Aigaleo Αιγάλεω | |
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 Estavromenou (Christ on the Cross) Square | |
 Flag | |
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  Aigaleo | |
| Coordinates:37°59′31″N23°40′41″E / 37.992°N 23.678°E /37.992; 23.678 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Attica |
| Regional unit | West Athens |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lampros Sklavounos[1] (since 2023) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 6.450 km2 (2.490 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Municipality | 65,831 |
| • Density | 10,210/km2 (26,430/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 122 xx |
| Area code | 210 |
| Vehicle registration | Z |
| Website | www |
Aigaleo orEgaleo (Greek:Αιγάλεω,romanized: Aigáleopronounced[eˈɣaleo]) is a town and a suburban municipality in the western part of theAthens urban area, belonging to theWest Athens regional administrative unit. It takes its name fromMount Aigaleo, whose name comes from the words αίγα/aiga/goat and λαός/laos/people. Its population was 65,831 at the2021 census.
Aigaleo is four km (2.5 mi) west of Athens city centre. The municipality has an area of 6.450 km2 (2.490 sq mi).[3] It is southeast of Mount Aigaleo. TheCephissus river flows through the industrialized eastern part of the municipality; about 1/4 of its area is taken up by factory developments. The town is served by twoMetro stations:Egaleo andAgia Marina metro stations. TheA1 motorway (Athens–Thessaloniki–Evzonoi) passes through the town.
Aigaleo consists of the quarters Kato Aigaleo, Neo Aigaleo, Damarakia, Lioumi, Rosika, Agios Spyridonas and Agios Georgios.
During the ancient times, Aigaleo was primarily used by the tribes of Athens for farming and raising animals. In particular, the town was well-known for its excellent goat meat.Cleisthenes, the Athenian statesman and lawgiver credited with creating the constitution that gave birth to the democratic regime of ancient Athens, was born in Aigaleo. According to Herodotus, it was from the top of Mount Aigaleo that, in 480 BC,Xerxes observed theBattle of Salamis and the destruction of the Persian fleet. Even after theGreek war of independence in 1821, life in the area remained largely rural and agrarian.
In 1874, the gunpowder factory "Ελληνικόν Πυριτιδοποιείον"/Ellinikon Pyritidopoieion was built, transforming Aigaleo into a heavily industrial area, covered by thick smog. In the dark tunnels where the construction sites operated, explosions often occurred and workers were buried alive. After each accident the blown-up galley was permanently sealed, without even declaring the dead. In 1908, after a merger, it was upgraded to a general ammunition production factory, and the company "ΠΥΡΚΑΛ"/PYRKAL was born. PYRKAL was the first modern Greek arm manufacturing company. With the ability to produce more than 60.000 bullets per day, including heavy weapon shells, it became the primary supplier of theGreek army.
After the fall ofSmyrna in 1922 during theGreco-Turkish war, Aigaleo's population greatly increased due to the settlement of mostlyGreek refugees fromAsia Minor andPontus, but also ofAssyrians. A significant number of refugees hailed specifically from the town of Kydonies (Greek:Κυδωνίες), now known asAyvalık. This led to a name dispute between the refugees and the locals, with the former calling the area Νέες Κυδωνίες (Nées Kydoníes, "New Kydonies") and the latter calling the area Μπαρουτάδικο (Baroutádiko, "powder mill"). Eventually the name dispute was settled, with an agreement to call the area by its ancient name.
Aigaleo was a part of themunicipality of Athens until 1934, when it became a separate community. It was raised to municipality status in 1943.[4] On September 29, 1944, during theAxis occupation of Greece, amassacre of at least 65 civilians (with estimates ranging up to 150 casualties[5]) by the German forces took place in Aigaleo's Agios Georgios neighborhood.[6]
During the 1950s, in collaboration withNATO, the Aigaleo's gunpowder factory began production once again. The later Greek army rearmament, however, consisted primarily of imported guns and bullets. As a result, the factory began producing less and less. During the 1970s the production was almost non-existent, consisting mainly of small amounts of hunting shells.
After the passage of new legislation prohibiting the existence of factories within the limits of urban areas, Aigaleo's factory was declared illegal. The factory was finally moved toElefsina in 1974. The old factory's area was later sold to the Greek state and transformed into a forest, greatly improving the air quality in the area.
The city's present mayor isLampros Sklavounos [el], since the2023 Greek local elections.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 17,686 (community) |
| 1951 | 29,464 |
| 1961 | 57,840 |
| 1971 | 79,961 |
| 1981 | 81,906 |
| 1991 | 78,563 |
| 2001 | 74,046 |
| 2011 | 69,946 |
| 2021[2] | 65,831 |
Aigaleo was always known for its nightlife, with numerous night clubs andbouzoukia, playing mostly Greek folk types of music such asLaïko andRebetiko. Some of the greatest music artists of all time have lived and performed in Aigaleo, such asGiorgos Zampetas,Stelios Kazantzidis, andMarinella. Today, although the large nightclubs of the past are mostly gone, the area is still known for its nightlife, mostly for its taverns, serving wine and raki.
At some point, the town was known to have more than twenty cinemas. Out of those, only a couple remain operative to this day. The town also have the open theatre "Alexis Minotis" inside the forest. The town also operates the cultural centre "Elliniko Molybi" (the Greek pencil), that promotes local young artists, also teaching literature and theatre writing.
Aigaleo hosts many sport teams. The most successful is the Athletic Club Egaleo with successful departments in football (Egaleo F.C.) and basketball (Egaleo B.C.). Other amateur clubs areA.P.O. Orfeas,A.E. Egaleo City,Diagoras Dryopideon,A.P.O. Ierapolis,A.O. Cronos
| Notable sport clubs based in Egaleo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Sports | Founded | Achievements |
| A.P.O. Orfeas | Football | 1928 | Earlier presence in B Ethniki |
| Egaleo | Football | 1946 | Long-time presence in A Ethniki. B Ethniki Champions (4 times). C Ethniki Champions (2 times). |
| Basketball | 1956 | Earlier presence in A1 Ethniki | |
| Diagoras Dryopideon | Basketball | 1967 | Earlier presence in B Ethniki |
Aigaleo istwinned with:
Leganés (Comunidad de Madrid), Spain
Kythrea, Cyprus (under Turkish occupation, since August 1974)
Places adjacent to Aigaleo | |
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Administrative divisions of theAttica Region | ||
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| Regional unit ofCentral Athens |  | |
| Regional unit ofNorth Athens | ||
| Regional unit ofWest Athens | ||
| Regional unit ofSouth Athens | ||
| Regional unit ofPiraeus | ||
| Regional unit ofEast Attica | ||
| Regional unit ofWest Attica | ||
| Regional unit ofIslands | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
