Amaliada

Amaliada parish
Δημοτική Ενότητα Αμαλιάδος
(Αμαλιάδα)

Basic data

State :

Greece

Region :

Elis

Ilida

Geographic coordinates :

37 ° 48 ' N , 21 ° 21' E Coordinates: 37 ° 48 ' N , 21 ° 21' E

Height above d. M .:

15–39–480 m
Savalia – Amaliada – Kryonero

Area :

251.945 km²

Residents :

28,520 (2011)

Population density :

113.2 inhabitants / km²

Code No .:

390201

Structure:

1 city district
19 local communities

Website:

www.amaliada.gr

Located in the municipality of Ilida and in the regional district of Elis

Amaliada ( Greek Αμαλιάδα , Katharevousa Amalias Αμαλιάς, ( f. Sg. )) Is a city in the Greek region of western Greece . Together with 19 surrounding villages, it forms the municipality of the same name with an area of around 250 km² and 28,520 inhabitants (2011 census) in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula, southwest of Patras and north-northwest of Pyrgos . From 1924 to 2010 Amaliada was an independent municipality, which in 2011 was merged with the neighboring municipality of Pinia to form the new municipality of Ilida , in which Amaliada forms the municipality seat and one of two municipal districts.

geography

Amaliada is located in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula, southwest of Cape Kyllini. The area of today's municipality extends from the coast of the Ionian Sea in an east-northeast direction into the interior of the Peloponnese. The coastal areas, including the city of Amaliada itself, are fertile plains, which have been shaped mainly by the alluvial land of the Pinios river . The eastern areas are hilly and belong to the western foothills of the Erymanthos massif.

The eastern border of the municipality is the Pinios reservoir; the municipality of Pinias joins to the east. To the northeast, in the area of the Pinios reservoir, the municipality of Vouprasia borders on the municipality of Amaliada. To the north, the municipal boundary of Amaliada initially follows the course of the Pinios river to the west to a point between the villages of Nea Ilida and Agia Mavra. To the north Amaliada borders in this section on the municipality of Lechena and Tragano. To the northwest, already deviating from the course of the Pinios, the municipality of Gastouni borders on the municipality of Amaliada. This border runs to the coast of the Ionian Sea. The western border of the municipality is the coastline: it runs south of the Pinios estuary starting in an east-southeast direction to just before the village of Agios Ilias in the municipality of Iardanon. The latter forms the southern border of the municipality of Amaliada. In the southeast, Amaliada borders the municipality of Oleni.

The city of Amaliada is located 298 km west-southwest of Athens and 20 km northwest of Pyrgos.

history

Antiquity (2800 BC - 500 AD)

In ancient times, the area of the municipality of Amaliada was the city of Elis , capital of the Elis region , one of the more important cities of the ancient Peloponnese. The city had neither an outstanding military nor a political importance. The city of Elis gained its importance as the "guardian of the sites of the Olympic Games." This function was exercised over much of the period of the ancient Olympic Games (776 BC to 394 AD).

The first traces of settlement in the city of Elis lead to the early Helladic period with the period from 2800 to 2000 BC. In the place of the later ancient city there was a village whose inhabitants were engaged in agriculture. According to Homer, the city's inhabitants took part in the Trojan War under the command of Polyxenus. Oxylus founded the city known as Elis in the 12th century BC, coming from Aetolia.

Oxylus, the founder of Elis, incorporated the existing sanctuary of Olympia into the urban area of Elis. According to Strabo , the landscape of Elis was divided into four areas: Coele Elis (the plain of Elis), Pisatis or Pisa, which also included the sanctuary of Olympia, Triphylia and Cauconia. The ancient city of Elis was in Coele Elis on the Pinios river, which, according to Strabo, “flowed behind the high school in Elis”.

According to Strabo, the area of the later city of Elis initially consisted of a large number of villages or small towns, which only merged to form the city of Elis ( Synoikismos ) during the Persian Wars (5th century BC ). According to recent studies, there were 120 settlements in the extended area of Elis. The time of Synoikismos was dated to 471 BC. Dated at the same time as the arrival of democratic rulers. Before Synoikismos, Elis coined in the 6th century BC His own coins. The ancient city of Elis extended in the area between the present-day localities of Paliopolis (or Nea Elis) in the southeast, Avgio in the southwest and Kalyvia in the west. The acropolis of the ancient city was located on Ayannis Hill.

The ancient Olympic Games themselves came about through a treaty between the kings Iphitus of Elis, Lycurgus of Sparta and Kleisthenes of Pisa in 776 BC. In addition to organizing the games, they decided on an "Olympic Peace", which included the city-state of Elis in addition to the actual sanctuary of Olympia. The first ancient Olympic Games were held under the supervision of the city-state of Elis. The "guardian function" of the Olympic Games was controversial due to the associated prestige between the city of Elis and the city of Pisa or Pisatis. Until 668 BC The control of the sanctuary of Olympia remained with Elis. Subsequently, Pisa managed to take control of Olympia. With Spartan help, Elis obtained in 580 BC The guardian role of the sanctuary of Olympia again. Until the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC In the 3rd century BC, Elis held control of the sanctuary of Olympia, not least because of the alliance to the hegemonic power of Sparta. With the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, the alliance with Sparta broke. In the following period, rule over the Olympic sanctuary changed between Elis and the rival city of Pisa (Pisatis). Xenophon reported from the year 364 BC That the sanctuary of Olympia was again under the control of Pisa. During the final of the Pentathlon , Elis launched an attack on the sanctuary, contrary to the Olympic peace, which was repulsed. 191 BC Eli became a member of the Achaean League . 146 BC The Romans finally conquered Greece: the city of Elis becomes part of the Roman province of Achaea . The city of Elis flourished again under Roman rule. Between 27 BC BC and 250 AD the city expands. The importance of the Olympic Games for the city of Elis made clear Pausanias in his description of the city in the 2nd century AD. He described the agora of the city as a collection of holy places and temples. There were no other public buildings.

With the final decline of the Olympic Games in antiquity, Elis also lost its importance. In the late Roman and early Christian times (3rd to 5th centuries AD) only part of the city was permanently inhabited. After the Olympic Games were banned by Emperor Theodosius I, the importance of the city of Elis continued to decline. An earthquake in the 6th century ended the history of settlement in the city of Elis.

A special feature of the ancient city of Elis was the relatively prominent role of women compared to other ancient city-states. According to Pausanias, the women of Elis contributed to the settlement of the disputes between Elis and Pisatis through a council of 16 wise women. Pausanias also attributed a role to the women of Elis in the Hera Games, in which female athletes took part.

Middle Ages (500–1460)

In the Byzantine period from approx. 500 to 1204 there was a settlement at the 11th century church “Panagias tis Platyteras” in the area of today's city and municipality Amaliada, which was built on the foundation walls of an even older church. This settlement is renamed to "Frangovilla" after the conquest of the Peloponnese by the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade in 1204-1205. Until 1460 Amaliada remains under the rule of the Duchy of Achaia .

Modern times (1460 - today)

After the conquest of the Peloponnese, the area of today's Amaliada came under the control of the Ottoman Empire . The town of Kalitsa in the area of Amaliada was the seat of an Ottoman administrator under the name Dervi-Tselebi during the reign of the Ottoman Empire until 1821/1829.

After the Greek War of Independence from 1821 to 1829, Amaliada became part of the modern Greek state. The village of Dervi-Tselebi becomes the seat of the newly created community (Dimos) Elissa (Δήμος Ελίσσης), whose name is derived from the mythical figure Elissa (Έλισσα). In the 19th century, the fertile plain of the northwestern Peloponnese attracted people from the neighboring mountain regions: residents of the localities and landscapes of Kalavryta , Gortynia , Magouliana, Vytina on the Peloponnese peninsula but also residents of the islands of Zakynthos and Kefallinia settled in the area of today's municipality Amaliada and the then municipality of Elissa.

In 1885 the localities Kalista and Dervi-Tselebi had grown together to form one settlement; this was in Amalia (high level language) or Amaliada (vernacular) to Amalie , the wife of the Greek king I. Otto renamed. In the same year the meter-gauge railway from Pyrgos to Patras reaches Amaliada and connects the city to the narrow-gauge network of the Peloponnesian railways, which lead to Athens.

After the Greek defeat in the Greco-Turkish War from 1919 to 1922, Greek refugees from Asia Minor, whose resettlement was bindingly agreed by the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 as part of a so-called “population exchange”, settled in Amaliada. Due to the resulting increase in population, Amaliada became an independent township (Dimos) in 1924.

During the Second World War , Amaliada was captured by German troops in mid-April 1941. During the occupation of Greece by the Axis powers from May 1941 to the end of October 1944, Amaliada belonged to the Italian zone of occupation until September 1943. When Italy joined the Allies in September 1943, German troops took over the occupation of Amaliada until they withdrew at the end of October 1944.

During the Greek Civil War from March 1946 to September 1949, Amaliada was the scene of armed clashes between the civil war parties on several occasions. On November 24, 1947, the city was attacked by 200 rebels of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE). Within a period of just under six months, the DSE rebels carried out 3 attacks against the city of Amaliada. The attack on June 8, 1948 was part of a simultaneous attack against the villages of Amaliada, Andravida, Kavasila and Lechena on June 8, 1948.

Amaliada was hit by two earthquakes in the last two decades of the 20th century: in 1988 the Vartholomio earthquake struck the city and in 1993 the earthquake of Pyrgos. The damage to property in the city's buildings led to extensive construction work with the construction of " earthquake-proof " buildings. As part of this construction work, the Sochias brook flowing through the city was transformed into a green area and partially renaturalized. In addition, bike paths have been created.

Population, administration and politics

administration

Amaliada has been an independent municipality (Dimos) since 1924. With the Greek local government reform in 1997, additional localities and small rural communities were merged with the previous municipality of Amaliada to form the municipality (Dimos) Amaliada, and through the union with Pinia to form the municipality of Ilida, Amailada became a municipality with the following structure:

District local community	Greek name	code	Area (km²)	2001 residents	Residents 2011	Villages and settlements
Amaliada	Δημοτική Κοινότητα Αμαλιάδος	39020101	66.977	20,030	18.303	Amalias, Agios Ioannis, Kouroutas, Marathea, Palouki, Panagia, Tsafleika, Tsichleika
Agios Dimitrios	Τοπική Κοινότητα Αγίου Δημητρίου	39020102	09,700	00562	00382	Agios Dimitrios, Kolokythas
Agios Iliad	Τοπική Κοινότητα Αγίου Ηλία Πηνηίων	39020103	03,750	00413	00302	Agios Iliad
Ambelokambos	Τοπική Κοινότητα Αμπελοκάμπου	39020104	09.150	00517	00468	Ambelokambos
Archea Ilida	Τοπική Κοινότητα Αρχαίας Ήλιδας	39020105	05,900	00352	00306	Archea Ilida
Avgio	Τοπική Κοινότητα Αυγείου	39020106	05,700	00429	00325	Avgio
Geraki	Τοπική Κοινότητα Γερακίου	39020107	20.302	00716	00614	Geraki, Analipsi
Dafni	Τοπική Κοινότητα Δάφνης	39020108	15.876	00585	00543	Dafni, Kalathas
Dafniotissa	Τοπική Κοινότητα Δαφνιωτίσσης	39020109	11.301	00459	00366	Dafniotissa
Douneika	Τοπική Κοινότητα Δουναίικων	39020110	12.056	00891	00677	Douneika, Agia Marina, Danika, Kato Kertezeika
Kalyvia	Τοπική Κοινότητα Καλυβίων Ήλιδος	39020111	04,350	00365	00435	Kalyvia
Cardamas	Τοπική Κοινότητα Καρδαμά	39020112	06.350	01196	00977	Kardamas, Petroules
Kendro	Τοπική Κοινότητα Κέντρου	39020113	03,650	00481	00462	Kendro
Keramidia	Τοπική Κοινότητα Κεραμιδιάς	39020114	06.975	00543	00526	Keramidia
Kryonero	Τοπική Κοινότητα Κρυονέρου	39020115	10.426	00347	00300	Kryonero
Peristeri	Τοπική Κοινότητα Περιστερίου	39020116	19.802	00540	00363	Peristeri, Astereika, Paleolanthi
Roviata	Τοπική Κοινότητα Ροβιάτας	39020117	02.753	00400	00345	Roviata, Kasidiris, Paralia, Romeika
Savalia	Τοπική Κοινότητα Σαβαλίων	39020118	12,426	01273	01206	Savalia
Sostio	Τοπική Κοινότητα Σωστίου	39020119	06.675	00417	00308	Sostio
Chavari	Τοπική Κοινότητα Χαβαρίου	39020120	17.826	01574	01312	Chavari, Agios Georgios, Pera Chavari
total		390201	251.945	32,090	28,520

Economy, infrastructure and transport

economy

Infrastructure

Amaliada has a primary care hospital with a capacity of 100 beds. In addition, the city is the seat of one of the lower levels of Greek jurisdiction with a (if transferred to German conditions) district (Irinodykio) and regional court (Protodykio). There is also a public prosecutor's office in Amaliada. The city also has banks, post offices, a stadium, a public library and a concert hall (Odion).

traffic

Amaliada is connected to the Greek road and rail network. The meter-gauge railway of the Peloponnese leads from the north (Patras) via Amaliada to Pyrgos . The connection to the Greek trunk road network is via national road 9 (Greece) | (Europastraße 55) realized. This comes from the north (Patras, Andravida) and runs in the west of Amaliada as a bypass of the city to the south in the direction of Pyrgos and Kyparissia. National road 9 is to be replaced by motorway 9 by 2013 : a junction for Amaliada is planned. Amaliada does not have a national or international airport: the nearest national and international airport is Araxos airport in the north of Amaliada. The municipality of Amaliada also does not have a significant seaport. The municipality of Amaliada has a network of 6 km of cycle paths.

Culture, sights, personalities

Culture

Voices of the local press of the Elis prefecture describe Amaliada as the cultural center of the prefecture even before its capital, Pyrgos. Various festivals and cultural events take place regularly in Amaliada.

Festival of Ancient Elis

Theatrical performances in the theater of the ancient city of Elis and music concerts in the Chlemoutsi castle and in the stadium of the city of Amaliada

Carnival in Amaliada

Every year a carnival parade takes place in Amaliada.

Film Festival Elis

Annual film festival with screenings in ancient Olympia, Amaliada and in Pyrgos

Congress "Philosophy-History-Environment"

Scientific congress that takes place every two years in Amaliada. Scientists from all over Greece take part in this.

book Fair

In Amaliada, a small book fair is organized once a year with the support of the local business association.

Attractions

Antique elis

Remains of the ancient city of Elis

Frangavilla Monastery

Church building from the Middle Byzantine period

Amaliada Folklore Museum

It is housed in a neoclassical building from 1932, a foundation of the Marouta brothers, who emigrated to the USA at the end of the 19th century. The museum is located near the train station. The museum was opened in 1993 and shows the cultural history of the region around the city of Amaliada.

"Papachristopoulos" public library

The Papachristopoulios library contains 16,000 books and is a foundation of the United States emigrant Papachristopoulos.

Personalities

Giorgis Zarkos
Yovanna
Nikos Belogiannis (* 1915, Amaliada; † 1952, Kallithea near Athens [executed]). Greek communist politician and resistance fighter against the occupation of the Axis powers and writer.

Web links

Commons : Amaliada - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Information from the Greek Statistical Office based on the 2001 census ( Memento from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
↑ Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)
↑ Information from the Greek Ministry of the Interior (YPES) ( Memento from February 20, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
↑ ^a ^b Strabno, Geographie 8, 3, 1ff.
^ Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" of November 25, 1947. Page 4. Freely available from the Greek National Library.
^ Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" from November 26, 1947. Page 4. Freely available from the Greek National Library.
^ Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" of June 9, 1948. Page 4. Freely available from the Greek National Library.
^ Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" from June 18, 1948. Page 4. Freely available from the Greek National Library.
^ Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" of October 10, 1948. Page 6. Freely available from the Greek National Library.

[ESY-2001-1] Information from the Greek Statistical Office based on the 2001 census ( Memento from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )

[VZ2011-2] Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)

[YPES-2001-3] Information from the Greek Ministry of the Interior (YPES) ( Memento from February 20, 2002 in the Internet Archive )

[STRABO-GEO-8.3.1-4] Strabno, Geographie 8, 3, 1ff.

[ELEF-19471125-04-5] Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" of November 25, 1947. Page 4. Freely available from the Greek National Library.

[ELEF-19471126-04-6] Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" from November 26, 1947. Page 4. Freely available from the Greek National Library.

[ELEF-19480609-04-7] Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" of June 9, 1948. Page 4. Freely available from the Greek National Library.

[ELEF-19480618-04-8] Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" from June 18, 1948. Page 4. Freely available from the Greek National Library.

[ELEF-19480810-06-9] Newspaper article in the Greek newspaper "Eleftheria" of October 10, 1948. Page 6. Freely available from the Greek National Library.