Pyrgos, capital of the Prefecture of Elia Page Two

Local forces, led by the powerful town dignitaries, chased the Turks out when the revolution began on 29 March 1821, and forced them to take refuge in the castle at Kyllini.

The men of Pyrgos fought bravely both locally and in other parts of Greece, but in 1825, Ibrahim Pasha burned the city and sold the women and children into slavery.

At the end of World War II, when the Germans withdrew, the town remained in control of Greek Nazi collaborators who negotiated surrender with the Resistance, but met them with gunfire as they entered the town. A battle began and the town burned for five days.

Modern Pyrgos is a nice looking city according to some, though others see it as a very drab 1950s place, though with a very pleasant climate.

From both the Town Hall Square with pine trees and the Cathedral of St. Nikolaos, and from Eparcheio Square are good views of the plain and the lakes of Mouria, Kasta and Agoulinitsa, where there are fish and eels and migratory birds, and the mountains near Olympia can also be seen.

The library has 20,000 volumes and a small art gallery with works of local painters.

There is also the Currant Institute of the Autonomous Currant Organization. On 10 February, the town celebrates its patron saint, Aghios Haralambos. Pyrogs is a nice little town, there isnt much to do here however.

Pirgos Page One | Page Two