Markopoulo Mesogaias ( el, Μαρκόπουλο Μεσογαίας) is a suburban town and a municipality in East Attica, Greece. The municipality has an area of .

Geography

The municipality Markopoulo Mesogaias is situated in the Mesogaia plain, in the eastern part of the

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean ...

peninsula, and touches the

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

coast in the east, where the port town Porto Rafti is located. The town Markopoulo is in the western part of the municipality, at about elevation. It is north of

Kalyvia Thorikou Kalyvia Thorikou ( el, Καλύβια Θορικού) is a town and a former municipality in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Saronikos, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The m ...

, east of Koropi and southeast of

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 a ...

city centre.

Greek National Road 89 Greek National Road 89 is a road in East Attica, Greece. It connects Gerakas with Sounio, via Koropi and Lavrio. Between Gerakas and Koropi it has lost importance after the opening of the Motorway 6. There are plans to upgrade the section between K ...

(Gerakas - Koropi - Lavrio - Sounio) passes through Markopoulo.

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

is north of the town. Markopoulo had a railway station on the

Athens–Lavrion Railway Athens–Lavrion Railway (Σιδηροδρομική Γραμμή Λαυρίου - Αγίων Αναργύρων) was a railway line connecting downtown Athens with Eastern Attica and the mining town of Laurium, Lavrion in Greece. Attica Railways ...

, which closed for passenger traffic in 1957.

Settlements

*Agía Triáda (2011 census pop. 218) *Vravróna, ancient Brauron (pop. 195) - located in the northeast by the

*Chamoliá (pop. 185) *Koulidás (pop. 243) *Markópoulo (pop. 9,513) - the municipal seat *Poriá (pop. 0) * Porto Rafti or ''Limín Markopoúlou'' (pop. 9,686)

Historical monuments

* The church of Saint Paraskevi, in 1741 (Markopoulo-Mesogeia). A wall painting monument (1741) of George Markou the Argus, the great and prolific post-Byzantine ecclesiastic iconographer of the 18th century (''"....La Santa Parascevi (inizio della sua agiografia1741׃ ,(che si trova al paesimo di Marcopulo, dell 'Attica...."'' ''Evangelos Andreou'' http://ketlib.lib.unipi.gr/xmlui/handle/ket/849) * The church of Saint Thecla. A wall painting monument (18th century) of "Georgios Markou the Argeius" iconographers school http://www.biblionet.gr/book/178713/Ανδρέου,_Ευάγγελος/Γεώργιος_Μάρκου_ο_Αργείος * The

Temple of Artemis The Temple of Artemis or Artemision ( gr, Ἀρτεμίσιον; tr, Artemis Tapınağı), also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient, local form of the goddess Artemis (identified with Diana, a Roman go ...

in Brauron

Sports

Markopoulo was the home to two venues of the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

: the

Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre The Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre hosted the equestrian events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The venue is located at Markópoulo on the outskirts of the Athens suburbs. It was completed in December 2003 and officially open ...

and the

Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre The Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre was the site of the shooting events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The venue is located in Markópoulo, on the outskirts of the eastern suburbs of Athens. It has a seating capacity of 4,000, th ...

. Markopoulo's women

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

team plays in the A1 Ethniki Women's Volleyball, the highest level national competition.

Economy

Historically, the economy of the region has been largely agricultural, with grapes and wine being the major components of the local economy until today. The Merenda quarry also allowed for a major economic expansion during the 1990s, however operations have ceased since 2014. Today, tourism is a major driver as the nearby seaside town, Porto Rafti, is a very popular tourist destination in Attica. Multiple companies, including

SkyGreece Airlines SkyGreece Airlines S.A. was a Canadian-owned Greek airline headquartered in Markopoulo Mesogaias, Attica, near Athens. On 27 August 2015, the airline suspended operations. History SkyGreece Airlines was founded in Athens, Greece in October 2012, ...

have had their corporate headquarters in Markopoulo Mesogaias due to the easy access to Athens International Airport.

Historical population

Markopoulou has historically been an Arvanite settlement.

References

External links

Markopoulo Official Site
, News and Information,
Markopoulo
{{Kallikratis-Attica Populated places in East Attica Municipalities of Attica Arvanite settlements