Evgiros is a village on the island of

Lefkada Lefkada ( el, Λευκάδα, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Gr ...

, in the Ionian Islands of

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 ...

. It is part of the municipal unit of

Apollonioi Apollonioi ( el, Απολλώνιοι) is a former municipality on the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in the ...

Location, elevation

Evgiros is situated on a hill in the south of Lefkada, at an elevation of . It overlooks the Afales Bay in

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

and the northern part of

Cephalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It i ...

History

Evgiros used to be one of the main villages on the island, with a population of more than 900 as late as 1950. The village was the center of its own municipality, with

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...

' head as its symbol. The local school had more than 80 pupils. The economy was based on olive and grapes crops, with the village operating 8 oil mills. Goats and sheep were bred for cheese, a staple of the local diet. Two large areas were available for the crops and the herds, the "Campo" below the village, and the "Vounì" (dialect: small mountain) above it. In the second half of the 20th century, challenging economic conditions brought along the

Greek diaspora The Greek diaspora, also known as Omogenia ( el, Ομογένεια, Omogéneia), are the communities of Greeks living outside of Greece and Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus). Such places historically include Albania, North Macedonia, parts of ...

: many of the locals left for Athens, and more emigrated to Australia, Canada, Germany or the United States.

World War II

Evgiros was occupied by the Italians in 1941, and later, after the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brig ...

, by the Germans. Some of the former invading Italians were aided and hidden by villagers to protect them from the Germans, as Lefkas had its own small version of the Cephalonia Massacre. Evgiros villagers were involved in the

Resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

, with the Germans burning many houses as a reprisal.

Population

Current population in Evgiros is around 30 people year round. In the summer and the Holidays many of the people who left come back, and the village goes back in time, hosting some 200 people.

Attractions in Evgiros

* Church of the Panagia and cemetery, sitting above the village is the oldest church. * Agios Vasilis Church, sitting on the main square, is the main church, with a hoop for basketball, a yard for the kids to play, a bar and a restaurant. * The village's annual festival "Panaigiri tis Panagias" takes place on 14–15 August and is dedicated to the Dormition of the Panagia ( Dormition of the Holy Mary)

Families

There are only three family names in Evgiros, mainly of Italian or Venetian origin * Fatouros * Dellaportas * Soldatos {{coord, 38.6335114, 20.6094611, display=title Populated places in Lefkada (regional unit)