Gorgopotamos
Encyclopedia
Gorgopotamos is a village and a former municipality in Phthiotis
, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lamia
, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located 10 km southwest of Lamia. Its 2001 population was 443 for the village and 4,510 for the municipal unit. The seat of the municipality was in Moschochori. It is named after the Gorgopotamos river which flows nearby (its name means in Greek "the rushing river"). The Oiti mountains and the Oiti National Park lie to the southwest. The municipal unit of Gorgopotamos borders Lamia to the north and Phocis
to the southwest.
, south of Larissa
, southwest of Volos
, north of Amfissa
and east of Karpenissi.
). Gorgopotamos featured a watermill and electricity as well as an acetyl
plant between 1907 and 1945.
At the elevation of 800 m, Kangelogefirou features several stone bridges and waterfalls.
At the slope of Kallidromo is the village of Eleftherochori situated at 800 m above sea level, with many pine trees and a view of the Malian Gulf
.
The village of Pavliani, built at the slops of mountain Oitis, features the Heraklia castle and is near the highest mountain bridge in Greece.
The village of Damasta features the natural spring known as Psoroneri.
The river of Gorgopotamos is host to the Ellinopygosteos fish (Pungitius hellenicus).
, when 150 Greek
partisans, following plans drawn by E. C. W. "Eddie" Myers and assisted by a group of British SOE
officers, which included C.M. Woodhouse, blew up the railroad bridge over the Gorgopotamos river on November 25, 1942 as part of "Operation Harling
" and cut off the enemy-controlled route between Thessaloniki
and Athens
. The blast ruined two of the six poles of the bridge. In an act of reprisals, the German occupation forces executed 16 Greek locals. The area around the bridge has been designated a national monument.
After World War II and the Greek Civil War
, the bridge of Gorgopotamos was partially rebuilt, the poles being replaced with steel girders. Minor improvements in local condition would not inhibit emigration of the population after the war.
Gorgopotamos was eventually connected with the asphalt-paved road network in the 1960s. Electricity, radio and automobiles were introduced in the 1950s, television in the l970s and computer and internet at the turn of the century. The municipality was officially established in the late-1990s. In the 1990s, Pedini increased significantly in population, as it became a place of tourist attraction.
Phthiotis
Phthiotis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is bordered by the Malian Gulf to the east, Boeotia in the south, Phocis in the south, Aetolia-Acarnania in the southwest, Evrytania in the west,...
, 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 Lamia
Lamia (city)
Lamia is a city in central Greece. The city has a continuous history since antiquity, and is today the capital of the regional unit of Phthiotis and of the Central Greece region .-Name:...
, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located 10 km southwest of Lamia. Its 2001 population was 443 for the village and 4,510 for the municipal unit. The seat of the municipality was in Moschochori. It is named after the Gorgopotamos river which flows nearby (its name means in Greek "the rushing river"). The Oiti mountains and the Oiti National Park lie to the southwest. The municipal unit of Gorgopotamos borders Lamia to the north and Phocis
Phocis
Phocis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. It stretches from the western mountainsides of Parnassus on the east to the mountain range of Vardousia on the west, upon the Gulf of Corinth...
to the southwest.
Subdivisions
- Gorgopotamos
- Damasta (Ano Damasta, Kato Damasta, Chalvantzaiika)
- Delfino
- Dyo Vouna
- Eleftherochori
- Irakleia
- Koumaritsi
- Moschochori
- Neo Krikello
- Oiti (Oiti, Skamnos)
- Vardates (Ano Vardates)
Population
| Year | Population village | Municipal district population | Municipality population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 332 | - | - |
| 1991 | 429 | - | 4,401 |
| 2001 | 443 | 472 | 4,510 |
Location
Gorgopotamos is located 225 km NNW of AthensAthens
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...
, south of Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
, southwest of Volos
Volos
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...
, north of Amfissa
Amfissa
Amfissa is a town and a former municipality in Phocis, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Delphi, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is also the capital of the regional unit of Phocis...
and east of Karpenissi.
Geography
The geography varies heavily, with marshes and farmlands to the east and more farmlands in the valley areas, hills to the center, forests up to 1,500 m and grasslands higher.Features
The village of Gorgopotamos has a school, a lyceum (middle school), a gymnasium (secondary school), a church, a post office, a train station and a square (plateiaPlateia
Plateia or platia is the Greek word for town square. Most Greek and Cypriot cities have several town squares which are a point of reference in travelling and guiding...
). Gorgopotamos featured a watermill and electricity as well as an acetyl
Acetyl
In organic chemistry, acetyl is a functional group, the acyl with chemical formula COCH3. It is sometimes represented by the symbol Ac . The acetyl group contains a methyl group single-bonded to a carbonyl...
plant between 1907 and 1945.
At the elevation of 800 m, Kangelogefirou features several stone bridges and waterfalls.
At the slope of Kallidromo is the village of Eleftherochori situated at 800 m above sea level, with many pine trees and a view of the Malian Gulf
Malian Gulf
The Malian or Maliac Gulf is a gulf of the Aegean Sea in the region of Phthiotis in eastern Central Greece. The gulf is named after the ancient Malians who lived on its shores....
.
The village of Pavliani, built at the slops of mountain Oitis, features the Heraklia castle and is near the highest mountain bridge in Greece.
The village of Damasta features the natural spring known as Psoroneri.
The river of Gorgopotamos is host to the Ellinopygosteos fish (Pungitius hellenicus).
History
The name of Gorgopotamos became famous during World War IIWorld 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...
, when 150 Greek
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
partisans, following plans drawn by E. C. W. "Eddie" Myers and assisted by a group of British SOE
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
officers, which included C.M. Woodhouse, blew up the railroad bridge over the Gorgopotamos river on November 25, 1942 as part of "Operation Harling
Operation Harling
Operation Harling was a World War II mission by the British Special Operations Executive , in cooperation with the Greek Resistance groups ELAS and EDES, which destroyed the heavily guarded Gorgopotamos viaduct in Central Greece on 25 November 1942...
" and cut off the enemy-controlled route between Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
and 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...
. The blast ruined two of the six poles of the bridge. In an act of reprisals, the German occupation forces executed 16 Greek locals. The area around the bridge has been designated a national monument.
After World War II 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...
, the bridge of Gorgopotamos was partially rebuilt, the poles being replaced with steel girders. Minor improvements in local condition would not inhibit emigration of the population after the war.
Gorgopotamos was eventually connected with the asphalt-paved road network in the 1960s. Electricity, radio and automobiles were introduced in the 1950s, television in the l970s and computer and internet at the turn of the century. The municipality was officially established in the late-1990s. In the 1990s, Pedini increased significantly in population, as it became a place of tourist attraction.