Anavra

Anavra (Greek: Ανάβρα) is a village and a former community in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Almyros, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] The municipal unit has an area of 121.859 km².[3] According to the census of 2011, the population of Anavra was 584 citizens. The village of Anavra is located on the west side of Mount Othrys, at a height of 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea level, 72 kilometres (45 mi) from Magnesia's administrative center of Volos and close to the border of Phthiotis. The Enipeas river, which is a tributary of the Pineios, starts at the springs of Anavra and passes through the village for two kilometres.

Anavra Ανάβρα
Anavra Location within the regional unit
Coordinates: 39°4′N 22°32′E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Thessaly
Regional unit	Magnesia
Municipality	Almyros
• Municipal unit	121.9 km^2 (47.1 sq mi)
Elevation	780 m (2,560 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Municipal unit	584
• Municipal unit density	4.8/km^2 (12/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	35 010
Area code(s)	+30 22320

According to mythology, Anavra is connected with livestock activities. Almost all the inhabitants are employed in farming and herding.

Economy

In the 1970s mules were the only form of transport available in Anavra, and the nearest school, in Lamia, was a 6-hour ride away.[4] Since the 1990s the village has been transformed by mayor Dimitris Tsoukalas, who successfully sought EU development funding.[4]

In 2010, Anavra had among the highest GDP per capita of any settlement in Greece[5] and the rest of the EU with typical incomes ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 euros[6], with an average household income of €70,000.[4]. The village was recognized as a model of sustainable development[7], producing its own electricity by 20 wind-powered generators[5]. Surplus electrical power was sold. A hydroelectric plant was scheduled for construction, and a biomass facility was being planned which will supply heat and hot water from animal manure and woodchips. The plan called for all homes and buildings in the town to be connected to this heat/hot water network. All these projects were stalled and eventually cancelled with the inclusion of the village in the greater Almyros municipality, due to the "Kallikratis" reform. The overhead produced by the "kapodistrias" community era is gradually being diminished[8].

Plans are being proposed for the creation of a winter ski centre on the slopes of Mount Othrys and its highest peak, Gerakovouni (1726 m), west of the village.

Sites of Interest

• Saint Dimitrios church
• The Folkore Museum of Farming Life.
• The waterfalls of Enipeas
• Othry mountain and its rich flora

General information

• Community office, Tel: [phone]
• Communal Library, Tel: [phone]
• Folklore Museum of Farming Life, Tel: [phone]

References

1. "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
2. (in Greek) Kallikratis law Greece Ministry of Interior.
3. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-21.
4. Miller, Joe (2 July 2015). "Why Greece's richest village is voting 'yes'". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
5. Marloes de Koning (3 May 2012). "De beste jaren van Anavra". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). p. 30.
6. Ανάβρα: ο εκσυγχρονισμός μιας ορεινής κοινότητας (in Greek). greekscapes.gr. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012.
7. Giannarou, Lina (20 March 2009). "Anavra - A Greek Model of Sustainable Development" (PDF). Athens Plus. I Kathimerini. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2015.
8. https://www.aftodioikisi.gr/ota/dimoi/anavra-thavma-pou-esvise/

Further reading

• (in Greek) Καραλή, Μ. (επιμ.) (1994) Πρακτικά Συνεδρίου "Το παρελθόν, το παρόν και το μέλλον της Ανάβρας (Γούρας)", 31 Ιουλίου – 1 Αυγούστου 1993, Αθήνα: Κοινότητα Ανάβρας Μαγνησίας.
• (in Greek) Καραλή, Μ. (2002) "Κοινότητα Ανάβρας Αλμυρού Μαγνησίας. Ένα πείραμα τοπικής ανάπτυξης με πρωτοβουλία της Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης", Γεωγραφίες, 4, σσ. 123-129.
• (in Greek) Μηλιώνης, π. Α. (2006) Η Ανάβρα (Γούρα) της Όθρυος, Ανάβρα Αλμυρού Μαγνησίας: Κοινότητα Ανάβρας Αλμυρού Μαγνησίας.
• (in Greek) Περιοδικό "Κ" της Καθημερινής (2009) "Αφιέρωμα στην Ανάβρα", 12/03.

External links

• Official Website (in Greek and English)
• Official Website of the Environmental and Cultural Park of Anavra "Goura" (in Greek and English)
• Anavra-Zo (in Greek)

See also

• List of towns and villages of Greece