Ampelakia ( el, Αμπελάκια, meaning

vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

) is a town and a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Salamis Island Salamis ( ; el, Σαλαμίνα, Salamína; grc, label=Ancient and Katharevousa, Σαλαμίς, Salamís) is the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about off-coast from Piraeus and about west of central Athens. The chief city, Sala ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Salamis, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies on the central east coast of the island and has a land area of 15.169 km², comprising about one-sixth of the island's area (with the balance belonging to the city of Salamina). It has a population of 7,507 inhabitants (2011 census). Its largest town is also named Ampelakia, and has a population of 4,710. The other significant town is Selínia (pop. 2,509). The only other settlements are Kynosoúra (pop. 152) and Spithári (136). Ancient Salamis city

History

The city of Ampelakia has a long history. It was at Ampelakia Bay where the famous

Battle of Salamis The Battle of Salamis ( ) was a naval battle fought between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes in 480 BC. It resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks. The battle was ...

occurred in 480 BC, during which the Greek ships defeated the Persian fleet of Xerxes. Moreover, there are many remnants of the ancient town of Salamina which was a significant economic power between 350 and 318 BC when the town minted coins bearing the shield of the legendary hero

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

. There are also churches which date back to the 16th century, for example the churches of St. John and St. Peter. Ampelakia was an important city in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

due its lucrative yarn industry. This was until a collapse of the entire industry due to the importation of English yarn roughly worth one-third of regular Ottoman yarn. Ampelakia soon became a shadow of its former self and a microchasm for the entire Ottoman

manufacturing industry Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a rang ...

as well. Today Ambelakia is a nice city for a walk. The majority of the citizens are sailors. However, excavations are taking place at the ancient port, which is full of shipwrecks of old ships from the last 20 years. There are also a couple of large ship repair yards at Ambelakia. There is an effort by the Greek government to clean up the port and continue the excavations but the shipyard owners are against it because they would have to move. The biggest

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

in the area is AB Vassilopoulos.

Geography

Much of the area is made up of rocky landscapes with a few bushes, while some farmlands lie within the sea. The rest of the area is made up of residential areas. A panorama of the

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean Se ...

peninsula including the

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...

part of Athens can be seen during clear days.

Historical population

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Ampelakia is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets): *Ampelakia (Ampelakia, Kynosoura, Spithari) *Selinia

References

External links