Agrinio (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Αγρίνιο, ;

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Agrinium'') is the largest city of the

Aetolia-Acarnania Aetolia-Acarnania (, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic regions of Greece, geographic region of Central Greece (geographic region), Central Greece and the administrative regions of Greece, ...

regional unit of

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 ...

and its largest municipality, with 89,691 inhabitants (2021) as well as the second largest city in

Western Greece Western Greece Region (, ) is one of the thirteen Modern regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece. It comprises the western part of Central Greece (geographic region), continental Greece and the northwestern part of the Peloponnese pen ...

after

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

. It is the economic center of

, although its capital is the town of Mesolonghi. The settlement dates back to ancient times. Ancient Agrinion was northeast of the present city; some walls and foundations of which have been excavated. In medieval times and until 1836, the city was known as Vrachori (Βραχώρι). The majority of the local population was occupied for an important period of time in the

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

industry, from the last decades of 19th till the end of the 20th century. Big tobacco companies were founded in the city, including the famous Papastratos, alongside Panagopoulos and Papapetrou. Agrinion is also agriculturally known for its production of Agrinion

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

History

Antiquity

According to mythology, the ancient city of Agrinio (situated in the area of Megali Chora) was built by king Agrios, son of PortheusGerasimos Papatrehas, "The history of Agrinion", Municipality of Agrinion, 1991 and a great-grandson of Aetolos (king of Plevron and Calydon) around 1600-1100 BC. The town, built near the banks of river

Achelous In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Achelous (also Acheloos or Acheloios) (; Ancient Greek: Ἀχελώϊος, and later , ''Akhelôios'') was the god associated with the Achelous River, the largest river in Greece. Accordi ...

(the natural border between

Aetolia Aetolia () is a mountainous region of Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, forming the eastern part of the modern regional unit of Aetolia-Acarnania. Geography The Achelous River separates Aetolia from Acarnania to the west; on ...

and

Acarnania Acarnania () is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part ...

), was claimed by both states during ancient times. Agrinio became member of the

Aetolian League The Aetolian (or Aitolian) League () was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered in Aetolia in Central Greece. It was probably established during the early Hellenistic era, in opposition to Macedon and the Ac ...

and it was later destroyed by

Cassander Cassander (; ; 355 BC – 297 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 305 BC until 297 BC, and '' de facto'' ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death. A son of Antipater and a contemporary of Alexander the ...

in 314 BC during the League's wars against the

Kingdom of Macedonia Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an Classical antiquity, ancient monarchy, kingdom on the periphery of Archaic Greece, Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The History of ...

Ottoman era

The city reappeared during the Ottoman period with the name Vrachori and apart from its Greek population it was also inhabited by many Turks (Muslims). In 1585 it was deserted during the revolt of Theodoros Migas. At the beginning of the 18th century, it became the administrative centre of

(then as the

sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...

of Karleli), depended on the imperial harems. Vrachori participated in the Greek Revolution and was temporarily liberated, by an army group led by Alexakis Vlachopoulos, on 11 June 1821. In August 1822, while Reşid Mehmed Pasha's (Kütahi) troops were marching towards Vrachori, its citizens decided to burn and evacuate their city, following the strategy of

scorched earth A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...

. The deserted city was recaptured by the Turks. The city was finally included in the borders of the newborn Greek state permanently in 1832 with the Treaty of Constantinople (9 July 1832) and was renamed after its ancient name, Agrinion. Kentriki xoris logotypo

Modern era

In the years following the liberation, Agrinio went through an important growth and development, especially at the end of the 19th century and the dawn of the 20th. After the Greco-Turkish War and the Asia Minor Catastrophe, many refugees from

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

(western

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

) arrived in the city and settled in the district of Agios Konstantinos. At the same period there was an important internal immigration to Agrinio from the whole

region, along with immigration from the areas of

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

and

Evrytania Evrytania ( ; ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (administrative region), Central Greece. Its capital is Karpenisi (approx. 8,000 inhabitants). Geography Evrytania is ...

. During the

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, in spite of economical crisis, works of infrastructure took place in the city, like the paving of streets and the installation of electricity, and a water tower was installed in 1930. At the same time excavations revealed the ancient city of Agrinion. Growth and prosperity returned after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...

. This growth was boosted by the building of two major hydroelectric dam installations at Kremasta and Kastraki, on the north of the city. The tobacco industry and olive tree cultivation became the main income sources of the city.

Geography

Geology

The area, like nearly all of

is prone to earthquakes. On 10 April 2007, the city was struck by several earthquakes, with their epicenter located in the nearby Lake Trichonis on the southeast of the city. The first earthquake rumbled at around 2:20 AM, the second around 6:15 AM, three earthquakes shook at 10:13, 10:14 and 10:15 AM, and the last one at around 13:45 PM, they measured between 5.0 and 5.7 on the

Richter scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

. Residents reported that the buildings and its glasses were shaking and rumbling. Minor damages were reported without any victims.

Climate

The climate of Agrinio is

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

(''Csa'') according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, with a large amount of rainfall during the winter, just as the rest of

, and high daytime temperatures during the relatively dry summer, sometimes over .

Transportation

The main roads passing through Agrinio are the Greek National Road 5/ E55 ( Arta – Agrinio – Missolonghi) and the Greek National Road 38/ E952 ( Thermo – Agrinio –

Karpenisi Karpenisi (, ) is a town in central Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Evrytania. Karpenisi lies within the valley of the river Karpenisiotis (Καρπενησιώτης), a tributary of the Megdovas, in the southern part of the ...

). Since 2009, the A5 motorway bypasses Agrinio to the west.

Agrinio's airport is located near the city, in the area of Dokimi. IATA code: AGQ, ICAO: LGAG. The airport hosts the Agrinion aeroclu
Agrinion Aeroclub

Municipality

The extended municipality of Agrinio was formed during the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 10 former municipalities, that became municipal units: *Agrinio * Angelokastro * Arakynthos * Makryneia * Neapoli *

Panaitoliko Panaitoliko ( Greek: Παναιτωλικό) is a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Agrinio Agrinio (Greek language, Greek: Αγρίνιο, ; Lat ...

* Parakampylia * Paravola * Stratos * Thestieis The municipality has an area of 1229.330 km², the municipal unit 162.728 km².

Subdivisions

The municipal unit (former municipality) of Agrinio consists of the following communities: *Agios Konstantinos *Agios Nikolaos Trichonidos *Agrinio *Dokimi *Kalyvia *Kamaroula *Skoutesiada The city of Agrinio consists of the main city and the outlying villages Agios Ioannis Riganas, Akropotamos, Bouzi, Giannouzi, Diamanteika, Eleftheria, Lefka, Liagkaiika, Pyrgi, Schinos and Strongylaiika.

City seal

The city's official seal includes a characteristic moment of the ancient Greek mythology. More specifically, the seal depicts

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

fighting the river god

. According to the myth, Hercules fought against the river god for the sake of Diianira, the princess of Calydon, which both of them wanted as a wife. Despite Achelous' transformations, Hercules managed to win the battle and married the princess. According to

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

, the myth symbolises the struggle of ancient Aetolians to control the river's power with embankments, by which the river was confined to its bed and thus the area gained large tracts of land for cultivation.

Historical population

Landmarks

*The Archaeological Museum of Agrinion, located in the city center, at 1-2 Diamantis Street
website
*The neoclassical buildings of the tobacco storehouses Papastratos and Papapetrou, which date from the early 20th century. *The Papastrateio Municipal Park. *The Papastratios Municipal Library. *The Dimokratias Square, the main square of the city. *The remains of the Church of the Holy Trinity of Mavrika (8th-9th century), situated at the banks of lake Lysimachia. *Lakes Trichonida and

Lysimachia ''Lysimachia'' ( ) is a genus consisting of 182 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae, before this family w ...

. *The ancient city of Stratos. *The gorge of Kleisoura, on the old national road, south of the city. *The hydroelectric dams of Kremasta, Kastraki and Stratos.

Mayors

* Georgios Baibas (1899–1907) * Andreas Panagopoulos (1925–1934 and 1951–1952) * Dimitrios Votsis (1934–1941) * Anastasios Panagopoulos (1964–1967) * Stelios Tsitsimelis (1975–1986) * Giannis Vainas (1986–1994) * Thimios Sokos (1994–2006) * Pavlos Moscholios (2006–2014) * Georgios Papanastasiou (2014–present)

Famous citizens

* Stratos Apostolakis (1964) – footballer *

Petros Michos Petros Michos (; born 17 February 1959) is a former Greek footballer that currently works as a manager. He started his career as a defender with Panetolikos but is better known for his many years with Olympiacos F.C., Olympiacos and the Greece n ...

(1959) – footballer * Kostas Chatzopoulos (1868–1920) – poet * Christos Garoufalis (1959) – writer * Katia Gerou – actress *

Panagiotis Danglis Panagiotis Danglis (; – 9 March 1924) was a Greek military officer and politician. He is particularly notable for inventing the Schneider-Danglis mountain gun, his service as chief of staff in the Balkan Wars, and participation in the Triumvi ...

(1853–1924) – general and politician * Filipos Darlas (1983) – footballer * Maria Dimadi (1907–1944) – resistance fighter * Petros Fyssoun (1933) – actor * Panos Kaponis (Caponis) (1947) – poet & writer * Christos Kapralos (1909–1993) – artist * Michalis Kousis (1953–2005) – Marathon runner * Aristidis Moschos (1930–2001) – musician * Pythagoras Papastamatiou (1930–1979) – writer * Thodoros (1931–2018) – sculptor * Evangelos Papastratos (1910–1988) – industrialist and benefactor of Agrinio * Loukia Pistiola – actress * Yiannis Yfantis (1949) – poet * Kostis Maraveyas (1974) – singer and composer *Spiros and Eleni Tsiknia – Benefactors of Agrinio * Aristovoulos Kois - Revolutionary

Sporting teams

Panetolikos Panetolikos Football Club (), or with its full name officially romanized as Panaitolikós Gymnastikós Filekpaideftikós Sýllogos (''; Pan- Aetolian Gymnastic and Educational Club''), is a Greek professional football club. It is based in Agrini ...

FC –

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

*Gymnastiki Etairia Agriniou (G.E.A.) *A.O. Agriniou *Ionikos 80 Volleyball *Nautikos Omilos *Asteras Agriniou *PAO Agriniou *Panagriniakos

Gallery

File:Kalydon Aetolias 01.JPG, The ancient theatre of Calydon near Evinochori File:Agiatriada.JPG, Agia Triada Maurika Byzantine church File:Agrinio-center.jpg, Central square, Κεντρική Πλατεία Αγρινίου (Dimokratias square) AGRINIO XAR TRIKOUPI.jpg, Charilaou Trikoupi street File:Agr mouseio.jpg, Agrinio Archaeological museum File:Agrinio railway station.jpg, Old railway station File:AGRINIO REGION.jpg, Rural area in the municipality of Agrinio File:Trichonida lake.jpg, Trichonida Lake File:Ruins of Voukatio castle.jpg, Voukatio castle, Paravola File:Πλατεία Χατζοπούλου.jpg, Hatzopoulou Square File:Saint John church in Dafnias, Agrinio, Greece.jpg, Saint John church, Dafnias File:Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου Οχθίων Ακαρνανίας. - panoramio.jpg, Annunciation church File:Agia Triada Maurika. Agrinio, Aitoloakarnania, Greece.jpg, Agia Triada Maurika (another angle)

References

External links

Official siteRichard Stillwell, ed. ''Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites'', 1976:
"Agrinion Greece"
www.agriniovoice.gr
local news
Agrinio City Guide
{{Authority control Cities in ancient Greece Aetolia Populated places in Aetolia-Acarnania