Karditsa ( ) is a city in western Thessaly in mainland Greece. It is the largest city and the capital of the Karditsa regional unit. According to the 2021 census, the municipality of Karditsa has a population of 55,979, of whom 40,272 live within the city limits of Karditsa.

Climate

Karditsa has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). Karditsa experiences hot, dry summers and cool winters with substantial precipitation.

History

thumb|190px|View of the cathedral church of Saints Constantine and Helena.

During the period of Ottoman rule in Thessaly, the main settlement in the location of modern Karditsa was called Sotira. In 1810, the English traveler William Martin Leake mentioned a sprawling village named Kardhítza, consisting of between 500-600 houses, of which the majority of the inhabitants were Turkish.

Karditsa was incorporated as a new city in 1882, the year after its liberation from the Ottoman Empire (1881).

During World War II, the resistance in Thessaly was fought primarily by the ELAS. On March 12, 1943 Karditsa was liberated temporarily by ELAS after the Italian capitulation.

In September 2020, the city was badly hit from catastrophic floods that resulted in 4 deaths.

Municipality

The municipality Karditsa was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:

  • Itamos
  • Kallifoni
  • Kampos
  • Karditsa
  • Mitropoli

The municipality has an area of 647.3878&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, the municipal unit 110.086&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. Formerly, Karditsa had a neighbourhood known as Vlachomachalas, which was populated by Vlachs (Aromanians).

Subdivisions

The municipal unit of Karditsa is divided into six parts (communities):