Avlonas (, before 1927: Σάλεσι - ''Salesi'') is a town and a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Oropos Oropos () is a small town and a municipality in East Attica, Greece. The village of Skala Oropou, within the bounds of the municipality, was the site an important ancient Greek city, Oropus, and the famous nearby sanctuary of Amphiaraos is sti ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 106.092 km².

Geography

Avlonas is situated in the northwestern part of

East Attica East Attica () is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Attica. The regional unit covers the eastern part of the urban agglomeration of Athens, and also the rural area to its east. Administration The regional unit East ...

, at the northern edge of the

Parnitha Mount Parnitha (, , Katharevousa and ''Parnis''/''Parnes''; sometimes Parnetha) is a lightly forested mountain range north of Athens, the highest on the peninsula of Attica, with an elevation of 1,413 m, and a summit known as Karavola (Καρα� ...

mountain range and 10 km south of the

South Euboean Gulf The South Euboean Gulf (, ''Notios Evvoïkos Kolpos'') is a gulf in Central Greece, between the island of Euboea and the Greek mainland (Boeotia and Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a h ...

coast. It is 30 km north of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

city center. The A1 motorway (Athens - Thessaloniki) passes north of the town. Avlonas has a station on the railway from Athens to Thessaloniki. The municipal unit Avlonas also includes the village Asprochori (pop. 151). Avlonas has three pre-school facilities, one elementary school, one lyceum/middle school and one gymnasio/high school.

Climate

Avlonas has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: Csa) with strong continentality. The town experiences hot summers, cool winters and a wet climate by

's standards. The highest temperature was 46.2 °C and was recorded on July 26, 2023, and the lowest, -9.8 °C, was recorded on January 9, 2019. In August 2024 a new station from the

National Observatory of Athens The National Observatory of Athens (NOA; ) is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest List of research institutes in Greece, research foundation in Greece. The Observatory was the first scientific research insti ...

started operating in Avlonas while the old station was moved to another location in March 2025.

Name

Avlonas (Greek: Αυλώνας) is sometimes called Avlona (Αυλώνα), however the masculine ''Avlonas'' is the correct form rather than the feminine ''Avlona''. The ancient Greek ''Avlon'' (Αυλών) is also masculine. It appears that the name Αvlon is connected with the worship of

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...

according to an ancient slab that was found in the area, dedicated to Διονύσῳ Αὐλωνεῖ (Dionysos of Avlon).

Historical population

Avlonas has historically been an

Arvanite Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They are bilingual, traditionally speaking Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded ...

settlement.

References

External links

Official website of Avlonas' Municipality

Schools in AvlonasZygomalas Museum
{{Oropos div Populated places in East Attica Oropos Arvanite settlements