Avlona (Athens), Greece
Encyclopedia
Avlonas is a town and a former municipality
in Attica
, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos
, of which it is a municipal unit.
It is a suburb of Athens
, located north of the city, in the northwestern part of East Attica
. The settlement (pop. 5,056 in 2001) dates back to ancient times. Avlonas is on the Malakasa–Schimatari Road and has interchanges with GR-1
/E75
and also has road links to Oropos
and Nea Palatia
and via a dirt road to Parnitha
. Avlonas has farmlands to the north and mountainous terrain with grasslands and some forests to the south. To the west is the summit of Pyrgathi, elevation 502 m, since 1947 the boundary between Attica
and Boeotia
. The highest peak visible is Mount Parnitha
, 1,413 m, to the southeast. Avlonas is located east of Thiva and south of Chalkida.
Avlonas' economy is based on businesses; it was formerly agricultural, until it was developed for housing in the 1970s and the 1980s.
The only other settlement in the municipal unit is Asprochóri (pop. 128).
It appears that the name Αvlon is connected with the worship of Dionysus
according to an ancient slab, that found in the area, dedicated to Διονυσώι Αυλωνέι (Dionysos of Avlon).
and Thessaloniki
, a post office and a few squares (plateies
).
Communities and Municipalities of Greece
For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...
in Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos
Oropos
Oropos is a small town and a municipality in East Attica, Greece.-Geography:It is situated on the southern Euboean Gulf, opposite Eretria. Oropos is located N of Avlona and Athens, E of Thebes and SE of Chalcis. Oropos is linked with the road linking Nea Palatia and Sikamino...
, of which it is a municipal unit.
It is a suburb 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...
, located north of the city, in the northwestern part of East Attica
East Attica
East Attica is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Attica. The capital of the regional unit is the town of Pallini. The regional unit covers the eastern part of the agglomeration of Athens, and also the rural area to its east....
. The settlement (pop. 5,056 in 2001) dates back to ancient times. Avlonas is on the Malakasa–Schimatari Road and has interchanges with GR-1
Greek 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,...
/E75
European route E75
European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 75 starts from Vardø, Norway in the Barents Sea and runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Republic of Macedonia to Sitia, Greece on...
and also has road links to Oropos
Oropos
Oropos is a small town and a municipality in East Attica, Greece.-Geography:It is situated on the southern Euboean Gulf, opposite Eretria. Oropos is located N of Avlona and Athens, E of Thebes and SE of Chalcis. Oropos is linked with the road linking Nea Palatia and Sikamino...
and Nea Palatia
Nea Palatia
Nea Palatia is a community in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos, of which it is a community....
and via a dirt road to Parnitha
Parnitha
Mount Parnitha is a densely forested mountain range north of Athens, the highest on the peninsula of Attica, with an elevation of 1,413 m and a summit known as Karavola...
. Avlonas has farmlands to the north and mountainous terrain with grasslands and some forests to the south. To the west is the summit of Pyrgathi, elevation 502 m, since 1947 the boundary between Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
and Boeotia
Boeotia
Boeotia, also spelled Beotia and Bœotia , is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. It was also a region of ancient Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, the second largest city being Thebes.-Geography:...
. The highest peak visible is Mount Parnitha
Parnitha
Mount Parnitha is a densely forested mountain range north of Athens, the highest on the peninsula of Attica, with an elevation of 1,413 m and a summit known as Karavola...
, 1,413 m, to the southeast. Avlonas is located east of Thiva and south of Chalkida.
Avlonas' economy is based on businesses; it was formerly agricultural, until it was developed for housing in the 1970s and the 1980s.
The only other settlement in the municipal unit is Asprochóri (pop. 128).
Name
Avlonas (Greek: Αυλώνας) is often called Avlona (Αυλώνα). Such a term however is wrong, since the masculine Avlonas should be used rather than the feminine Avlona; the ancient Greek Avlon (Αυλών) is also masculine.It appears that the name Αvlon is connected with the worship of Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
according to an ancient slab, that found in the area, dedicated to Διονυσώι Αυλωνέι (Dionysos of Avlon).
Other
Avlonas has three pre-school facilities, one elementary school, one lyceum/middle school, one gymnasio/high school, churches, a railway station on the OSE line linking AthensAthens
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...
and 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...
, a post office and a few squares (plateies
Plateia
Plateia or platia is the Greek word for town square. Most Greek and Cypriot cities have several town squares which are a point of reference in travelling and guiding...
).
Historical population
| Year | Town population | Municipality population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 5,215 | - |
| 1991 | 6,346 | 6,441 |
| 2001 | 4,980 | 5,085 |