Sparta (, ) is a city and municipality in the Peloponnese region of Greece, serving as the capital of the Laconia regional unit. It lies at the site of ancient Sparta within the Evrotas Valley. The municipality was merged with six nearby municipalities in 2011, for a total population of 32,786 as of 2021, of whom 17,773 live in the city.

History

Beginning in the 13th century, the political and cultural center of Laconia shifted to Mystras, some 4 km to the west. The settlement at ancient Sparta, named Lacedaemonia, continued to exist, although greatly depopulated, until modern times as a town of a few thousand people who lived among the ruins, in the shadow of Mystras.Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition The Palaiologos family (the last Byzantine Greek imperial dynasty) also lived in Mystras. The Despotate of the Morea was captured by the Ottomans under Mehmed II in 1460.

In 1834, after the Greek War of Independence, King Otto of Greece decreed the town should be expanded into a city. Modern-day Sparta, the capital of the prefecture of Lakonia, lies on the eastern foothills of Mount Taygetos in the Evrotas River valley. The city has been built upon the site of ancient Sparta, whose Acropolis lies north of the modern city. To the southwest stands Mt. Taygetos. To the east of the city stands the Parnonas mountain range, which is forested predominantly with Greek fir trees and other conifers.

The municipality was formed on 21 March 1835, and officially declared the Municipality of Sparta in 1845. It was transferred from Laconia to Lacedaemon Province in 1899, but this was reversed in 1909. The city hall was constructed in 1872 during the tenure of Mayor Emmanuel Meletopoulos.

Today, Sparta maintains large squares and wide streets lined with trees, while many of the older buildings remain in excellent condition. The city of Sparta is the economic, administrative and cultural center of Lakonia. A key factor in the advancement of the city's development is the operation of two departments of the University of Peloponnese and a department of the Technological Educational Institute.

The centrally located main square is dominated by the most imposing neo-classical building in Sparta, the City Hall. Built in 1909, City Hall bears the signature of the Greek architect G. Katsaros. During the monarchy (which was abolished by referendum in 1973), the title of Duke of Sparta was used for the Greek crown prince, the διάδοχος (diádokhos).

Municipality

The municipality of Sparta was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following seven former municipalities, that became municipal units:

Faris Karyes Mystras Oinountas Pellana Sparta Therapnes

The municipality has an area of 1,181.780 km2, the municipal unit 84.453 km2. The municipal unit consists of the local communities Sparta, Afisi, Amykles, Kalyvia Sochas and Kladas.

Politics Petros Doukas, who served from 2019 to 2023, was affiliated with New Democracy. Michalis Vakalopoulos was elected mayor of Sparta in 2023 as a member of the Sparta Together coalition.

# Party Mayor Term start Term end Notes Reference 1 Emmanuel Meletopoulos 1837 1879 Longest serving mayor 2 Adamantios Roussopoulos 1879 1895 3 Pericles Salvaras 1895 1903 4 Elias Kopanitsas 1907 1914 5 Lymberopoulos 1914 1925 6 Dimitrios Mylonakos 1925 1926 Died in office 7 Elias Gortsologos 1926 1941 8 Gr. Petrakos 1941 1945 9 Ioannis Kontoulakos 1946 1948 10 Petros Xanthakos 1948 1950 11 George Minakakis 1950 1951 12 Ioannis Kontoulakos 1951 1955 13 Venizelos Zerveas 1955 1964 14 George Sainopoulos 1964 1967 15 Georgios Linardakis 1967 1974 Appointed by Greek junta 16 Andreas Markakis 1974 1975 Appointed by government of Konstantinos Karamanlis 17 George Sainopoulos 1975 1978 18 Nikolaos Sahamis 1978 1986 19 Paraskevas-Demosthenis Matala 1987 1998 20 Paraskevas-Demosthenis Matala 1998 2002 21 Sarantos Antonakos 2003 2010 Resigned due to health issues and died the same year 22 Christos Patsilivas 2010 2010 23 Stavros Argeitakos 2011 2014 24 Evangelos Valiotis 2014 2019 25 Petros Doukas 2019 2023 26 Michalis Vakalopoulos 2023

Demographics

Year Town Municipal unit Municipality 1961 10,412 — — 1981 12,975 — — 1991 13,011 16,322 — 2001 14,817 19,567 — 2011 17,408 19,854 35,259 2021 17,773 19,865 32,786

Climate The city of Sparta enjoys a sunny and warm Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa). January highs are around while July and August highs are over in the city proper. Sparta records among the highest summer average maximum temperatures in Greece (together with Skala, Messenia). The highest temperature ever recorded in Sparta is in August 2021. On average, Sparta records 6 days per year with temperatures of over . In June 2024, Sparta recorded an astonishing mean max temperature of . In July 2024 the HNMS station in Sparta registered a record average maximum temperature of while the NOA station registered . In July 2025 the NOA station reached a record mean maximum temperature of .

Tourism Main sites

In the center of the city is the Archaeological Museum. Built by architect G. Katsaros, in 1874–76 to house the collection of local archaeological finds by Panagiotis Stamatakis, it was the first Greek museum in a provincial city.

The city's cathedral is at the southwest end.

The ruins of ancient Sparta lie north of the city. Entering by the South Gate of the Acropolis, known as Lakedaemonia, there is the Rotunda, the Theatre and the Temple of Athena Chalkioikos to the West. Exiting the Acropolis by the North Gate there are the remains of the earliest ancient walls, the Heroon and the Altar of Lycourgos, whereas to the East there is the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia. To the North is the Monastic Church of Osios Nikonas (10th century).

The "Tomb of Leonidas", or Leonidaion (), is a limestone structure of the late 5th century BC, likely a temple, but named for Leonidas I in the 19th century, being the only ancient monument indicated within the limits of the newly planned town in 1834.Sofia Voutsaki, Paul Cartledge, Ancient Monuments and Modern Identities: A Critical History of Archaeology in 19th and 20th Century Greece (2017), p. 50f.

Museums Archaeological Museum of Sparta The Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil in the South West end highlights the culture of the olive and the technology of olive production, 129 Othonos–Amalias Street Archaeological Museum of Mystras, founded by Gabriel Lilianthal in the late 19th century The Manousakeio Museum of urban and folk life Koumantareios Art Gallery of Sparta Angakis Art Gallery

Sports The Spartathlon has taken place every September since 1983. It is an ultramarathon starting in Athens and finishing in Sparta at the statue of Leonidas, with many international participants.

The local football club of Sparta, Laconia was Sparta F.C. The club dissolved in 2019.

Notable people Leonidas Arniotis (1862–1939), entertainer, theatre director and mechanic Nikiforos Vrettakos (1912–1991), writer and poet Babis Petrakos (born 1991), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Sparta is twinned with:

Taranto, Italy Morphou, Cyprus Lapithos, Cyprus Sopron, Hungary Le Plessis-Trévise, France Salamanca, Spain Stamford, United States Tanagura, Japan Brunswick (Melbourne), Australia

References

External links

Laconia.org Official website Sparta municipality