Sunrise Hotel

Nea Roda is the biggest refugee village of Northern Halkidiki. It was founded right after the Minor Asia destruction on the location “Provlakas (in Greek before the river- ie the Xerxes Canal) by 40 refugee families from Roda, who after a year of wandering, they arrived to Halkidiki in summer of 1923.

The team from Mitilini arrives and searches the area for finding the best location for their establishment, rejects the location of Ouranoupoli as a small one, stays for few months near to Ierissos, and since the residents of Ierissos react negatively towards them (worrying about a future ENOSI of the two villages), they leave and decide to settle in their new village, calling Nea Roda.

The village attracts more refugees, An important number of them arrives with private boats from Skopia from island Aloni, right across Roda. Its residents were mostly seamen and traders. Religious people,  brought with them the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary, their pride and their protector. Families also arrive from Eastern Thrace, Haraki, and Gonia of Kizikou. In the meantime, other residents of Roda, decided to move also to Nea Roda. Difficult years are coming for the residents, The nostalgy for their homelands is being often expressed by “cheers and good homeland again”. But there is a strong will for a new start. The work with the sea, they cultivate earth and slowly they progress significantly. 

Nowadays only few people represent the first generation of the refugees and remember all those. Still, the knowledge of our history is important for us the youngers.