Elliniko (, meaning 'Hellenic' or 'Greek') is a coastal municipality in the

Attica region Attica ( ; , ) is an administrative region of Greece, that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, the core city of which is the country's capital and largest city, Athens. The region is coextensive with the former Attica Prefecture o ...

and a southern suburban town in the Athens agglomeration in Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality of Elliniko-Argyroupoli, of which it is a municipal unit. Elliniko is known for the former

Hellinikon Olympic Complex The Hellinikon Olympic Complex is a closed, partially demolished sports complex, situated at Elliniko, a suburban town in the southern part of the Athens urban agglomeration, approximately 16 kilometres from the Olympic Village. It was built on ...

, a temporary sporting complex building on the grounds of the former

Ellinikon International Airport Ellinikon International Airport , sometimes spelled ''Hellinikon'', was an international airport that served Athens, Greece, for 63 years. Following its closure on 28 March 2001, it was replaced by the new Athens International Airport, Athens In ...

used for the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

and the

2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece, from 17 to 28 September ...

. Elliniko is the site of a major development project for coastal Athens beginning in 2020 and due for completion in 2026—the Hellenikon Metropolitan Park, consisting of luxury homes, hotels, a casino, a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

, shops, offices, and Greece's tallest buildings such as the Riviera Tower and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Athens.

History

In 1922 after the Greco-Turkish War, many refuges, especially from the

Sürmene Sürmene (; , ''Sourmena''; , romanized as ''Sürmena e') is a municipality and district of Trabzon Province, Turkey. Its area is 166 km2, and its population is 25,950 (2022). In ancient times the town of Hyssus or Hyssos () was nearby. The ...

town of

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

, settled in the northernmost area of Elliniko, which was subsequently named ''Sourmena'' (''Σούρμενα'').

Geography

Elliniko is situated near the

Saronic Gulf The Saronic Gulf ( Greek: Σαρωνικός κόλπος, ''Saronikós kólpos'') or Gulf of Aegina in Greece is formed between the peninsulas of Attica and Argolis and forms part of the Aegean Sea. It defines the eastern side of the isthmus of C ...

coast, south of Athens city centre, in the Athens Riviera. The municipality has an area of >. The former airport is in the western part of the municipal unit, near the coast. Most of the residential area is in the eastern part, east of the former airport. The northern part of the airport has been converted to a sports complex. There are plans to convert the remaining part into a park. Elliniko is well connected to the centre of Athens through a new line of the

Athens metro The Athens Metro () is a rapid transit system serving the Athens urban area in Greece. Line 1 opened as a single-track conventional steam railway in 1869 and was electrified in 1904. Beginning in 1991, Elliniko Metro S.A. constructed and ext ...

( Elliniko station). The

Athens Tram The Athens Tram is the modern public tram network system serving Athens, Greece. The system is owned and operated by STASY, which replaced Tram S.A. in June 2011. STASY operates a fleet of 25 Alstom Citadis and 35 Hitachi Sirio, Sirio vehicle ...

serves the coastal part of Elliniko.

Climate

According to the data provided by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, Elliniko, like much of the southern suburbs of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, has an average annual temperature of and receives of precipitation per year thus it marginally falls into the ''BSh'' hot

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

climate category with strong

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 ...

influences (''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 ...

. The highest temperature recorded is on August 3, 2021, while the lowest is on 18 February 2008. The highest minimum temperature of was recorded on July 26, 2023. Fog is rare, while thunderstorms occur sparsely throughout the year. Snowfall is not very common, though it occurs almost every year, but it rarely causes severe disruption to daily life.

Economy

Hellenic Imperial Airways had its head office in Elliniko.Contact Us
." Hellenic Imperial Airways. Retrieved on 10 May 2011. "Athens / Greece Hellenic Imperial Airways (Head Offices) 22, Vouliagmenis Ave. 16777 Hellinikon Athens - Greece" The Greek Civil Aviation Authority also has its head office in Elliniko.Contact us
." Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 26 May 2011. "ADDRESS: 1, Vasileos Georgiou Av. HELLINIKO T.K. 160604"
Address in Greek
: "ΔΙΕΥΘΥΝΣΗ : Βασ. Γεωργίου 1 Ελληνικό Τ.Κ. 16604" Elliniko is also home for the Greek national weather agency ( ΕΜΥ).

Sports

is located in Elliniko. It was built for the staging of the

and consists five venues. Elliniko also houses the basketball club Elliniko-Sourmena B.C. with many achievements in women's basketball.

Historical population

References

External links

Official website
{{Elliniko-Argyroupoli div Elliniko-Argyroupoli Populated places in South Athens (regional unit)