Filiatra

Filiatra (Greek: Φιλιατρά), is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is a municipal unit.^[1] It is passed by Greek National Road 9 and is located south of Kyparissia and Pyrgos, W of Kalamata and Messene and 15 km N of Gargalianoi. Its nearby communities are Armenioi or Exochori to the north and Gargalianoi to the northwest.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Filiatra is subdivided into the following communities (population in brackets):

• Chalazoni (1991 pop: 250, 2001 pop: 234)
• Christianoupoli (1991 pop: 384, 2001 pop: 702)
• Exochiko (1991 pop: 196, 2001 pop: 243)
• Filiatra
• Mali (1991 pop: 105, 2001 pop: 99)
• Plati (1991 pop: 226, 2001 pop: 174)

The community Filiatra consists of the following settlements, besides the town Filiatra proper:

• Agrilos
• Lagkouvardos - a beach area located near Agia Kyriaki. A part of Lagkouvardos is in the municipality of Filiatria and the remainder is in Gargaloani. It has a beach that is rich in sand and attracts people and tourists during the summer and features surfing.
• Limenari, the access from Filiatra to the sea. It is around 2 km from the center (downtown). It has the outer settlements, farmlands. It has a hotel unit that runs all year round.
• Stomio

Historical population

History

Filiatra was founded around the 12th and the 13th centuries. It became a new center after the ancient city of Erana of the area.

After World War II and the Greek Civil War, some of its buildings were rebuilt. Some people immigrated mostly to the developed nations and some to larger towns and cities.

About Filiatra

The weekly small newspaper for the town is Neolaia. The D Division or junior/quaternary soccer team for the town is Erani.

Filiatra has a school, a lyceum, a gymnasium, a church, a square plateia, a fountain, and banks. The square features forests surrounding the northern and the eastern part and a fountain in the middle. It also includes tables which is connected with a local restaurant and a three-storey clock tower with brown-colored bricks and a clock at the top with a white-colored wall. and The area is covered with hills filled with olive groves and some forests. Agricultural products are common including tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, zucchinis, one from the spring and until the summer farms watermelon which is the right product with exports of hundreds of tons worldwide. The Ionian Sea is west of Filiatra.

A reproduction of the Eiffel Tower stands at the entrance to the village.

Famous people

• The Liberopoulos/Lyberopoulos brothers:
  • Nikolaos Lyberopoulos, footballer/soccer player
  • Sotiris Liberopoulos, footballer/soccer player
  • Nikolaos Frousos, footballer/soccer player

• Pavlos (Dionyssopoulos), artist

See also

• List of settlements in the Messenia prefecture

References

External links

• Municipal website (Greek)
• Municipality of Filiatra Internet Portal (Greek)
• Filiatra Forum (Greek)
• Filiatra
• Pirsos
• Fykia Lyceum/Middle School (Greek)
• Erani Sporting Club (Greek)