Argyroupoli ( el, Αργυρούπολη) is a suburb in the southern part of the
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
agglomeration,
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
Elliniko-Argyroupoli
Elliniko-Argyroupoli ( el, Ελληνικό-Αργυρούπολη) is a municipality in the South Athens regional unit, Attica, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Argyroupoli. The municipality has an area of 15.355 km2.
Muni ...
municipality, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.
A bustling suburb today, it's known for its cafès, restaurants and bars.
Name
The city's name derives from the Greek words ''άργυρος'' (''árgyros'' meaning ''silver'') and ''πόλη'' (''poli'' meaning ''city''). The name's older form was ''Argyroupolis''. The first name of the settlement was ''New Argyroupolis'', given by the refugees from
Gümüşhane
Gümüşhane () is a city and the capital district of Gümüşhane Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The city lies along the Harşit River, at an elevation of , about southwest of Trabzon. According to the 2010 census, population of Gü ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
History
As a part of the
population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...
after the
Greco-Turkish war of 1919-1922, a number of refugees fled to
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 ...
from the former
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) ...
. In 1926, refugees from ''Argyroupolis'' in northeastern Turkey (modern ''Gümüşhane'' meaning "silver house") arrived in site, then named ''Ktima Geroulanou'' ( el, Κτήμα Γερουλανου). They named the new settlement ''Nea Argyroupolis'' as a remembrance to their old hometown. There was presumably much resemblance between the two towns as, Argyroupoli is built on a plain with the
Hymettus
Hymettus (), also Hymettos (; el, Υμηττός, translit=Ymittós, pronounced ), is a mountain range in the Athens area of Attica, East Central Greece. It is also colloquially known as ''Trellós'' (crazy) or ''Trellóvouno'' (crazy mountain) ...
mountain to its north, as Gümüşhane is built on a plain with the
Pontic Alps
The Pontic Mountains or Pontic Alps ( Turkish: ''Kuzey Anadolu Dağları'', meaning North Anatolian Mountains) form a mountain range in northern Anatolia, Turkey. They are also known as the ''Parhar Mountains'' in the local Turkish and Pontic Gr ...
to the north. One of the first tasks of the settlers was to build the church of ''Αγία Βαρβάρα'' (St. Barbara), named after the patron saint of the now Turkish city.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the settlement was used by the Germans to protect their ammunition and airplanes that were stationed in the nearby airfield. On December 6, 1943, the settlement was bombed by the British
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. Although there were reportedly no casualties amongst the population, the settlement was razed to the ground.
The settlement was part of the community of
Kalamaki until 1949, when it became a separate community. It was elevated to municipality status in 1972.
EETAA local government changes
/ref>
Geography
Argyroupoli is situated on the southwestern foot of the Hymettus
Hymettus (), also Hymettos (; el, Υμηττός, translit=Ymittós, pronounced ), is a mountain range in the Athens area of Attica, East Central Greece. It is also colloquially known as ''Trellós'' (crazy) or ''Trellóvouno'' (crazy mountain) ...
mountain, south of Athens city centre. The municipality has an area of 8.228 km2. It borders Ilioupoli
Ilioupoli ( el, Ηλιούπολη, "Sun City") is a suburban municipality belongs to Central Athens regional unit and located in the central-southern part of the Athens. Its name is the modern form of the ancient name of Heliopolis in Eg ...
municipality to the North, Alimos Alimos ( el, Άλιμος) is a south district of Athens and a municipality in South Athens regional unit, Greece. It was formed in 1968 comprising two settlements, the suburban seaside town of Kalamaki ( el, Καλαμάκι), and the inland comm ...
municipality and Elliniko
Elliniko ( el, Ελληνικό, meaning "Greek") is a coastal suburb of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Elliniko-Argyroupoli, of which it is a municipal unit. Elliniko is known for the Hell ...
municipal district to the West and Glyfada
Glyfada ( el, Γλυφάδα, ) is a suburb in South Athens located in the Athens Riviera along the Athens coast. It is situated in the southern parts of the Athens' Urban Area. The area stretches from the foot of the Hymettus mountain to the Sar ...
municipality to the South. The city is traversed by the Vouliagmenis Avenue
Vouliagmenis Avenue () is one of the longest avenues in the Greater Athens area, stretching from central Athens to the seaside resort of Vouliagmeni. The total length is 21 km. The avenue begins at Athanasios Diakos Street and Michalako ...
, which connects downtown Athens with the southern suburbs. The three major shopping districts are Kyprou Avenue, M. Geroulanou Avenue and part of Vouliagmenis Avenue. Numerous public bus lines run through Argyroupoli connecting the district with Athens center and Glyfada. The subway stations that serve the suburb are Argyroupoli metro station
Argyroupoli ( el, Αργυρούπολη) is an intermediate station on Athens Metro Line 2. It opened with the Elliniko extension on 26 July 2013. The station is adjacent to Vouliagmenis Avenue
Vouliagmenis Avenue () is one of the longest ave ...
and Alimos metro station
Alimos ( el, Άλιμος) is an intermediate station on Athens Metro Line 2. It opened with the Elliniko extension on 26 July 2013. The station is adjacent to Vouliagmenis Avenue
Vouliagmenis Avenue () is one of the longest avenues in the Gre ...
.
Argyroupoli has a mild climate, affected by the sea and the mountain. It rarely snows, but rain is common. During summer, high temperatures are recorded.
Historical population
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Argyroupoli is twinned with:
* Castanet-Tolosan
Castanet-Tolosan is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, department in southwestern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Garonne department
References
Communes of Haute-Garonne
{ ...
, France
* Moncalieri
Moncalieri (; pms, Moncalé ) is a town and ''comune'' of 56,134 inhabitants (31 January 2022) about directly south of downtown Turin (to whose Metropolitan City of Turin, Metropolitan City it belongs), in Piedmont, Italy. It is the most populo ...
, Italy[
]
Notable people
*Katerina Georgiadou
Katerina Georgiadou ( el, Κατερίνα Γεωργιάδου) (born 1982 in Thessaloniki, Greece) is a former Miss Greece and fashion model who has appeared in fashion magazines and international events.
Background
Georgiadou lives in Argyrou ...
, fashion model
*Ioannis Papazisis Ioannis or Ioannes ( el, Ιωάννης), shortened to Giannis or Yannis (Γιάννης) is a Greek given name cognate with Johannes and John and the Arabic name Yahya . Notable people with the name include:
* Ioannis I, Tzimiskis, Byzantine Emper ...
, actor
* Vanessa Adamopoulou, singer
* Kostas Tsakonas, actor
References
External links
Video on Argyroupoli's history
(Greek)
{{Elliniko-Argyroupoli div
Elliniko-Argyroupoli
Populated places in South Athens (regional unit)