Aegaleo

Aigaleo or Egaleo ( el, Αιγάλεω ) is a suburban municipality in the western part of Athens, belonging to the West Athens regional administrative unit. It takes its name from Mount Aigaleo. Its population was 69,946 at the 2011 census.

Geography

Aigaleo is west of Athens city centre. The municipality has an area of . It is southeast of Mount Aigaleo. The Cephissus river flows through the industrialized eastern part of the municipality; about 1/4 of its area is taken up by factory developments. The town is served by two Metro stations: Egaleo and Agia Marina metro stations. The Motorway 1 (Athens-Thessaloniki-Evzones) passes through the town.

Aigaleo consists of the quarters Kato Aigaleo, Neo Aigaleo, Damarakia, Lioumi, Rosika, Agios Spyridonas and Agios Georgios.

History

Aigaleo was part of the municipality of Athens until 1934, when it became a separate community. It was raised to municipality status in 1943.

On September 29, 1944, during the Axis occupation of Greece, a massacre of at least 65 civilians (with estimates ranging up to 150 casualties) by the German forces took place in Aigaleo's Agios Georgios neighborhood.

The city's present mayor is , since the 2019 Greek local elections.

Historical population

Sports

Aigaleo hosts many sport teams. The most successful is the Athletic Club Egaleo with successful departments in football (Egaleo FC) and basketball (Egaleo BC). Other amateur clubs are A.P.O. Orfeas, A.E. Egaleo City, Diagoras Dryopideon, A.P.O. Ierapolis, A.O. Cronos

Mayors

* (1934-1939, first president of the community "Nees Kydonies")
* (1939-1944)
* (1944-1945)
* (1945-1946)
* (1946)
* (1946–1950)
* Chr. Katharios (1950-1951)
* (1951–1954)
* (1955–1967, 1975–1978)
* Georgios Martinis (1959)
* (appointed by the military government, 1967–74)
* (1974-1975)
* (1979–1986, 1991–1994)
* (1987–1990, 1995–2002)
* (2003–2010)
* (2010 – 31 August 2014)
* (1 September 2014 – 31 August 2019)
* (1 September 2019 – present)

People

* Rita Abatzi, Greek musician
* Keti Garbi, Greek singer
* Tassos Halkias, Greek actor
* Giorgos Zampetas, Greek musician
* Eleni Rantou, Greek actor
* Lakis Halkias, Greek musician
* Kostas Prekas, Greek actor
* Ioannes Dimaras, Greek politician and journalist
* Nasos Athanasiou, Greek journalist
* Giorgos Messalas, Greek actor
* Danis Katranidis, Greek actor
* Alexandros Asonitis, Greek writer
* Theofilos Verikios, Greek writer
* Giorgos Blanas, Greek writer
* Nikolaos Mihiotis, Greek writer
* Vicky Psarakis, Greek singer

International relations

Aigaleo is twinned with:
* Leganés (Comunidad de Madrid), Spain
* Kythrea, Cyprus (under Turkish occupation, since August 1974)

References

Sources

* "Τέχνης έργα και πρόσωπα του Αιγάλεω" (Published by the Municipality of Egaleo)
* "Εξήντα χρόνια τοπική αυτοδιοίκηση στο Αιγάλεω" (Nikolaos Mihiotis)
* "Απ' τις Νέες Κυδωνίες στο Δήμο Αιγάλεω" (Eugenia Bournova)

External links

*
Municipality of Aigaleo

{{Authority control

Municipalities of Attica