Aigio

Aigio Αίγιο
Port of Aigio
Location
Aigio
Coordinates	38°15′N 22°5′E
Location within the regional unit
Government
Country:	Greece
Region:	West Greece
Regional unit:	Achaea
Municipality:	Aigialeia
Mayor:	Efstathios Theodorakopoulos
Population statistics (as of 2001)
Municipal unit
- Population:	27,812
- Area:	151.101 km2 (58 sq mi)
- Density:	184 /km2 (477 /sq mi)
Other
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max):	0 - 40 m ­(0 - 131 ft)
Postal:	251 00
Telephone:	2691
Auto:	ΑΧ
Website
www.aigialeia.gov.gr www.aigio.gr

Aigio (Greek: Αίγιο, Latin: Aegium, known as Vostitza from the Middle Ages until the 19th century) 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 a port town on the Gulf of Corinth.

Geography

The southwestern part of the municipality consists of the foothills of the Panachaiko mountain. The river Selinountas flows into the Gulf of Corinth in Valimitika, 5 km east of Aigio town centre. The town centre is immediately on the coast, between the ferry port and the train station. Fishermen bring their catches from a night of fishing into the markets every morning. Sites of interest include a Mycenean house dating back to ancient times, located near the cliffs. There is a hospital southwest of the town centre. Residential houses surround the city and flourish in the western part of Aigio, making it a popular destination for Athenians and others alike. Orange and lemon trees grow in most yards, and irrigation from small, open canals keeps the city greener than most.

History

Antiquity

Before the founding of the city, the area had a Neolithic settlement. Aegium was founded during Homeric times. It became a part of the Achaean League in around 800 BC. During that period, it had several Olympic athletes including Straton (Στράτων), Athenodorus (Αθηνόδωρος) and more. In 2000, the ancient city of Helike (sometimes called "The Lost Atlantis") was discovered: it had been buried by an earthquake and tsunami in 373 B.C. Archeologists are excavating the site. From 330 BC until 281 BC, it was part of the Kingdom of Macedonia. It was later the capital of the Achaean League from 281 BC until the annexation with the Roman Empire in 146 BC, after the fall of Greece, the Romans removed the wall of the city and Aigio lost its importance. Aegium took the territory of Helike. Aegium split from the Roman Empire and became a part of the (Eastern Roman) Byzantine Empire. After the Slavic invasion in 805 it was renamed Vostitza (Βοστίτσα). The origin of this name is the Old Church Slavonic word vosta or vostan which meant the city of gardens or the garden city.^{[citation needed]}

Frankish/Ottoman Era

It was handed to the Franks in the 13th century and later in the 1457 joined the Ottoman Empire with brief interruptions by the Venetians from 1463 until 1470 and from 1685 until 1715 before being conquered and returned to Ottoman hands. It was renamed after the Greek Independence. It was the first city to be liberated on March 26 during the revolution of 1821.

Modern Era

On June 15, 1995, a serious earthquake destroyed many buildings and damaged roads in the downtown and southwestern sections, with a number of casualties. The earthquake shattered Aigio: small memorials are found throughout the city, with candles aglow day and night to remember the victims. The mountainous countryside near Aigio was severely damaged by the 2007 Greek forest fires.

Transportation

The Port of Aigion provides ferry service to Agios Nikolaos in the northeast. Ferry service is very small and only has three Ferries daily. The trip is 45 minutes long. The port is crossed by rail. The Aigio railway station, on the line from Patras to Corinth, is on the sea front east of the port. The city can be accessed by Greek National Road 8A (Patras - Corinth) and Greek National Road 31 (Aigio - Kalavryta).

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Aigio is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):

• Aigio (Aigio, Agios Nikolaos, Sotir, Foniskaria)
• Chatzis
• Dafnes (Dafnes, Agios Ilias)
• Digeliotika
• Kouloura
• Koumari
• Kounina (Kounina, Agia Anna, Pelekistra, Petrovouni)
• Mavriki (Ano Mavriki, Agios Ioannis, Kato Mavriki)
• Melissia (Melissia, Lakka, Pyrgaki)
• Paraskevi
• Pteri (Pteri, Achladea, Agios Andreas, Agios Panteleimonas, Boufouskia, Kato Pteri)
• Selinounta
• Temeni
• Valimitika

Historical population

Year	Municipal district	Municipality
1981	20,955	-
1991	22,178	28,903
2001	21,255	27,741

Mayors

• Anastasios Lontos
• Dimitrios Meletopoulos
• Dimitrios Oreinos
• Georgios Meletopoulos
• Inokentios Romaniolis
• Diomidis Polychroniadis
• Andreas Michalopoulos
• Sotirios Messinezis
• Athanassios Farazoulis
• Konstantinos Kanellopoulos
• Spyros Panagiotopoulos
• Leonidas Petropoulos
• Panagos Lyrintzis
• Efthymios Gatos
• Christos Lambouris
• Georgios Kanellopoulos
• Polychronis Noukopoulos
• Polychronis Polychroniadis
• Ioannis Stavropoulos (until 1936)
• Sotiris Stavropoulos (1936–1941), (1951–1952)

Notable people

• Dimitrios Meletopoulos, fighter in the Greek War of Independence

Newspapers

• Filodimos
• Proti tis Aigialeias

Sporting clubs

• Aris Valimitika
• Egieas Egion
• Olympiakos Aigio
• Panaigialeios - fourth division
• T.A.D. '93 Aigiou
• Thyella Aigio

See also

• List of settlements in the Achaea prefecture
• Gabriel Aghion

External links

• Official website of the city of Aigio
• The directory of the city of Aigio (Greek)
• GTP - Aigio
• GTP - Municipality of Aigio
• Ancient Aegium
• Blog regarding the city of Aigio