Acharnes 5.77

Acharnes is a suburban town in Athens, Attica, Greece. With 106,943 inhabitants (2011 census), it is the most populous municipality in East Attica. It is part of the Athens Urban area.GeographyThe northern part of the municipality is covered by the forested Parnitha mountains. The southern part is in the plain of Athens, and is densely populated. The built-up area of Acharnes, in this southern part of the municipality, is continuous with that of the adjacent suburbs to the west, east and south. The centre of Acharnes is 11km due north of Athens city centre. The two other settlements in the municipality, Thrakomakedones and Varympompi, are situated further north, in the foothills of Parnitha. Acharnes is crossed by several important roads and railways, including Motorway 6, the Piraeus–Platy railway and the Athens Airport–Kiato railway. The Acharnes Railway Center is the main railway junction of Attica. Acharnes is home to the Folk Art Museum of Acharnes.HistoryAcharnes was named after the deme Acharnae, a subdivision of Attica in classical antiquity. The Athenian playwright Aristophanes characterised the inhabitants of Acharnae as peasants in his play The Acharnians. Acharnes suffered significant damage from the 1999 Athens earthquake, being very close to the epicenter.