Zeli ( el, Ζέλι, also ''Zeli Fthiotidas'' and ''Zeli Lokridas'') is a mountain village in the municipality of

Amfikleia-Elateia Amfikleia–Elateia ( el, Δήμος Αμφίκλειας-Ελάτειας) is a municipality in the Phthiotis regional unit, Central Greece, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town of Kato Tithorea. The municipality has an area of 533.32 ...

, part of the regional unit of

Phthiotis Phthiotis ( el, Φθιώτιδα, ''Fthiótida'', ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιῶτις) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is borde ...

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 ...

. It has a population of 673 residents (2011 census), while the altitude is 450 to 550 meters. At a distance of four kilometers, is the village

Kalapodi Kalapodi ( el, Καλαπόδι) is a modern Greek village in the Lokroi municipality, Phthiotis, Central Greece. Lokroi straddles the pass leading over the low mountains between the Bay of Atalantis in the Gulf of Euboea to the plains of Boeotia ...

Physical and economic review

The village lies on the eastern slope of Mount Varvas. According to previous measurements, Zeli has an area of 51,000 acres, from some of the 24,000 are arable and the remainder is woodland. Zeli is all green mountainous vegetation, including oaks, lavender, chamomile, etc. The village has a rich production in tobacco, wheat and figs. In each house can be seen winter gardens (cabbage, lettuce, onions, radishes, broccoli, carrots, etc.) or summer gardens (tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, etc.). Moreover, in addition to agricultural occupations, the villagers are engaged in livestock, particularly sheep and poultry. The climate of the village is very good, because of its proximity to both the Parnassus and the beaches of the Evian Gulf.

History

Its name, according to some sources, comes from the Slavic word "Zeliinaakov", which means green valley and indicates that in the age of Byzantium was probably a Slavony. Testimonies indicate that it was first inhabited by the ancient times, when even the flourishing Opountion Lokrida. According to other sources, the name comes from the ancient Ozoles Locri. The area was named Ozelai =Ozeli=Zeli from where the Ozoles Locrians moved to the west. The area was all bushes and shrubs, life was difficult and the people suffered, so the residents with their flocks moved to Etoloakarnania and Phocis. Later, the Opountion Locrians lived in the settlements that were abandoned by Ozoles and the region continued to be called Ozeli and Zeli in their memory. Between 1861 and 1912, when it became an independent community, Zeli belonged to the Municipality of Atalanti. The 1997

Kapodistrias reform Kapodistrias reform ( el, Σχέδιο Καποδίστριας, "Kapodistrias Plan") is the common name of law 2539 of Greece, which reorganised the country's administrative divisions. The law, named after 19th-century Greek statesman Ioannis Kapod ...

placed it in the municipality of

Elateia Elateia ( el, Ελάτεια; grc, Ἐλάτεια) was an ancient Greek city of Phthiotis, and the most important place in that region after Delphi. It is also a modern-day town that is a former municipality in the southeastern part of Phthiotis ...

. With the new law "Kallikrates" established by the end of the municipal elections of 2010, Zeli was placed in the enlarged municipality of

, which is based in Kato Tithorea.EETAA local government changes
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Culture and sports

Zeli is one and a half hours away from

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 ...

. It has bars, cafes and restaurants. The Cultural Association of Zeli, called "Osios Seraphim", is active in various cultural events in the region, such as conducting local dances in the village square and the organization of the carnival. It has a dance department with women and youth of the village, which has made appearances in Istanbul, Saint Petersburg and Italy. The village also has local football team, Panzeliakos, which plays in amateur local groups.

References

{{Amfikleia-Elateia div Populated places in Phthiotis