Anavros was and still is the most “urban beach” of Volos
A beach full of history and memories is the Anavros, a beach whose beginnings take us back to the end of the 19th century, just a few years after the liberation of Thessaly and the inclusion of Volos in Greek territory. Those were the years when morals were extremely conservative.
Anavros was and still is the most “urban beach” in a big city, literally in its heart. It is still full of life, a favorite meeting point of the Volians and preferred by people of all ages to swim, exercise, cool off, have fun, and even just to relax.
Once around the beach there were low single-family houses, bathed in jasmine and colorful summer flowers, while today around Anavros there are giant apartment buildings, “privileged apartments” with an endless view of Pagasitikos. From their balcony you can “touch” the blue sky and breathe in the sea breeze unhindered.
Once upon a time, the Voliotes arrived with the city tram that ended at this particular beach or with the legendary “Moutzouri” that continued to Agria, Lechonia or went up to Milies.
This legendary beach for the Voliotes was the “must” of the summer and the shops that opened, especially in the 50’s and 60’s, are preserved to this day, hiding greatness and unique moments that are only recorded in the memories of the elderly. In Anavro, unique evenings were organized with wine and tsipouraki, with music and entertainment until dawn.
The beach of Anauros, which reached the height of its glory immediately after the war, and when poor Greece came out “heavily wounded” from its internal adventures, was an oasis of carefreeness and a change of images, without cars and noises.
The local newspapers of the time advertised the three beach entertainment centers that existed “on the wave”, one better than the other. First was Zaheila’s “Kallithea” with a nice beach in front of it, immediately after was “Aktaion” and then with a large plain in front of it and a deep sandy beach, the legendary “Aura” of the Nicoviotis family which continues to this day to create history, 140 years since its beginning in 1883.
Very close to the actual beach of Anavros and immediately after the stream of the same name, there was and still is today the “Akti NOB” of the Nautical Club of Volos with its dreamy musical selections in a space that was for decades a meeting point for the city’s elite.
In the 1960s and 1970s, when Urban Transport was organized in Volos, three urban bus lines ended in Anavros that crossed all of Volos from end to end and brought thousands of Volians from every corner. Those were the years when mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers took the little ones and, amid an endless chorus of children’s voices, they arrived at the beach to cool off and play carefree. Those were the times when people rushed to the buses to secure a place on the hot plastic seats, when the little ones landed with inflated umbrellas on the beach and the older “prospective grooms” did not hesitate to fight over a sidelong glance at the girls of the time.
Love and romance stories were written in Anavros for thousands of young people from Volos, who made their appointment for meeting and flirting, and Sotiria Nikovioti, third generation of the family that created “Avra” remembers and describes to APE-MPE that “it was a mess in the 60s and 70s with high school kids.
The place was also filled with school day trips. A lot of other people would hang out and date here. Hearts were racing then and romantic dates were given and taken. And suddenly the high school principal and teachers raided and then it was done come and see. They would kick it and hide the kids inside the shop and my father would run them all out the back door and through the reeds or come in front and forbid the search inside his shop. Incredible images flooded with youth and carefree voices.”
“Avra” is synonymous with the Nikoviotis family. Four generations from 1883 to the present day and Nikos Nikoviotis speaking to APE-MBE about the legend of “Aura” says:
“My great-grandfather Nikos Nikoviotis was the one who put the key in the lock to open the entertainment center. It was in 1883. Christos, Dimitris, Sotiria followed and today again Nikos, that is me. We all grew up next to the Jukebox listening to the songs of the time and on the dance floor that still exists today and hosted big names of the Greek music scene. Panos Gavalas, Ria Kourtis, Stelios Kazantzidis, Anthoula Alifragki and many more passed through here. Here from time to time with their bands, our own Vangelis Papathanasiou and Lavrentis Mahairitsas were present, and the youth of their era were apothecary before starting their great careers. Many times Tasos Mitrogogos, the epic voice of ERT, with a great voice, took the microphone and stirred up the crowd.”
The first jukebox in Volos
The first Juke Box in Volos appeared in Anauros, in the shops of the time the competition had reached its height and Giorgos Kafentarakis wrote in the newspaper “Tachydromos” in July 1959 that “then the new songs of Kostas Kaplanis were heard in Volos “Zoi seretissa”, “Adiko”, “Apisti xemialismene” and of course the legend “Voliotissa” with Anthoula Alifragki along with many others, while from the “electrophone” (jukebox) of “Akteos” and the adjacent “Avra” center, the youth of the 60s, throwing their drachmas into the machine, listened to “Apache” by Shadows, “Passport” by Kazantzidis, “Oh Carol” by Neil Sedaka and others. Now let’s go back a few years. Let’s find ourselves in the year 1946 after the liberation from the Germans and until the mid-50’s, during the summer months the beach was filled with hawkers, candy makers, (cotton candy) photographers and several other itinerant professionals.
On the coast of Anauros, according to the archive of the member of the Thessalian Research Society, Grigoris Kartapanis, but also from local press reports, it is stated that “At the “Aktaion” center of Anauros, Panos Gavalas sang, with the then young Duchess as a partner and the bouzouki virtuoso X. Lemonopoulos”.
In the last century, there were “hard restrictions” in the sea especially for swimmers. A hundred years ago, around the 20s, there were the famous sea baths of Anauros. There were two rows of cabins strictly separated into men’s and women’s, a wooden staircase that went into the sea, and at the end there was a sentinel-observatory that watched the bathers not to approach each other. When someone approached “dangerously” to the other side, the sound of the watchmen’s whistle pierced the air and could be heard as far as Pefkakia, while a boat with the watchmen approached and chased away the offenders.
Anavros, however, apart from a sandy and extensive beach, also means mythology for the place. Right next to “Avra”, flows the stream Anavros, where, according to mythology, Jason, returning from Pelion to Iolkos, lost his sandal in the river, while carrying Hera on his back, disguised as an old woman. From this sign, he was recognized by Pelias’ grandfather, whom the young man met while he was sacrificing to Poseidon.
Today, Anavros is the favorite beach for Voliotes. It has a long coast, sandy, with shallow waters, protected, organized and easily accessible. For those who do not have a lot of free time, it is an excellent solution to cool off. One can get there by bike or even on foot. He enjoys his tsipouraki, seafood snacks, cools off and despite the endless cement of the big city, he feels as if he has visited his paradise. A beach in the heart of the city
Source: Skai
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
