Diakopto
Encyclopedia
Diakopto is a town and a former municipality
in Achaea
, West Greece, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia
, of which it is a municipal unit. Population app. 7,005 (2001). The town of Diakopto is situated on the Gulf of Corinth
, (located 1 km north) and at the lower end of the Vouraikos Gorge. A gauge rack and pinion railway built in 1885 leads up to the town of Kalavryta
passing at about halfway the Mega-Spileon Monastery. In the area there were three ancient cities, Bura, Helike and Keryneia. Diakopto is served with the old GR-8
(Athens - Corinth - Patras
) which passes 1 km to the south. Diakopto is located approximately 175 km west of Athens
, about 40 km east of Patras
, about 40 km north of Kalavryta
, 20 km east of Aigio
and about 15 km west of Aigeira
.
The municipality was created in 1835, fourteen years after the start of the Greek War of Independence
and a couple of years after the final victory. The municipality was known as Voura (Βουρά).
s, fruits and vegetables, pastures and other crops. The mountains cover the southern portion with forests dominating the greater part with some grasslands and bushes and rocks and ledges especially in the gorge located to the south. The Vouraikos river flows about 1 km west Diakopto. It has a beach located 1 km north of the town centre.
Turks
with some interruption by the Venetians in the mid to late-15th century and the mid to late-16th century. Diakopto was finally Greek after the Greek War of Independence
of 1821, right after the signing of the declaration of independence.
After World War II
and the Greek Civil War
many of its buildings were rebuilt; the population boomed since that time and emigration has been small. The population reached the 2,000 mark in the late-1980s. The tremendous fire that ravaged Central Aigialeia and south of the village had little effect on the village. Overall no fires were reported and the entire area north of the mountains was protected from that huge forest fire. The southern part of the district was affected in an area of Ano Diakopto located south of the town.
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 Achaea
Achaea
Achaea is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras. The population exceeds 300,000 since 2001.-Geography:...
, West Greece, 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 Aigialeia
Aigialeia
Aigialeia is a municipality and a former province of the Achaea peripheral unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Aigio. The main towns are Aigio, Akrata and Diakopto. The mountains dominate the central, the southern and the western part, farmlands dominate the northern part...
, of which it is a municipal unit. Population app. 7,005 (2001). The town of Diakopto is situated on the Gulf of Corinth
Gulf of Corinth
The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece...
, (located 1 km north) and at the lower end of the Vouraikos Gorge. A gauge rack and pinion railway built in 1885 leads up to the town of Kalavryta
Kalavryta
Kalavryta is a town and a municipality in the eastcentral part of the peripheral unit of Achaea, Greece. It is the southern terminus of the Kalavryta - Diakopto Road and the eastern terminus of the Patras - Kalavryta Road. It is located approx...
passing at about halfway the Mega-Spileon Monastery. In the area there were three ancient cities, Bura, Helike and Keryneia. Diakopto is served with the old GR-8
Greek National Road 8
The National Road 8 in Greece is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the Attica and Peloponnese regions. It links the cities of Patras, Corinth and Athens. Until the 1960s when the National Road 8A, a toll road, replaced it as a major route, it was the only road linking Athens and...
(Athens - Corinth - Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
) which passes 1 km to the south. Diakopto is located approximately 175 km west 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...
, about 40 km east of Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, about 40 km north of Kalavryta
Kalavryta
Kalavryta is a town and a municipality in the eastcentral part of the peripheral unit of Achaea, Greece. It is the southern terminus of the Kalavryta - Diakopto Road and the eastern terminus of the Patras - Kalavryta Road. It is located approx...
, 20 km east of Aigio
Aigio
Aigio is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Its population is around 30,000. Aigio is surrounded by trees in the north and cliffs in the...
and about 15 km west of Aigeira
Aigeira
Aigeira or Aegira is a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Aigialeia, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located about 500 m SW of the Gulf of Corinth in the northeastern part of Achaea. It is located on...
.
The municipality was created in 1835, fourteen years after the start of the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
and a couple of years after the final victory. The municipality was known as Voura (Βουρά).
Subdivisions
The municipal unit Diakopto is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):- Ano DiakoptoAno DiakoptoAno Diakopto is a Greek village located west of Corinth and Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and east of Aigio and Patras. The GR-9 Ano Diakopto (Greek: Άνω Διακοπτό meaning Upper Diakopto) is a Greek village located west of Corinth and Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and east of Aigio...
(Ano Diakopto, Pounta) - Diakopto (Diakopto, Kalyvitis, Kernitsa, Lofos)
- ElaionasElaionas, AchaeaElaionas is a Greek village located in the north of the Peloponnese peninsula. West of Corinth and Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and east of Aigio and Patras. It is accessible through the old Greek National Road 8 . Elaionas had a 2001 population of 767...
(Elaionas, Metochi, Terpsithea) - ElikiElikiEliki , is a Greek village in Achaea. Eliki is located about 15 km east of Aigio, about 45 km east of Patras, west of Diakopto and northwest of Kalavryta. Eliki is also in the municipality of Diakopto and had a population of 565 in 2001. Eliki is linked with the road linking with the...
(Eliki, Kalanteri) - Katholiko
- KeryneiaKeryneia, GreeceKeryneia is a Greek village located west of Corinth and Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and east of Aigio and Patras. The GR-9 Keryneia (Greek: Κερύνεια) is a Greek village located west of Corinth and Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and east of Aigio and Patras. The GR-9 Keryneia...
(Keryneia, Nea Keryneia) - Mamousia (Mamousia, Derveni, Stavria)
- NikoleikaNikoleikaNikoleika or Nikolaiika is a Greek village located east of Aigio, west of Corinth, west Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and about 52 east of Patras. The GR-9 Nikoleika or Nikolaiika (Greek: Νικολαίικα) is a Greek village located east of Aigio, west of Corinth, west Athens, north-northwest of...
- RizomylosRizomylos, AchaeaRizomylos is a Greek beach village located east of Aigio, west of Corinth, west Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and east of Patras in the municipality of Diakopto. Its beaches are one of the most well known on the Gulf of Corinth...
- RodiaRodia, AchaeaRodia is a Greek town located nearly 10 to 15 km southeast from Aigio, west of Corinth and north-northwest of Kalavryta.- Geography :...
- TrapezaTrapeza, AchaeaTrapeza is a Greek town located nearly 60 km east of Patras, about 10 km west of Aigio, west of Corinth, about 154 km west of Athens and north-northwest of Kalavryta. Trapeza had a population of 210 in 2001. Trapeza is in the municipal unit of Diakopto. Its older name was Nea...
(Trapeza, Paralia Trapezis) - ZachloritikaZachloritikaZachloritika is a Greek village located about southwest of Diakopto, west of Corinth, about 3 km west of Diakopto and Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and about 45 east of Patras and southeast of Aigio. The GR-9 Zachloritika (Greek: Ζαχλωρίτικα) is a Greek village located about southwest...
Coat of arms
Its logo is stylistic and modernized. The scribbly form of the letter delta is on the right over the golden wave. A gray line is on the right end. The three main features are over the purple rock wall with a golden rim, ordered from top to bottom, it features the ancient column from Diakopto, its ancient theatre and the rack railway. The municipal name written in Greek is at the bottom.Geography
Its geography consists of farmlands that stretch as far as 500 m from the gulf. Its main production includes oliveOlive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s, fruits and vegetables, pastures and other crops. The mountains cover the southern portion with forests dominating the greater part with some grasslands and bushes and rocks and ledges especially in the gorge located to the south. The Vouraikos river flows about 1 km west Diakopto. It has a beach located 1 km north of the town centre.
Population
| Year | Municipality population | Village population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | - | 1,848 |
| 1991 | 7,023 | 2,109 |
| 2001 | 7,005 | 2,290 |
History
The village was ruled by the OttomanOttoman 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...
Turks
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
with some interruption by the Venetians in the mid to late-15th century and the mid to late-16th century. Diakopto was finally Greek after the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
of 1821, right after the signing of the declaration of independence.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
many of its buildings were rebuilt; the population boomed since that time and emigration has been small. The population reached the 2,000 mark in the late-1980s. The tremendous fire that ravaged Central Aigialeia and south of the village had little effect on the village. Overall no fires were reported and the entire area north of the mountains was protected from that huge forest fire. The southern part of the district was affected in an area of Ano Diakopto located south of the town.