Greece anything goes! So, the famous Kampos of Chios, which has been classified as a historical place and a traditional settlement since the 1990s, although it is a preeminently agricultural area, is taxed as an urban area! And it is not only the name of the place that directly indicates its agricultural character. Kampos produces most of the island’s citrus fruit production and is the main place for growing the famous Chios tangerine.
Kampos of Chios is a historical place of unique character in the Greek area. It is a residential-agricultural complex, characterized by the harmonious coexistence of houses with agricultural functions, in approximately 200 land-zoned estates, with high, ornate parapet walls. And the mansions, of great architectural importance, are a valuable source of information about the political, economic and cultural structures of the society of Chios, from the 14th century until today. Therefore, Kampos, while it is a mainly rural area with citrus crops, strict restrictions on building and high maintenance costs of existing buildings and estates, also accepts the burden of high, unfair taxation. As a result, residents are unable to keep their properties or even pass them on to first-degree relatives.
Essentially, the current residents of Kampos are trapped in an unfavorable reality: on the one hand, the limited profitability of crops, the impossibility of different exploitation of the land due to the restrictive measures and the high cost of maintaining the protected areas and, on the other, the exterminating taxation of land constitute a “cliff front and back stream” situation, which poses serious concerns about the future of the region.
And while everyone agrees on the paradox of the issue, the amendment, to restore tax justice, which recently came to Parliament was rejected by the government, with the excuse that there will be a comprehensive response! As if to say that the case is referred to the Greek calendars.
It is worth noting that the amendment tabled by Chios MP Kostis Mousouroulis was co-signed by 54 MPs from ND, PASOK, LAOS and the Democratic Left, while it was supported by KKE and Synaspsis… Despite this, the government said “no”.
Interesting facts about the history of the area are obtained from the Filoproodos Group of Kampos:
The history of Kampos dates back to Byzantium, while its current form was acquired during the Genoese rule of Chios (1346-1566). The Genoese found in Campos a fertile area, with a rich water table and an excellent microclimate. So they settled, built their estates and devoted themselves to the cultivation of citrus fruits (oranges), turning the area into a vast green garden.
The Genoese were keen traders and seafarers and under their rule Chios experienced a great economic boom. The heyday of the era is reflected in the special architectural elements of the buildings, which are a special mix of Byzantine and Genoese standards, made with the characteristic incense stone (two-colored) and decorated with various decorative elements (sculptures, pebbled courtyards, etc.).
In 1566 he finds Chios under Turkish occupation. The prolonged period of growth and prosperity continues, during which Campos knows its greatest prosperity due to the trade in citrus fruits, which together with mastic and silks travel to the largest ports of Europe.
The prosperity of the previous centuries is followed by the decline marked by the massacre of Chios in 1822. Kampos, like the whole island, is destroyed by the Turks and most of the population is either slaughtered or captured and sent to Turkey to be sold in the slave markets .
The frost (in 1850), the earthquake (in 1881) and the decline
The resettlement of Kampos begins around 1830. Some of the old houses are rebuilt and the estates are reopened. However, in 1850 a severe frost hit the northern Aegean, destroying trees and crops. That’s when the mandarin was introduced as a crop more resistant to low temperatures and the Chios mandarin became famous.
A new blow for Kampos and Chios was the devastating earthquake of 1881, which left behind thousands of dead and flattened a large part of the island.
Despite the great destruction that preceded it, some of the houses of Kampos are being rebuilt with modern neoclassical influences evident. The citrus trade, despite the problems, is booming.
In the post-war years, Kampos is led into a period of decline from which he is unable to recover.
Dimitris Kyriakopoulos
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