Smila, Greece
Encyclopedia
Smila is a little village near Olympia
, Greece
, with about 500 citizens. It is about in the middle of Pyrgos and Olympia. Its 2001 population was 453 for the village and 522 for the municipal district. It is located about 15 to 20 km north of the GR-74
(Pyrgos - Tripoli
).
, east of Pyrgos, northwest of Olympia
and north of Krestena
.
(the artist who made the famous statue of Hermes
), lost his tool which was called "Smili". A lot of ancient artifacts where found in this village, especially in the northern part of it and are exhibits in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. A great cheesemaking tradition has been established in Smila over the past few years, with a lot of famous cheesemakers (tirobixtes in Greek slug) having been born in Smila, some of who have found extensive occupation as ship chefs.
After World War II
and the Greek Civil War
, much of the population left for larger towns and cities especially the nearby Patras
. The population remained steady since the mid to late 20th century. Houses were stone-built until the 1950s and did not surpass modern-style homes until the 1980s. It was linked with pavement in the 1980s. The population stably grew between 1981 and 2001.
The village was endangered by a fire
in 2007 that arrived from the south of the banks of the Alfeios, flames plundered the forests around the area and changed its geographical shape to an ashy situation, some flames came from the souhtwest which included Varvasaina and Platanos
. Firefighters battled the blaze along with choppers and airplanes and began between 2 to 4 PM (14:00 to 16:00) on Sunday August 26 and continued through the evening hours. It transformed into an ugly not so beautiful scene that became all burnt and grey, the air became stale. It may take several years to recover the forests, planting will rarely be done.
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, with about 500 citizens. It is about in the middle of Pyrgos and Olympia. Its 2001 population was 453 for the village and 522 for the municipal district. It is located about 15 to 20 km north of the GR-74
Greek National Road 74
Greek National Road 74 is a highway linking Pyrgos, Olympia, Tripoli and GR-7/E65. The west to east highway runs in the western and the central part of the Peloponnese. The highway begins in Pyrgos and into the hills and Olympia and used to ran through narrow roads which now bypasses Pyrgos and...
(Pyrgos - Tripoli
Tripoli, Greece
Tripoli is a city of about 25,000 inhabitants in the central part of the Peloponnese, in Greece. It is the capital of the prefecture of Arcadia and the centre of the municipality of Tripolis, pop...
).
Distances
Smila is located about south of PatrasPatras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, east of Pyrgos, northwest of Olympia
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
and north of Krestena
Krestena
Krestena is a town in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andritsaina-Krestena, of which it is the seat of administration....
.
Population
| Year | Village population | Municipal district population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 484 | - |
| 1991 | 528 | - |
| 2001 | 453 | 522 |
Geography
Smila is situated in a valley area that contains mainly farmlands, forests covers the majority of the area, the remainder are made up of Farmlands which are situated within the village and by its valleys. The average elevation is as low as 50 m tall and as high as 100 m tall. Forests includes pines, firs, spruces and cypresses.Information
The myth says that it was called so, because there PraxitelesPraxiteles
Praxiteles of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus the Elder, was the most renowned of the Attic sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue...
(the artist who made the famous statue of Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
), lost his tool which was called "Smili". A lot of ancient artifacts where found in this village, especially in the northern part of it and are exhibits in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. A great cheesemaking tradition has been established in Smila over the past few years, with a lot of famous cheesemakers (tirobixtes in Greek slug) having been born in Smila, some of who have found extensive occupation as ship chefs.
After World War II
World 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...
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...
, much of the population left for larger towns and cities especially the nearby Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
. The population remained steady since the mid to late 20th century. Houses were stone-built until the 1950s and did not surpass modern-style homes until the 1980s. It was linked with pavement in the 1980s. The population stably grew between 1981 and 2001.
The village was endangered by a fire
2007 Greek forest fires
The 2007 Greek forest fires were a series of massive forest fires that broke out in several areas across Greece throughout the summer of 2007. The most destructive and lethal infernos broke out on August 23, expanded rapidly and raged out of control until August 27, until they were put out in early...
in 2007 that arrived from the south of the banks of the Alfeios, flames plundered the forests around the area and changed its geographical shape to an ashy situation, some flames came from the souhtwest which included Varvasaina and Platanos
Platanos, Ilia
Platanos is a Greek town in Elis, part of the municipality of Ancient Olympia. Platanos is bypassed with the old GR-74 since the mid to late 20th century, the old highway runs through the village...
. Firefighters battled the blaze along with choppers and airplanes and began between 2 to 4 PM (14:00 to 16:00) on Sunday August 26 and continued through the evening hours. It transformed into an ugly not so beautiful scene that became all burnt and grey, the air became stale. It may take several years to recover the forests, planting will rarely be done.