The Prefecture of Karditsa is located in the center of Mainland Greece and is part of the Region of Thessaly. The site has a rich historical past and an abundant cultural heritage. Its local traditional architecture presents two forms and it can be explained considering the geomorphological characteristics of the natural environment of the area and the socio-political events that have taken place in each region of the Prefecture. In this research paper it is being studied the two traditional forms of residence of the two different natural landscapes presented in the Prefecture. This study is divided into four sections in order the subject to be understood in depth and to present as much information as needed.
In the first section there are data for the Prefecture in general, such as geographic features, historical data for different time periods, comparison in clothing and daily occupation of the inhabitants of the mountainous-semi-mountainous and lowland area. It is also highlighted the special forms of architectural houses, the so called "konakia", which were constructed in the lowland Thessaly in the late 19th century. At the end of the first section, the urban planning of the dwellings of two areas of the Prefecture (mountainous, semi-mountainous and lowland) is analyzed.
The second section includes the empirical research. A study has been made of the mountainous and semi-mountainous traditional settlements of the Prefecture, which exhibit samples of the Agraphian stone traditional architecture. Also, in every settlement with a traditional character, various types of adobe earth houses were plotted and classified according to their evolution.
In the third section, a detailed comparison of the two forms of habitation, stone and adobe earth is made based on four factors:
1. Formation of the open space of the dwellings.
2. The typological characteristics.
3. The architectural features (morphological elements).
4. Construction elements.
The fourth and final part presents the bioclimatic principles governing settlements and traditional residences. Finally, the conclusions are presented, which summarize the results of the above comparisons (differences and similarities) and the harmonization of the natural environment of the Prefecture with the traditional architecture of the dwellings.
