| Pastra | |
| Name Local: | Πάστρα |
| Type: | community |
| Coordinates: | 38.1°N 65°W |
| Periph: | Ionian Islands |
| Periphunit: | Kefalonia |
| Municipality: | Argostoli |
| Municunit: | Eleios-Pronnoi |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Pop Community: | 160 |
Pastra (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Πάστρα) is a village and a community in the southeastern part of the island of Kefalonia, Greece. It was the seat of the municipality of Eleios-Pronnoi. The community consists of the villages Pastra and Kremmydi. Pastra is 2 km northeast of Markopoulo, 3 km south of Agia Eirini, 5 km northwest of Skala, 6 km southwest of the port town of Poros and 25 km southeast of Argostoli.
| Year | Population village | Population community | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 245 | - | |
| 1991 | 200 | - | |
| 2001 | 175 | 243 | |
| 2011 | 133 | 173 | |
| 2021 | 122 | 160 |
According to 19th century Greek geographer and historian, Antonios Miliarakis, the village of Pastra and the area of the two villages (Kremmydi and Agios Giorgis) around it, used to be called Balta (later Valtes), and got its name from the many reeds and the streams it has. The name Valtes is said to be of Albanian origin and means exactly that, "mud" or "swamp".
Albanian soldiers, from the Albanian colony of the Republic of Venice, inhabited the area during the 15th century when the Venetians gave them land in the "xomero" to settle with their families. Xomero meaning an outlying place, away from the capital. At the time, Kefalonia was also a colony of the Republic of Venice. The village was later renamed Pastra in 1890 until today.[1] Until 2010 it was the capital of the municipality of Elios - Pronnon.