Elefsina

Elefsina is a municipality in the West Attica region of Greece, within the Athens metropolitan area, that in antiquity was the chief seat of the worship of Demeter and Persephone and home to the Eleusinian Mysteries, rites that drew initiates from across the Greek world from around 600 BC. Originally one of twelve independent Athenian states before its absorption into Athens, it retained the rare privilege of coining its own money. The birthplace of the tragedian Aeschylus, the modern city has become an industrial center hosting Greece's largest oil refinery and the Elefsis shipyards, and it was designated European Capital of Culture, an honor celebrated in 2023 after a pandemic postponement.