Aigaleo or Egaleo ( Greek : Αιγάλεω , romanized : Aigáleo pronounced [eˈɣaleo] ) is a town and a suburban municipality in the western part of the Athens urban area , belonging to the West Athens regional administrative unit . It takes its name from Mount Aigaleo , whose name comes from the words αίγα/aiga/goat and λαός/laos/people. Its population was 65,831 at the 2021 census .
20-468: Aigaleo is four km (2.5 mi) west of Athens city centre. The municipality has an area of 6.450 km (2.490 sq mi). It is southeast of Mount Aigaleo. The Cephissus 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 two Metro stations: Egaleo and Agia Marina metro stations. The A1 motorway (Athens–Thessaloniki–Evzonoi) passes through
40-544: A major center for Assyrians in Greece . Also, a great number of refugees specifically from the town of Kydonies (Greek: Κυδωνίες), now known as Ayvalık . This led to a name dispute between the refugees and the locals, with the former calling the area "Nees(New) Kydonies" and the latter calling the area "Mparoutadiko"("Gunpowdery", from the Turkish word barut). Eventually the name dispute was settled, with both agreeing on calling
60-603: A river in Greece is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bouzoukia (nightclub) Nightclubs in Greece are divided into two main categories: those with live Greek music , and discotheques or bars playing recorded Greek, American or European music. Dances At bouzoukia the guests go to the stage and dance along with the singers. There are many types of dances danced at bouzoukia like: Nisiotika , zeimpekiko , Sirtaki , Tsifteteli , Greek folk music dance etc. Many Greek dances are also often danced on
80-404: Is a river in the vicinity of Athens , Greece . Together with the neighbouring river Ilisos , it drains a catchment area of 420 km (160 sq mi). The Bibliotheca (3.15.1) states that the legendary Erechtheus ' wife Praxithea was the daughter of Phrasimus (otherwise unknown to us) by Diogenia (otherwise unknown to us) daughter of Cephissus. The source of the river is in
100-449: Is a widespread Greek custom. Throwing flowers or other items that will not cause injury (e.g. napkins) has become more common. Flowers are sold separately by the club's "wardrobe" in trays or baskets of ten or twenty pieces and are thrown en masse on artists, singers, dancers, and other spectators (quite often along with the trays, or even in piles of many trays). They are also used as a means for courtship and flirting . The lion's share of
120-466: The 1950s, in collaboration with NATO , 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
140-471: The Athletic Club Egaleo with successful departments in football ( Egaleo FC ) and basketball ( Egaleo BC ). Other amateur clubs are A.P.O. Orfeas , A.E. Egaleo City , Diagoras Dryopideon , A.P.O. Ierapolis , A.O. Cronos Γ Ethniki Champions(2 times). Aigaleo is twinned with: Cephissus (Athenian plain) Cephissus ( Ancient Greek : Κήφισσος ; Greek : Κηφισός , Kifisos )
160-520: The area by its ancient name, Aigaleo. Aigaleo was a part of the municipality of Athens until 1934, when it became a separate community. It was raised to municipality status in 1943. On September 29, 1944, during the Axis occupation of Greece , a massacre of at least 65 civilians (with estimates ranging up to 150 casualties) by the German forces took place in Aigaleo's Agios Georgios neighborhood. During
180-418: The bill is usually spent on flowers, with alcohol making up the rest. It is quite common for elite customers to spend thousands of euros at the top clubs, and is widely regarded as a status symbol. Many prominent Greeks were known for their habit of visiting bouzoukia, notably the late tycoon Aristotle Onassis , and the former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou . Pop music genres began activity in Greece in
200-571: The democratic regime of ancient Athens, was born in Aigaleo. According to Herodotus, it was from the top of Mount Aigaleo that, in 480BC, Xerxes observed the Battle of Salamis and the destruction of the Persian fleet. Even after the Greek war of independence in 1821, life in the area remained largely rural and agrarian. In 1874, the gunpowder factory "Ελληνικόν Πυριτιδοποιείο"/Ellinikon Pyritidopoieio
220-464: The existence of factories within the limits of urban areas, Aigaleo's factory was declared illegal. The factory was finally moved to Elefsina 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 is Lampros Sklavounos [ el ] , since the 2023 Greek local elections . Aigaleo
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#1732772854792240-412: The prominence of their table's position. The best tables are immediately adjacent to the stage and in the center ("proto trapezi pista"), and are always reserved for rich and famous (i.e. high-spending) customers. Throwing plates at the performer's feet was a practice popular until the 1970s when " plate smashing " was forbidden by law. Today it happens rarely, despite the belief of some foreigners that it
260-701: The saddle depression between the Parnitha and Penteli mountains. From there it flows generally southwest until it reaches the Phaleron Bay between Neo Faliro and Moschato . Presently the river flows near or under the A1 motorway , linking Athens and Thessaloniki for much of its length. This section of the A1 is named Avenue Kifissou , near which is the Kifissos Bus Terminal . This article related to
280-400: The show. As there is little space between the tables, customers and waiters have trouble moving around. Food is available, but rarely ordered, since the customers usually limit their consumption to alcoholic beverages with assorted nuts or raw vegetables. Whole tables are reserved days earlier, especially when the singers are popular, and the customers are expected to spend in proportion to
300-430: The table tops while the other guests clapping. and throwing flowers at the dancer. Nightclubs that feature laïkó music in Greece are popularly called bouzoukia (deriving from the plural of the main Greek instrument bouzouki ). They typically have a raised stage ("pista") where singers, dancers and musicians perform, and a series of closely spaced long tables at right angles to the stage so that every guest can see
320-400: 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
340-481: 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
360-477: Was always known for its nightlife, with numerous night clubs and bouzoukia , playing mostly Greek folk tupes of music such as Laïko and Rebetiko . Some of the greatest music artists of all time have lived and performed in Aigaleo, such as Giorgos Zampetas , Stelios Kazantzidis and Marinella . 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 rakia. At some point,
380-500: 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 the Greek army . After the fall of Smyrna in 1922 during the Turkish War of Independence , Aigaleo's population greatly increased due to the settlement of refugees, mainly from the shores of Asia Minor , Assyria and Pontus , and became
400-418: 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
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