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Pyrgos ( el, Πύργος, meaning "tower") is a city in the northwestern
Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...
,
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 wi ...
, capital of the regional unit of Elis and the seat of the Municipality of Pyrgos. The city is located in the middle of a plain, from the
Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including ...
. The river
Alfeios The Alfeiós or Alpheios ( el, Αλφειός, grc, Ἀλφειός, Latin Alpheus) is the main stream of the Alpheios Valley drainage system, a dendritic type, originating on the north slopes of Mount Taygetus, located in the center of the Pelo ...
flows into sea about south of Pyrgos. The population of the town Pyrgos is 25,180, and of the municipality 47,995 (2011). Pyrgos is west of Olympia, southeast of
Amaliada Amaliada ( el, Αμαλιάδα, Katharevousa: Ἀμαλιάς, ''Amaliás'') is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ilida, of which it i ...
, southwest of
Patras ) , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , timezone1 = EET , utc_offset1 = +2 ...
and west of Tripoli.


Historical population


Municipality

The municipality Pyrgos was formed during the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units: *
Iardanos Iardanos ( el, Ιάρδανος) is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pyrgos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 62.723  ...
* Oleni *Pyrgos * Volakas The municipality has an area of 456.610 km2, the municipal unit 170.866 km2.


Subdivisions

The municipal unit of Pyrgos is divided into the following communities (settlements within the communities given in brackets): *Pyrgos (Pyrgos, Anthopyrgos, Kavasilakia, Lampeti, Syntriada, Tragano) * Agios Georgios * Agios Ilias (Agios Ilias, Pyrgi, Stamatelaiika) * Agios Ioannis (Agios Ioannis, Kyani Akti, Palatas, Tragano) *Ampelonas (Ampelonas, Kouzouli, Rozeika) *Elaionas (Elaionas, Vytinaiika) *Granitsaiika (Granitsaiika, Kavouri) * Katakolo ( Katakolo, Agios Andreas) * Koliri (Koliri, Kolireikes Paragkes) * Korakochori (Korakochori, Agios Andreas, Kallithea, Bouka) * Lasteika (Lasteika, Itia) * Leventochori * Myrtia *Palaiovarvasaina (Palaiovarvasaina, Agios Georgios, Kampos) * Salmoni (Salmoni, Alfeios) * Skafidia (Skafidia, Kalakaiika, Moni Skafidias, Patronikoleika) * Skourochori (Skourochori, Kato Kavouri) * Varvasaina (Varvasaina, Kato Varvasaina) *Vytinaiika


History


History of the name

In the 1510s, during Ottoman rule over Greece, a villager from Kalavryta decided to move and reform the area of Pyrgos which up until then was uncultivated. During this reformation he found in a well a large amount of gold ancient coins which he delivered to the Sultan as the rightful owner. The Sultan,
Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite las ...
(1470-1520), in order to honor his integrity named him ruler of the region (1512) and gave him a great acreage expanding from
Alfeios The Alfeiós or Alpheios ( el, Αλφειός, grc, Ἀλφειός, Latin Alpheus) is the main stream of the Alpheios Valley drainage system, a dendritic type, originating on the north slopes of Mount Taygetus, located in the center of the Pelo ...
river until the village Agios Ioannis which is located near Katakolo (the main port of the Elis region). This area was encompassing today's Pyrgos and was uninhabited. According to the stories the new ruler built a great tower (Πύργος, ''pyrgos'' in Greek) on a hill in order to supervise his fields and his flocks. This was the first settlement of the area.


Climate

Pyrgos has a hot-summer
mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Csa'') with hot and dry summers and rainy winters with generally mild temperatures. Annual precipitation is sizeable, above 900 mm, and it peaks in late autumn.


Transportation

Pyrgos has a train station with regular trains to the port of Katakolo and Olympia. Service on the line from
Patras ) , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , timezone1 = EET , utc_offset1 = +2 ...
to
Kalamata Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regi ...
via Pyrgos has been suspended in 2011. Pyrgos has a bus terminal, served by KTEL Ileias, with regular buses for the regional routes to most places in Elis as well as for intercity routes to Athens and to larger cities such as Patras, Kalamata, Ioannina and Thessaloniki.KTEL Ileias
/ref> The
Greek National Road 9 Greek National Road 9 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 9, abbreviated as EO9) is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the West Greece and Peloponnese regions. It runs along the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, from Patras to ...
connects Pyrgos with Patras and
Kyparissia Kyparissia ( el, Κυπαρισσία) is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal uni ...
, the Greek National Road 74 run from Pyrgos to Tripoli via Olympia. The nearest airport is located in Andravida near the town of Amaliada but it is served for military operations only. However, there are plans to open passenger operations in the next years. The alternative airports for passenger operations are Araxos airport. located in the province of Aichaia about 60 km or Kalamata Captain Vasilios Constatakopoulos airport, in Messinia province near Kalamata about 120 km from the city.


Education

Department of Museum Studies of the
university of Patras The University of Patras (UPatras; el, Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών, ''Panepistímio Patrón'') is a public university in Patras, Greece. It is the third-largest university in Greece with respect to the size of the student body, the s ...
based in the city.


Sporting teams

* Paniliakos F.C. (played last in the first division during the 2003–2004 season)


Notable people

*
Andreas Avgerinos Andreas Avgerinos () (1820–1895) was a Greek politician from Elis. He was born in Pyrgos, now in Elis, one year before the start of the Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Gr ...
(1820–1895), politician * Petros Avgerinos (19th century), politician, mayor of Pyrgos * Nakis Avgerinos (1911–2001), politician * Giorgos Karagounis (1977–), footballer *
Kostas Kazakos Kostas Kazakos ( el, Κώστας Καζάκος, alt. sp. Costas Kazakos; 29 May 1935 – 13 September 2022) was a Greek actor, television director, and politician. He was married to the famous actress Tzeni Karezi for 24 years until her dea ...
(1935–), actor and politician * George Pavlopoulos (1924–2008), poet *
Takis Sinopoulos Takis Sinopoulos ( el, Τάκης Σινόπουλος; Pyrgos, Elis, March 17, 1917 – Athens, April 25, 1981) was a Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic gr ...
(1917–1981), poet * Stephanos Stephanopoulos (1898–1982), politician and President of the Hellenic Republic * Theodoros Xydis, (1909–1985), poet and essayist. * Sakis Karagiorgas (1930–1985), professor in Panteion University


See also

* List of settlements in Elis


References


External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Elis Greek prefectural capitals Municipalities of Western Greece 1512 establishments in Europe