Spata ( el, Σπάτα), is a town east of downtown

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 ...

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 municipality Spata-Artemida, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit (officially named Spata-Loutsa) has an area of 55.042 km². It is part of Athens metropolitan area.

Geography and economy

Spata is situated in the middle of the Mesogeia plain, east of Mount Hymettus and west of the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

coast.

Athens International Airport Athens International Airport ''Eleftherios Venizelos'' ( el, Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών «Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος», ''Diethnís Aeroliménas Athinón "Elefthérios Venizélos"''), commonly initialised as ...

("Eleftherios Venizelos") covers the eastern portion of Spata. It is located southeast of Pallini, southwest of Rafina, west of Artemida and about east south east of

city center. The town proper is made up of residential neighborhoods. Farmland, mostly vineyards and olive groves, lie around. Retsina wine was the traditional cash crop of the whole area, complemented with olives and olive oil, figs, almonds, pistachios, and wheat. Nowadays viticulture is dwindling as a mass occupation, albeit supplanted by the emergence of many modern

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...

that mostly specialize in vinifying the local

Savatiano Savatiano (or Savvatiano) is a white Greek wine grape used primarily in the wine Retsina. It is one of Greece's most widely planted grape varieties and is known for its resistance to drought condition. It is mostly planted throughout central Greec ...

grape. The bulk of the grape and wine business is handled by the local co-operative. In 1995, the southern portion was committed to construction of the new Athens International Airport, which was completed in March 2001. The

Attica Zoological Park Attica Park, officially Attica Zoological Park (AZP), is a private zoo located in the suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a ...

, or "Attica Zoo", opened in May 2001 and is Athens' and Greece's largest zoo. Spata has five kindergartens, three elementary schools, two secondary schools, a police station, Post Office, several bank offices, and a junior football/soccer team, ''Aittitos'' (Invincible). The training facilities of

AEK FC AEK FC ( el, ΠΑΕ A.E.K. ; Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; ''Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos'', meaning ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a Greek professional football club based in Nea Filade ...

are also located there. The municipal unit of Spáta also incorporates various small exurbs: Agía Kyriakí (pop. 886 in 2011), Neápoli (584), Ágios Ioánnis (284), Velanidiá (257), Christoúpolis (518), Foínikas (113), Étos Stéko (87), Ágios Nikólaos Boúra (195), and Ímeros Péfkos (211).

History

The area included the ancient Athenian

deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century BC and ear ...

s of Erkhiá (Ερχιά), the birthplace of the historian and general

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, wikt:Ξενοφῶν, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Anci ...

, and Kýthēros (Κύθηρος); a Mycenean cemetery was excavated at the southern edge of town by

Panagiotis Stamatakis Panagiotis Stamatakis ( el, Παναγιώτης Σταµατάκης) (c.1840–1885) (sometimes anglicised as Panayotis or Stamatakes) was a Greek archaeologist. He is noted particularly for his role in supervising the excavations of Heinrich S ...

in the 1870s, the exhibits being hosted in the

National Archaeological Museum of Athens The National Archaeological Museum ( el, Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο) in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is ...

. Evidence of small ancient settlements abound in the area, the most notable being the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

fortified settlement on Zágani hill. Several of these were excavated during works for the airport and are being exhibited in the main airport building. Since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, Spata has been inhabited mainly by Arvanites. The town (then village) was re-populated by the medieval

Tosk Albanian Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is ...

clan of

Spata Spata ( el, Σπάτα), is a town east of downtown Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Spata-Artemida, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit (officially named Spata-L ...

around the 15th century, after they emigrated from Epirus. It was named after John Spata, who was despot of Arta in the 14th century.Jochalas, Titos P. (1971): Über die Einwanderung der Albaner in Griechenland: Eine zusammenfassene Betrachtung On the immigration of Albanians to Greece: A summary" München: Trofenik. p. 26 His name delivers from

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

shpatë (def. and pl. shpata). The Albanian term is borrowed from Latin. The patron saints of the town are Peter and Paul, celebrated on July 29 at the Byzantine chapel of the same name, located near the eastern edge of the town. The feast is accompanied by the medieval custom of the distribution of the

stifado Greek cuisine (Greek: Ελληνική Κουζίνα) is the cuisine of Greece and the Greek diaspora. In common with many other cuisines of the Mediterranean, it is founded on the triad of wheat, olive oil, and wine. It uses vegetables, oliv ...

, a beef-and-onions stew cooked overnight in cauldrons and distributed to the faithful outside the chapel after Mass.

Economy

Olympic Air has its head office in

in Spata. Goody's S.A., a Greek fast food company, is also headquartered at the airport.

Government and infrastructure

The Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board has an office at the airport.Contact Us
"

Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board. Retrieved on 20 June 2011. "Address for Correspondence & Unit Address: AIR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND AVIATION SAFETY BOARD Ex American Base Building 221, Helliniko Athens 167 01 GREECE" and "Board Address: AIR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND AVIATION SAFETY BOARD Athens International Airport “El. Venizelos” Building 11, Office 1311 Spata 190 19 GREECE" �
Addresses in Greek
: "Διεύθυνση Αλληλογραφίας και Έδρα Μονάδας: ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΗ ΔΙΕΡΕΥΝΗΣΗΣ ΑΤΥΧΗΜΑΤΩΝ & ΑΣΦΑΛΕΙΑΣ ΠΤΗΣΕΩΝ Πρώην Αμερικάνικη Βάση, Κτίριο 221, Ελληνικό, 167 01 ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ" and "Έδρα Επιτροπής: ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΗ ΔΙΕΡΕΥΝΗΣΗΣ ΑΤΥΧΗΜΑΤΩΝ & ΑΣΦΑΛΕΙΑΣ ΠΤΗΣΕΩΝ Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών, Κτίριο 11, Γραφείο 1311 190 19 ΣΠΑΤΑ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ" – Also "Address for Correspondence & investigation Unit Address" (Elliniko) and "Board office at Athens Airport" (Spata) – Greek: "Μονάδα Διερευνήσεων Στο Ελληνικό" and "Γραφεία Επιτροπής στο ΔΑΑ (Σπάτα)", respectively

Historical population

References

External links

* {{Spata-Artemida div Populated places in East Attica Spata-Artemida Arvanite settlements