Pyrgos ( el, Πύργος, meaning "tower") is a city in the northwestern Peloponnese,

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 ...

, capital of the regional unit of

Elis Elis or Ilia ( el, Ηλεία, ''Ileia'') is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it was ...

and the seat of the Municipality of Pyrgos. The city is located in the middle of a plain, from the Ionian Sea. The river

Alfeios The Alfeiós or Alpheios ( el, Αλφειός, grc, Ἀλφειός, Latin Alpheus) is the main stream of the Alpheios Valley drainage system, a dendritic type, originating on the north slopes of Mount Taygetus, located in the center of the Pelo ...

flows into sea about south of Pyrgos. The population of the town Pyrgos is 25,180, and of the municipality 47,995 (2011). Pyrgos is west of Olympia, southeast of Amaliada, southwest of Patras and west of Tripoli.

Historical population

Municipality

The municipality Pyrgos was formed during the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units: * Iardanos *

Oleni Oleni ( el, Ωλένη) is a village and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pyrgos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 152.23 ...

*Pyrgos * Volakas The municipality has an area of 456.610 km², the municipal unit 170.866 km².

Subdivisions

The municipal unit of Pyrgos is divided into the following communities (settlements within the communities given in brackets): *Pyrgos (Pyrgos, Anthopyrgos, Kavasilakia, Lampeti, Syntriada, Tragano) * Agios Georgios * Agios Ilias (Agios Ilias, Pyrgi, Stamatelaiika) * Agios Ioannis (Agios Ioannis, Kyani Akti, Palatas, Tragano) *Ampelonas (Ampelonas, Kouzouli, Rozeika) *Elaionas (Elaionas, Vytinaiika) *Granitsaiika (Granitsaiika, Kavouri) *

Katakolo Katakolo ( el, Κατάκολο) is a seaside town in the municipality of Pyrgos in western Elis, Greece. It is situated on a headland overlooking the Ionian Sea and separating the Gulf of Kyparissia from the rest of the Ionian. It is west of P ...

( Katakolo, Agios Andreas) *

Koliri Koliri, ( el, Κολίρι) is a village and a community in the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. It is situated on a hillside, 3 km northeast of Pyrgos town centre and 3 km northwest of Varvasaina. The Greek National Road 74 (T ...

(Koliri, Kolireikes Paragkes) * Korakochori (Korakochori, Agios Andreas, Kallithea, Bouka) * Lasteika (Lasteika, Itia) * Leventochori * Myrtia *Palaiovarvasaina (Palaiovarvasaina, Agios Georgios, Kampos) * Salmoni (Salmoni, Alfeios) *

Skafidia Skafidia ( el, Σκαφιδιά) is a village and a community in the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. It is situated on the Ionian Sea coast, at the foot of a low hill. It is 1 km north of Leventochori, 3 km southwest of Myrtia an ...

(Skafidia, Kalakaiika, Moni Skafidias, Patronikoleika) *

Skourochori Skourochori ( el, Σκουροχώρι) is a village and a community in the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. In 2011, it had a population of 610 for the village, and 782 for the community (including the village Kato Kavouri). It is situated ...

(Skourochori, Kato Kavouri) *

Varvasaina Varvasaina ( el, Βαρβάσαινα) is a village and a community in the eastern part of the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. The community consists of the villages Varvasaina and Kato Varvasaina. It is situated in a valley between low hil ...

(Varvasaina, Kato Varvasaina) *Vytinaiika

History

History of the name

In the 1510s, during Ottoman rule over Greece, a villager from

Kalavryta Kalavryta ( el, Καλάβρυτα) is a town and a municipality in the mountainous east-central part of the regional unit of Achaea, Greece. The town is located on the right bank of the river Vouraikos, south of Aigio, southeast of Patras and ...

decided to move and reform the area of Pyrgos which up until then was uncultivated. During this reformation he found in a well a large amount of gold ancient coins which he delivered to the Sultan as the rightful owner. The Sultan,

Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite las ...

(1470-1520), in order to honor his integrity named him ruler of the region (1512) and gave him a great acreage expanding from

river until the village Agios Ioannis which is located near

(the main port of the

region). This area was encompassing today's Pyrgos and was uninhabited. According to the stories the new ruler built a great tower (Πύργος, ''pyrgos'' in Greek) on a hill in order to supervise his fields and his flocks. This was the first settlement of the area.

Climate

Pyrgos has a hot-summer

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Csa'') with hot and dry summers and rainy winters with generally mild temperatures. Annual precipitation is sizeable, above 900 mm, and it peaks in late autumn.

Transportation

Pyrgos has a train station with regular trains to the port of

and Olympia. Service on the line from Patras to

Kalamata Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regi ...

via Pyrgos has been suspended in 2011. Pyrgos has a bus terminal, served by KTEL Ileias, with regular buses for the regional routes to most places in Elis as well as for intercity routes to Athens and to larger cities such as Patras, Kalamata, Ioannina and Thessaloniki.KTEL Ileias
/ref> The

Greek National Road 9 Greek National Road 9 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 9, abbreviated as EO9) is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the West Greece and Peloponnese regions. It runs along the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, from Patras to ...

connects Pyrgos with Patras and

Kyparissia Kyparissia ( el, Κυπαρισσία) is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit ...

, the

Greek National Road 74 National Road 74 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 74, abbreviated as EO74) is a single carriageway road in southern Greece. It connects Pyrgos with Tripoli, via Olympia and Vytina. Its length is . It runs through the western and central part of the ...

run from Pyrgos to Tripoli via Olympia. The nearest airport is located in Andravida near the town of Amaliada but it is served for military operations only. However, there are plans to open passenger operations in the next years. The alternative airports for passenger operations are Araxos airport. located in the province of Aichaia about 60 km or Kalamata Captain Vasilios Constatakopoulos airport, in Messinia province near Kalamata about 120 km from the city.

Education

Department of Museum Studies of the

university of Patras The University of Patras (UPatras; el, Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών, ''Panepistímio Patrón'') is a public university in Patras, Greece. It is the third-largest university in Greece with respect to the size of the student body, the s ...

based in the city.

Sporting teams

* Paniliakos F.C. (played last in the first division during the 2003–2004 season)

Notable people

* Andreas Avgerinos (1820–1895), politician *

Petros Avgerinos Petros Avgerinos (, 18th century - 19th century) was a Greek politician Biography He was born in Pyrgos, Elis and was related to the Avgerinos family. He was mayor of Pyrgos a number of times between 1868 and 1889. During his term as mayor, he cr ...

(19th century), politician, mayor of Pyrgos * Nakis Avgerinos (1911–2001), politician *

Giorgos Karagounis Georgios Karagkounis ( el, Γεώργιος Καραγκούνης; born 6 March 1977), known as Giorgos Karagounis ( el, Γιώργος Καραγκούνης), is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. In his club ...

(1977–), footballer * Kostas Kazakos (1935–), actor and politician * George Pavlopoulos (1924–2008), poet *

Takis Sinopoulos Takis Sinopoulos ( el, Τάκης Σινόπουλος; Pyrgos, Elis, March 17, 1917 – Athens, April 25, 1981) was a Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic gro ...

(1917–1981), poet * Stephanos Stephanopoulos (1898–1982), politician and President of the Hellenic Republic * Theodoros Xydis, (1909–1985), poet and essayist. *

Sakis Karagiorgas Sakis is a Greek male given name, a diminutive form of names where the last consonant (consonant preceding the final "S" common in the majority of Greek masculine nouns) is "S", most commonly Athanasius or Anastasius, with the addition of the "akis ...

(1930–1985), professor in Panteion University

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Elis Greek prefectural capitals Municipalities of Western Greece 1512 establishments in Europe