Anavra () is a village and a former

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

in Magnesia,

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

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 has been part of the municipality

Almyros Almyros or Halmyros (, ) is a town and a municipality of the regional units of Greece, regional unit of Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia, modern regions of Greece, region of Thessaly, Greece. It lies in the center of prosperous fertile plain know ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 121.859 km². According to the census of 2021, the population of Anavra was 405 citizens. The village of Anavra is located on the west side of Mount

Othrys Mount Othrys ( – ''oros Othrys'', also Όθρη – ''Othri'') is a mountain range of central Greece, in the northeastern part of Phthiotis and southern part of Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia. Its highest summit, ''Gerakovouni'', situated on ...

, at a height of above sea level, from Magnesia's administrative center of

Volos Volos (; ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos ...

and close to the border of

Phthiotis Phthiotis (, ''Fthiótida'' ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιῶτις) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece (administrative region), Central Greece. The capital is the city of La ...

. The Enipeas river, which is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Pineios, starts at the springs of Anavra and passes through the village for two kilometres. According to

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

, Anavra is connected with livestock activities. Almost all the inhabitants are employed in farming and herding.

Economy

In the 1970s mules were the only form of transport available in Anavra, and the nearest school, in

Lamia Lamia (; ), in ancient Greek mythology, was a child-eating monster and, in later tradition, was regarded as a type of night-haunting spirit or "daimon". In the earliest myths, Lamia was a beautiful queen of ancient Libya who had an affair with ...

, was a 6-hour ride away. Since the 1990s the village has been transformed by mayor Dimitris Tsoukalas, who successfully sought EU development funding. In 2010, Anavra had among the highest GDP per capita of any settlement in Greece and the rest of the EU with typical incomes ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 euros, with an average household income of €70,000. The village was recognized as a model of

sustainable Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

development, producing its own electricity by 20 wind-powered generators. Surplus electrical power was sold. A hydroelectric plant was scheduled for construction, and a biomass facility was being planned which will supply heat and hot water from animal manure and woodchips. The plan called for all homes and buildings in the town to be connected to this heat/hot water network. All these projects were stalled and eventually cancelled with the inclusion of the village in the greater

municipality, due to the "

Kallikratis Kallikratis () is a small village belonging to the municipality of Sfakia, in southwest Crete, Greece. According to tradition, it was named after the admiral (droungarios) Manoussos Kallikratis, who in March 1453 led a campaign to reinforce th ...

" reform. The overhead produced by the "

kapodistrias Kapodistrias may refer to: * Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greek diplomat and Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire and later the first head of state of independent Greece * Augustinos Kapodistrias, Greek soldier and politician * Capodistria, the Italian ...

" community era is gradually being diminished. Plans are being proposed for the creation of a winter ski centre on the slopes of

Mount Othrys Mount Othrys ( – ''oros Othrys'', also Όθρη – ''Othri'') is a mountain range of central Greece, in the northeastern part of Phthiotis and southern part of Magnesia. Its highest summit, ''Gerakovouni'', situated on the border of Phthiotis ...

and its highest peak, Gerakovouni (1726 m), west of the village.

Sites of Interest

* Saint Dimitrios church * The Folklore Museum of Farming Life. * The waterfalls of Enipeas * Othry mountain and its rich flora

General information

*Community office, Tel: 22320 91382 *Communal Library, Tel: 22320 91210 *Folklore Museum of Farming Life, Tel: 22320 91210

References

External links

Official Website (in Greek and English)Official Website of the Environmental and Cultural Park of Anavra "Goura" (in Greek and English)Anavra-Zo (in Greek)
{{Authority control Populated places in Magnesia (regional unit) Almyros

Economy

Sites of Interest

General information

See also

References

Further reading

External links