Nea Smyrni ( el, Νέα Σμύρνη, ''Néa Smýrni'', "New Smyrna") is a municipality in South Athens, Greece. At the 2011 census, it had 73,076 inhabitants. It was named after

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

in Turkey, which Greek's called it as Smyrna, whence many refugees arrived and settled in the Nea Smyrni area following the 1922 catastrophe of Asia Minor and the

Great fire of Smyrna The burning of Smyrna ( el, Καταστροφή της Σμύρνης, "Smyrna Catastrophe"; tr, 1922 İzmir Yangını, "1922 Izmir Fire"; hy, Զմիւռնիոյ Մեծ Հրդեհ, ''Zmyuṙno Mets Hrdeh'') destroyed much of the port city of ...

, as a result of the Greco-Turkish war.

History

Although there are few details about the ancient history of the area, in 2012, during works, ancient graves were unearthed on the side of Agias Sofias Street. The specific manner of burial is known as 'burial by the roadside'. These ancient findings have already been unveiled by public authorities and are able to be visited. Nea Smyrni began to be inhabited at the beginning of the 20th century. Up until that point, it had not been inhabited in a systematic manner. At the time, it was intersected by an avenue which connected Athens and

Phalerum Phalerum or Phaleron ( ''()'', ; ''()'', ) was a port of Ancient Athens, 5 km southwest of the Acropolis of Athens, on a bay of the Saronic Gulf. The bay is also referred to as "Bay of Phalerum" ( el, Όρμος Φαλήρου '').'' The ...

, the ancient port of the city. After the

Asia Minor Disaster Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, the government decided to construct a settlement in the area for the

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

from

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

. Construction of this settlement began in 1926. In 1928, the population was just 210. By 1933, the area had become a true town with a population of 6,500. By 1940, there were 15,000 inhabitants. In 1944, with the end of the war, Nea Smyrni became a

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 ...

. Nea Smyrni was the site of multiple clashes between

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

forces and

ELAS The Greek People's Liberation Army ( el, Ελληνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός (ΕΛΑΣ), ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós'' (ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberat ...

resistance forces during the so-called

Dekemvriana The ''Dekemvriana'' ( el, Δεκεμβριανά, "December events") refers to a series of clashes fought during World War II in Athens from 3 December 1944 to 11 January 1945. The conflict was the culmination of months of tension between the c ...

of 1944. After the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, Nea Smyrni was incorporated into Athens.

Geography

Nea Smyrni is located about southwest of central Athens. The municipality has an area of 3.524 km². Its built-up area is continuous with those of central Athens and the neighboring suburbs. It is the second-most densely populated municipality in Greece, following Kallithea, and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The main thoroughfare is

Andrea Syngrou Avenue Andrea Syngrou Avenue ( gr, Λεωφόρος Ανδρέα Συγγρού) is a major road in Athens, linking the city centre with Poseidonos Avenue near the Bay of Faliro. It was planned and built by, and later named for, Andreas Syngros. It r ...

, which forms the northwestern border of the municipality and connects it with central Athens and the coast.

Alsos Neas Smyrnis

Alsos Neas Smyrnis (Alsos meaning 'grove' or 'small wood') has an area of fifty acres and is bounded by Eleftheriou Venizelou, Ephesou, Kordeliou and Patriarchou Ioakeim III Avenues. The Alsos consists mainly (20%) of woodland trees (

Aleppo pine ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. Description ''Pinus halepensis'' is a small to medium-sized tree, tall, with a trunk diameter up to , ex ...

, stone pine,

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the l ...

etc.) and ornamental trees (20%). In addition, most of this green space is covered in shrubs (

cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus '' Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species '' Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

velvetleaf Velvetleaf (or "velvet leaf", etc.) is a common name used for plants with soft-haired leaves: * ''Abutilon theophrasti'' native to southern Asia * ''Cissampelos pareira'', native to tropical America * ''Lavatera arborea'', native to Europe * ''Limn ...

myoporum ''Myoporum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae (formerly placed in Myoporaceae). There are 30 species in the genus, eighteen of which are endemic to Australia although others are endemic to Pacific Islands, ...

and

pyracantha ''Pyracantha'' (from Greek "fire" and "thorn", hence firethorn) is a genus of large, thorny evergreen shrubs in the family Rosaceae, with common names firethorn or pyracantha. They are native to an area extending from Southwest Europe east to ...

). Today, conifers make up about 60% of the plant capacity. The plant material of the Alsos consists mainly of

monoculture In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of growing one crop species in a field at a time. Monoculture is widely used in intensive farming and in organic farming: both a 1,000-hectare/acre cornfield and a 10-ha/acre field of organic kale are ...

and introduced plants planted in very high density. Two fountains complete the architectural makeup of the area. The whole park is surrounded by iron railings.

Sporting teams

The sport clubs based in Nea Smyrni are

Panionios G.S.S. Panionios G.S.S. (Greek: Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis''), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'', is a Greek multi-sport club founded in 1890. Originall ...

, multisport club founded in Smyrna, in 1890 and

AONS Milon Athletic Club of Nea Smyrni Milon ( el, Αθλητικός Όμιλος Νέας Σμύρνης Μίλων/ΑΟΝΣ Μίλων) or simply AONS Milon is a multisport club in Greece that based in Nea Smyrni, Athens. It was founded in 1928 by a gr ...

, multisport club founded in 1928.

Climate

Nea Smyrni, owing to the proximity to the Athens Riviera, has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

. It has mild winters and hot summers, with particularly warm summer nights. The driest months are July and August while the rainiest period is during the fall. According to the National Observatory of Athens station, Nea Smyrni records the highest mean annual temperature in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

the past few years.

Sites of interest

Nea Smyrni Stadium Nea Smyrni Stadium ('' Greek: Στάδιο Νέας Σμύρνης'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Panionios G.S.S. which plays for the Gamma Ethniki. ...

, built in 1939, renovated in 1988.

Panionios FC Panionios G.S.S. Football Club ( Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis' ...

plays in the stadium. * Nea Smyrni Indoor Hall, holds up to 1,832 persons. *Nea Smyrni Square (Greek: ''Πλατεία Νέας Σμύρνης'' ''Platía Néas Smýrnis''). *Nea Smyrni Park, a 5-hectare centrally located park with about 40% trees. *Estia Nea Smyrni, a cultural association.

Neighbourhoods

* Faros * Agia Fotini * Alsos * Kendro (Center) * Chrisaki * Agia Paraskevi * Mitilineika * Loutra * Ano Nea Smyrni (Upper Nea Smyrni)

Churches

* Agia Fotini * Agia Paraskevi * Agioi Anargiroi * Agios Charalambos * Agios Andreas * Agioi Theodoroi ( Greek Old Calendarists) * Taxiarches (cemetery church) Nea Smyrni is the seat of a similarly-titled metropolitan diocese. The current

Metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the ...

of Nea Smyrni is Simeon Koutsas.

Notable people

Polina Polina ( hu, Alsófalu) is a hamlet in the Revúca District, Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia. Other uses * Pojan, Fier, a town in Abania near Ancient Illyrian Apollonia also called Polina. * Polina (given name) Polina is a Greek (Πωλί� ...

, singer *

Constantine Psachos Konstantinos Psachos ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Ψάχος; 1869 – 1949) was a Greek scholar, educator, musician, composer, cantor and musicologist. Biography He was born in the village of Mega Revma near Constantinople in 1869. He was ...

, musician *

Makis Angelopoulos Mavroeidis "Makis" Angelopoulos (alternate spellings: Mavroidis, Makis, Aggelopoulos) (Greek: Μαυροειδής "Μάκης" Αγγελόπουλος) is the co-owner of the basketball team AEK Athens. Early life Angelopoulos was born in Nea S ...

, businessman

Twin towns – sister cities

Sisian,

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

(since 2004)

Historical population

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of Attica Populated places in South Athens (regional unit) Occupation of Smyrna