Pyrgos, Elis

Pyrgos (Greek: Πύργος, "tower") is the capital of the Elis regional unit in Greece. It is named after a local tower. The city is located in the western part of the Peloponnese, in the middle of a plain near the Ionian Sea. It is 96 km away from Patras via Greek National Road 9, 320 km from Athens, and 144 km from Tripoli. It is bypassed by GR-9/E-55 or GR-74 (eastbound) to its east. The town of Katakolo lies 12 km to the west. Olympia is also nearby, as are Agios Georgios to the north and Lampeti to the east. The Alfeios River is about 4 km to the south. The population of Pyrgos is 34,902 people. Television stations include Cosmos and ORT (Olympiaki Radiophonio Teleorassi, literally Olympic Broadcasting Television).

Historical population

Municipality

The municipality Pyrgos was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:^[1]

• Iardanos
• Oleni
• Pyrgos
• Volakas

Subdivisions

The municipal unit of Pyrgos is divided into the following communities (settlements within the communities given in brackets):

• Pyrgos (Pyrgos, Anthopyrgos, Kavasilakia, Syntriada, Tragano)
• Agios Georgios
• Agios Ilias (Agios Ilias, Pyrgi, Stamatelaiika)
• Agios Ioannis (Agios Ioannis, Kyani Akti, Palatas, Tragano)
• Ampelonas (Ampelonas, Kouzouli, Rozeika)
• Elaionas (Elaionas, Vytinaiika)
• Granitsaiika (Granitsaiika, Kavouri)
• Katakolo (Katakolo, Agios Andreas)
• Koliri (Koliri, Kolireikes Paragkes)
• Korakochori (Korakochori, Agios Andreas, Kallithea, Bouka)
• Lasteika (Lasteika, Itia)
• Leventochori
• Myrtia
• Palaiovarvasaina (Palaiovarvasaina, Agios Georgios, Kampos)
• Salmoni (Salmoni, Alfeios)
• Skafidia (Skafidia, Kalakaiika, Moni Skafidias, Patronikoleika)
• Skourochori (Skourochori, Kato Kavouri)
• Varvasaina (Varvasaina, Kato Varvasaina)
• Vytinaiika

Transportation

Pyrgos has a train station with regular trains between Katakolon and Olympia, as well as other cities in Peloponese. It also has a bus terminal with regular buses to some of the villages in Ilias as well as to larger cities such as Patras, Ioannina, Athens and Thessaloniki.

Sporting teams

• Paniliakos (played in the first division during the 2003–2004 season)

Notable people

• Andreas Avgerinos (1820–1895), politician
• Petros Avgerinos (19th century), politician, mayor of Pyrgos
• Nakis Avgerinos (1911–2001), politician
• Giorgos Karagounis (1977-), footballer
• Kostas Kazakos (1935-), actor and politician
• George Pavlopoulos (1924-), poet
• Takis Sinopoulos (1917–1981), poet
• Stephanos Stephanopoulos (1898–1982), politician and 165th Prime Minister of Greece

See also

• List of settlements in the Elis prefecture

References

External links

• Radio stations in Pyrgos
• GTP - Pyrgos
• GTP - Municipality of Pyrgos