Almyros
Encyclopedia
Almyros is a town and a municipality of the peripheral unit
of Magnesia, periphery
of Thessaly
, Greece
. It lies in the center of prosperous fertile plain known as 'Krokio Pedio', which is crossed by torrents, and produces wheat, tobacco, and other crops. Almyros is an important agricultural and commercial center of Magnesia, and is also developing as a tourist center for the area. The main agricultural products are tomatoes, cottons, wheats and dried nuts.
(about 10 km south of Almyros), the ruins of which can still be visited. Alos was a very important and populous town, famous for its port and for its role in the Persian Wars. After the Byzantine Empire
, because of pirate raids, they built the town in the place that it is today. In 1838, the settlement was described as being "a Turkish
town, situated on the western coast of the Pagasitic Gulf, half an hour's journey inland, on the Plain of Krokios, and consisting of some 300 dwellings. It is chiefly inhabited by Turks, with only a few Christian
settlers, who cultivate the lands of the Turks residing there". The Ottoman Empire
ceded most of Thessaly in 1881, followed by development and repopulation by Greeks.
In 1980 a catastrophic magnitude 6.5 earthquake destroyed most of the town.
and is passed by the old road. It is located 35 km SW of Volos
, about 280 km (old prob. 320 km) NW of Athens
, NNE of Lamia
, E of Karditsa
, ESE of Trikala
, SE of Larissa
and S of Thessaloniki
.
Peripheral units of Greece
The 74 regional units are administrative units of Greece. They are subdivisions of the country's 13 regions, further subdivided into municipalities. They were introduced as part of the "Kallikratis" administrative reform on 1 January 2011 and are comparable in size and often coterminous with the...
of Magnesia, periphery
Peripheries of Greece
The current official regional administrative divisions of Greece were instituted in 1987. Although best translated into English as "regions", the transcription peripheries is sometimes used, perhaps to distinguish them from the traditional regions which they replaced. The English word 'periphery'...
of Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the center of prosperous fertile plain known as 'Krokio Pedio', which is crossed by torrents, and produces wheat, tobacco, and other crops. Almyros is an important agricultural and commercial center of Magnesia, and is also developing as a tourist center for the area. The main agricultural products are tomatoes, cottons, wheats and dried nuts.
History
The history of Almyros begins with the ancient city of AlosAlos, Greece
Alos or Halos was an ancient Greek city, located 10 km south from present-day Almyros. The city is mentioned by Herodotus as one of the places where the Persian king Xerxes stayed in the summer of 480 during his attack on Greece; Herodotus digresses upon a human sacrifice ritual...
(about 10 km south of Almyros), the ruins of which can still be visited. Alos was a very important and populous town, famous for its port and for its role in the Persian Wars. After the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, because of pirate raids, they built the town in the place that it is today. In 1838, the settlement was described as being "a Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
town, situated on the western coast of the Pagasitic Gulf, half an hour's journey inland, on the Plain of Krokios, and consisting of some 300 dwellings. It is chiefly inhabited by Turks, with only a few Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
settlers, who cultivate the lands of the Turks residing there". The Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
ceded most of Thessaly in 1881, followed by development and repopulation by Greeks.
In 1980 a catastrophic magnitude 6.5 earthquake destroyed most of the town.
Municipality
The municipality Almyros was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:- Almyros
- AnavraAnavraAnavra is a village and a former community in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Almyros, of which it is a municipal unit. According to the census of 2001 the population of Anavra was 987 citizens...
- PteleosPteleosPteleos is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Almyros, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,881 . It contains several beaches, as well as a plethora of beach-bars, taverns, restaurants,...
- SourpiSourpiSourpi is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Almyros, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,314 ....
Subdivisions
The municipal unit of Almyros is divided into the following communities: Almyros, Efxeinoupoli, Anthotopos, Kokkotoi, Kroki, Kofoi, Platanos, and Fylaki.Landmarks
- The Archaeological Museum of Almyros includes local artifacts and exhibits from the NeolithicNeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period, through Mycenean, Geometric, Classical, Hellenistic periods, and later Roman years. Opposite the museum is the old High School, the Gymnasium of Almyros, which is a classic monumental building from the beginning of 20th century. The Museum and Gymnasium are the oldest buildings in the area.
- The Kouri forest, about 2 km from the town of Almyros, encompasses coastal wetlands, brackishBrackish waterBrackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
marshland, and over 10 km² of lowland oak forest. The forest provides a home to deer, roe deerRoe DeerThe European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
, and other small fauna, while the area is important to migratory birds, such as the mute swanMute SwanThe Mute Swan is a species of swan, and thus a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe and Asia, and the far north of Africa. It is also an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa. The name 'mute' derives from it being less...
, spoonbillSpoonbillSpoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
, glossy ibisGlossy IbisThe Glossy Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas...
, and various heronHeronThe herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s. There are footpaths, as well as a miniature train for a brief tour through the woods and over small bridges.
- There are several sandy beaches in the municipality of Almyros. South of the town are the moderately wooded Othrys mountainsMount OthrysMount Othrys is a mountain in Central Greece in the northeastern part of Fthiotis and southern part of Magnesia. The mountaintop is at the prefectural and the regional border at 1,728 m. Much of the area is unpopulated in the northern part and the southwestern part...
. 17 km from the town of Almyros but still in Almyros province, high in the Othrys mountains, is the 12th century Monastery of Panagia Xenia, with wall paintings, treasuries, and a library.
Geography
Almyros is linked with GR-1Greek National Road 1
The Greek Motorway 1 is a motorway, partly under construction, and the 2nd longest in Greece. It is the principal north-south road connection in Greece, connecting the country's capital Athens with the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia, as well as the country's second largest city,...
and is passed by the old road. It is located 35 km SW of Volos
Volos
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...
, about 280 km (old prob. 320 km) NW of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, NNE of Lamia
Lamia (city)
Lamia is a city in central Greece. The city has a continuous history since antiquity, and is today the capital of the regional unit of Phthiotis and of the Central Greece region .-Name:...
, E of Karditsa
Karditsa
Karditsa is a city in western Thessaly in mainland Greece. The city of Karditsa is the capital of Karditsa peripheral unit.Inhabitation is attested from 9000 BCE. Karditsa ls linked with GR-30, the road to Karpenisi, and the road to Palamas and Larissa...
, ESE of Trikala
Trikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
, SE of Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
and S of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
.
Historical population
| Year | Town population | Municipality population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 6,730 | - |
| 1991 | 8,502 | 14,046 |
| 2001 | 7,566 | 12,987 |
External links
- Almyros Newspaper
- Agios Dimitrios Church in Almyros TrekEarth. Site includes several dozen photographs in and around Almyros, including the Kouri forest, Monastery of Panagia Xenia, and Almyros beach.
- The Jewish Community of Volos "KIS, the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece" website. Includes history of Jewish communities in the Almyros region.
| North: Nea Agchialos | ||
| West: | Argalasti | East: Pagasetic Gulf Pagasetic Gulf The Pagasetic Gulf is a rounded gulf in the prefecture of Magnesia that is formed by the Mount Pelion peninsula. It is connected with the Euboic Sea... |
| South: Sourpi Sourpi Sourpi is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Almyros, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,314 .... |