Pyrgos, Elis

Pyrgos (Greek: Πύργος, meaning "tower") is a city in the northwestern Peloponnese, Greece, capital of the regional unit of Elis and the seat of the Municipality of Pyrgos. The city is located in the middle of a plain, 4 kilometres (2 miles) from the Ionian Sea. The river Alfeios flows into sea about 7 km (4 mi) south of Pyrgos. The population of the town Pyrgos is 25,180, and of the municipality 47,995 (2011). Pyrgos is 16 km (10 mi) west of Olympia, 16 km (10 mi) southeast of Amaliada, 70 km (43 mi) southwest of Patras and 85 km (53 mi) west of Tripoli.

Pyrgos

Πύργος
The Latseio town hall of Pyrgos
Seal
Pyrgos
Location within the region
Coordinates: 37°40′N 21°26′E
CountryGreece
Administrative regionWest Greece
Regional unitElis
Government
 • MayorPanagiotis Antonakopoulos
Area
 • Municipality456.6 km2 (176.3 sq mi)
 • Municipal unit170.9 km2 (66.0 sq mi)
Highest elevation
3 m (10 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Municipality
47,995
 • Municipality density110/km2 (270/sq mi)
 • Municipal unit
35,572
 • Municipal unit density210/km2 (540/sq mi)
Community
 • Population25,180 (2011)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
271 xx
Area code(s)26210
Vehicle registrationHA
Website

Historical population
YearTown populationMunicipal unit populationMunicipality population
198121,958--
199128,46539,183-
200123,79134,90251,777
201125,18035,57247,995

Municipality
The municipal market, work by Ernst Ziller
Beach of Pyrgos

The municipality Pyrgos was formed during the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:[2]

The municipality has an area of 456.610 km2, the municipal unit 170.866 km2.[3]

Subdivisions

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

History

History of the name
Pyrgos, 1896

In the 1510s, during Ottoman rule over Greece, a villager from Kalavryta decided to move and reform the area of Pyrgos which up until then was uncultivated. During this reformation he found in a well a large amount of gold ancient coins which he delivered to the Sultan as the rightful owner. The Sultan, Selim I (1470-1520), in order to honor his integrity named him ruler of the region (1512) and gave him a great acreage expanding from Alfeios river until the village Agios Ioannis which is located near Katakolo (the main port of the Elis region). This area was encompassing today's Pyrgos and was uninhabited. According to the stories the new ruler built a great tower (Πύργος, pyrgos in Greek) on a hill in order to supervise his fields and his flocks. This was the first settlement of the area.[4][5][6]

Climate

Pyrgos has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa) with hot and dry summers and rainy winters with generally mild temperatures. Annual precipitation is sizeable, above 900 mm, and it peaks in late autumn.

Climate data for Pyrgos
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 14.6
(58.3)		 15.0
(59.0)		 17.2
(63.0)		 19.8
(67.6)		 24.6
(76.3)		 28.9
(84.0)		 31.7
(89.1)		 31.8
(89.2)		 29.1
(84.4)		 24.7
(76.5)		 19.3
(66.7)		 15.9
(60.6)		 22.7
(72.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 9.6
(49.3)		 10.1
(50.2)		 12.2
(54.0)		 15.0
(59.0)		 19.6
(67.3)		 23.8
(74.8)		 26.3
(79.3)		 26.1
(79.0)		 23.0
(73.4)		 18.5
(65.3)		 13.9
(57.0)		 11.0
(51.8)		 17.4
(63.4)
Average low °C (°F) 4.8
(40.6)		 5.1
(41.2)		 6.3
(43.3)		 8.6
(47.5)		 12.0
(53.6)		 14.9
(58.8)		 17.0
(62.6)		 17.4
(63.3)		 15.1
(59.2)		 12.3
(54.1)		 9.1
(48.4)		 6.5
(43.7)		 10.8
(51.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 136.4
(5.37)		 111.5
(4.39)		 71.5
(2.81)		 63.3
(2.49)		 24.0
(0.94)		 8.2
(0.32)		 4.5
(0.18)		 14.7
(0.58)		 27.7
(1.09)		 103.4
(4.07)		 194.0
(7.64)		 161.7
(6.37)		 920.9
(36.25)
Average rainy days 12.2 11.5 9.6 8.5 5.6 1.9 0.7 1.3 3.2 8.0 12.2 13.2 87.9
Average relative humidity (%) 73.5 71.8 71.1 70.5 67.7 62.4 60.1 62.5 67.0 70.8 75.2 75.5 69.0
Mean monthly sunshine hours 143.2 147.4 193.4 227.2 285.3 332.3 360.4 333.9 263.6 215.2 152.5 124.9 2,779.3
Source: Hellenic National Meteorological Service[7]

Transportation
The bus terminal in Pyrgos.
The railway station, another work by Ernst Ziller

Pyrgos has a train station with regular trains to the port of Katakolo and Olympia. Service on the line from Patras to Kalamata via Pyrgos has been suspended in 2011. Pyrgos has a bus terminal, served by KTEL Ileias, with regular buses for the regional routes to most places in Elis as well as for intercity routes to Athens and to larger cities such as Patras, Kalamata, Ioannina and Thessaloniki.[8] The Greek National Road 9 connects Pyrgos with Patras and Kyparissia, the Greek National Road 74 run from Pyrgos to Tripoli via Olympia. The nearest airport is located in Andravida near the town of Amaliada but it is served for military operations only. However, there are plans to open passenger operations in the next years. The alterative airports for passenger operations are Araxos airport. located in the province of Aichaia about 60 km or Kalamata Captain Vasilios Constatakopoulos airport, in Messinia province near Kalamata about 120 km from the city.

Education

Department of Museum Studies of the university of Patras based in the city.

Sporting teams
  • Paniliakos F.C. (played last in the first division during the 2003–2004 season)

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
  2. Kallikratis law Greece Ministry of Interior (in Greek)
  3. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece.
  4. Κάπος, Μιλτιάδης (1996). Η Ηλεία στο μύθο και την ιστορία. Athens. ISBN 9789608301078.
  5. Δόξας, Τάκης (1965). Το χρονικό του Πύργου. Pyrgos.
  6. "Η πόλη του Πύργου και το όνομά της | Δημόσια Κεντρική Βιβλιοθήκη Πύργου". vivliothiki-pirgou.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  7. "Mean Pyrgos Climatic Averages". Hellenic National Meteorological Service. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  8. KTEL Ileias
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