Megalopoli, or Megalopolis, is an antique town located in the Greek region of Peloponnese, within the prefecture of Arcadia. The name of this town, Megalopolis, has a special meaning since this Greek word is used to denominate a great or big city, and therefore it is easy to imagine that this town’s size is very large.
Megalopoli is also considered as a province which contains several communities, such as Issari, Kato Anavrito, Perivolia, Rapsommati, Routsi, Vasta, Zoni, and Amendouri. Near this town, there also are several other interesting spots and destinations tourists can visit, such as per example, Perivolia, Makrisi, Vrysoules, and Psari, among several others.
The town of Megalopoli can be found at about 32 kilometers south east of Andritsina, 55 kilometers from Kalamata, and 30 kilometers from Tripoli. This city is famous by its ancient amphitheater which was the largest of its kind in all Greece. This amphitheater would be able to receive about 20000 spectators and many historical events and spectacles have hapened in it.
Megalopoli still contains the ruins of its ancient amphitheater, and this is one of the main attractions the town offers. These ruins were part of an impressive structure which would reach the 30 meters in height and would be a major spot not only in Megalopoli but also in the surroundings and entire region.
The ancient city of Megalopoli was founded around the year 370 BC by a general from Thebes who wanted this spot to have the same weight as Sparta had. After being founded, Megalopoli was named the main spot of the Arcadian League. Next in Megalopoli’s history, another important event happened around the year 330 BC when the Spartans invaded it and an important fight between them and the Macedonians took place in this city.
During the 19th century, Megalopoli was called Sinanou, until the 20t century when it started being recognized as Megalopoli or Megalopolis. Towards the year 1960, another important event happened in Megalopoli when a major power plant was built in it. This power plant is very important and serves power to the entire southern region of the country.