Gorgopotamos (river)

For other uses, see Gorgopotamos (disambiguation).

Gorgopotamos Γοργοπόταμος
Bridge over the Gorgopotamos
Origin	Mount Oeta, Fthiotida
Mouth	Spercheios 38°51′22″N 22°25′3″E / 38.85611°N 22.4175°E / 38.85611; 22.4175Coordinates: 38°51′22″N 22°25′3″E / 38.85611°N 22.4175°E / 38.85611; 22.4175
Basin countries	Greece
Length	approx. 15 km
Mouth elevation	10 to 20 m

The Gorgopotamos (Greek: Γοργοπόταμος, the rushing river) is a river in the southern part of the Fthiotida prefecture in northcentral Central Greece, Greece not far from the Fokida-Fthiotida prefectural boundary.

Geography

The Gorgopotamos rises 4 km north of Pavliani and west of Koumaritsi in the Oiti mountains with two streams. The river flows through a barren and a forested area of mixed pine, cedar and spruce trees. It passes under OSE's Athens-Thessaloniki railway line and through nearby villages, then through formerly marshy areas now farmland, and empties into the Sperchios near Ydromilos, 5 km SSW of Lamia and 2 km west of the old highway (GR-3, Elefsina - Larissa - Kozani - Niki).

History

The railway bridge over the river is famous for one of the biggest sabotage acts of World War II, "Operation Harling". A British mission and 150 Greek partisans blew it up on 25 November 1942, cutting off German supplies being transported between Athens and Thessaloniki (mostly headed for Africa). The blast destroyed two of the six piers of the bridge, which have now been replaced with steel girders. The area around the bridge is a monument.

Places

• Dyo Vouna, east
• Gorgopotamos, north
• Alepospitia, southeast
• Zakeika, west
• Idromilos, west

See also

• List of rivers in Greece