Leontari

Leontari (Greek, Modern: Λεοντάρι, Ancient/Katharevousa: -on), older form Leontario, Leontarion is a town, seat of the municipality of Falaisia, in the southwestern part of the prefecture of Arcadia. It is south of GR-7/E55, both the old and the new highways.

Distances

It is located about 6 km S of Megalopoli, about 175 km (old 230 km) from Athens, about 30 km (old 39 km) SW of Tripoli, W of Anavryto, NW of Sparta, NE of Kalamata and ENE of Kyparissia. It is located south of the Alpheus river.

Nearest places

*Veligosti (west)
*Megalopoli (north)
*Vrysoules (northeast)
*Falaisia south
*Kalyvia, southwest
*Kotsiridi, west
*Petrina (east)

ubdivisions

*Gavria
*Kalyvia
*Kamaritsa
*Kotsiridi

Geography and Information

*Location:
**Longitude: 22.14 (22° 8' 27") E
**Latitude: 37.318 (37° 19' 10") N
*Postal code: 220 21
*Elevation: sea level to around 514 m
*Dialing code: +11+30-27910 (030-27910)-61

History

Leontari was devastated by a forest fire that reached the village on Saturday August 25, 2007 and burnt the western portion of the area with gusty winds that reached as high as 80 to 90 km/h and hot temperatures. Residents and firefighters battled the blaze along with a few choppers and planes. The fire reached the western portion as flames arrived from a forested area to the west and entered the road linking Megalopoli and Sparta. It burnt tens of houses and left several residents out of the village, several flames were towering. The fire entered the village during the evening hours, towering flames were seen from town, the next morning, flames reached the eastern portion and later consumed the southern and eastern parts and with a nearly slow moving, flames advanced into Kamares along with Kamaritsa on Sunday and the eastern portion on Monday.

Other

The village has a small school, a church, a small post office, a train station in the northeast (Kalamata - Tripoli - Argos - Corinth) and a square ("plateia"). A castle is founded not far from the centre. It also has a church. In the Byzantine times, it was the cultural and the administrative centre of the region.

Much of the area are forested while the south as partially rural.

The northern boundary with Megalopoli is with the Alfeios river.

Persons

*Nikitaras

External links

* [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?tb=1&city=Leontari&country=GR Mapquest - Leontari] , street map not yet available
*Coordinates: coord|37|19|10|N|22|8|27|E|region:GR
* [http://www.culture.gr/2/21/212/21205n/e212en05.html Church of the Holy Apostles]
* [http://www.oreivatein.com/page/sites/arkadia/e_arkadia.htm History of Leontari]
*http://arcadia.ceid.upatras.gr/arkadia/places/liont.htm

ee also

*List of settlements in the Arcadia prefecture