Oichalia, Messenia

Oichalia (Greek: Οιχαλία) is a village and a municipality in Messenia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is in Meligalas.^[2] Oichalia is known for its rich expanse of olive trees and fig orchards. At its height the village boasted several cafes, a bustling farmer's market, and a popular open-air cinema run by the Limberopoulos family. Other families, such as the Hantzopoulos and Karbaliotis clans, the former a cobbler and the latter a butcher, helped make Oichalia the destination of choice for Messinians in need of footwear and quality meats.

Oichalia Οιχαλία
Municipality
Oichalia Location within the region
Coordinates: 37°14′N 22°02′E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Peloponnese
Regional unit	Messenia
Area
• Municipality	415.4 km2 (160.4 sq mi)
• Municipal unit	59.1 km2 (22.8 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Municipality	8,504
• Density	20/km2 (53/sq mi)
• Municipal unit	1,765
• Municipal unit density	30/km2 (77/sq mi)
• Community	363
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registration	ΚΜ

Municipality

The municipality Oichalia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:^[2]

• Andania
• Dorio
• Eira
• Meligalas
• Oichalia

The municipality has an area of 415.433 km², the municipal unit 59.060 km².^[3]