General Info
Ouranoupolis is a small village, sitting close to the foot of Mount Athos. It is situated in the western part of the Agio Oros peninsula, part of the Halkidiki Peninsula. It has a population of 830 residents. It covers an area of 21.292 km². Perhaps you are wondering: what is interesting in a village whose population is less than that of a block of apartments? It is its history! Judge for yourself:
In the ancient times, this place was the home for a settlement of Sanis, an Andrian colony, which was destroyed by King Philip II of Macedon. The ancient town with the same name was founded by the philosopher Alexarch in 315 BC. He was a rich and noble man who was popularly known as the son of Cassander, the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. He wanted to build an ideal state: he invited people from different towns, granted equal rights to slaves and even made the first attempt to create artificial language. He named his city Ouranoupolis (“Sky City”). Its residents were called “the sons of the sky.”
The coin, minted by the city, had a depiction of Aphrodite Urania on it. What is exciting about her is that she was sitting on a globe, and the Earth was depicted as a celestial sphere.
