Exhibition “1932 Ierissos Earthquake”

On 26 September 1932, in Northeastern Halkidiki, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Ierissos, causing severe damage to the town and surrounding areas of Halkidiki. At the time, Ierissos had 2,218 inhabitants and was built on a small hill, where the ancient walls of Akanthos still stand today.

Εκεί βρισκόταν η πυκνοκατοικημένη συνοικία του «Κάστρου» και στο νοτιοδυτικό μέρος του λόφου η επίσης πυκνοκατοικημένη συνοικία του «Αλαδιάβα». Τα σπίτια ήταν λιθόκτιστα και τα περισσότερα από αυτά ήταν θεμελιωμένα πάνω σε παλαιότερες θεμελιώσεις της κλασικής εποχής ή των ρωμαϊκών και βυζαντινών χρόνων. Επειδή ο σεισμός έγινε τις νυχτερινές ώρες και ήταν τόσο ξαφνικός, είχε τραγικές επιπτώσεις. Ο οικισμός καταστράφηκε σχεδόν ολοσχερώς, καθώς γκρεμίστηκαν 650 σπίτια, 83 άτομα έχασαν τη ζωή τους και περισσότερα από 300 τραυματίστηκαν. Οι συνοικίες του «Κάστρου» και του «Αλαδιάβα», ήταν αυτές στις οποίες υπήρχαν και τα περισσότερα θύματα.

In the surrounding villages, more than 2,000 homes either collapsed or sustained damages. It is noteworthy that the locals’ first move was to gather their philharmonic orchestra, which played constantly to keep up morale among those afflicted by the earthquake. Subsequently, they organized crews that dug through the rubble to rescue survivors, bury the dead, and transport the injured to the hospital in Kavala. Tents were pitched, food was prepared, potable water was brought in, and doctors offered first aid to the lightly injured and the ill. This continued until the arrival of official state support. Wooden houses (shanties) were erected at the “Hephaestus” site to house the homeless, and the reconstruction of the village commenced at its present-day location, as well as the allocation of homes by the newly established “Commission for the Rehabilitation of Earthquake Victims of Halkidiki”. There stood the densely populated “Kastro” neighborhood, while on the southwestern face of the hill was the equally populous “Aladiava” neighborhood. The houses were built of stone; most were founded on older structures from the classical, Roman, and Byzantine eras. Because the earthquake struck suddenly and at night, the consequences were tragic. The township was almost entirely destroyed, with 650 houses demolished; 83 people were killed and more than 300 were injured. The “Kastro” and “Aladiava” neighborhoods had the most casualties.