NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Patrai

Patras (Greek: Modern: Πάτρα, Ancient: Πάτραι, Pátrai) is the third largest city of Greece, and also the capital of the Achaea region of Greece. Patra, or Patras, is located in the southwest part of Greece in Peloponnesos. It is also the seat of the Province of West Greece and Ionian Islands. Patras's metropolitan area has a population of over 200,000 and is an important commercial center and a busy port, with regular car-ferry services to and from Italy. Distance from Athens is 215 km W, 94 km (old: 100 km) NE of Pyrgos, 7 km S of Rio, 134 km slightly W of Corinth, 77 km NW of Kalavryta and 144 km NW of Tripoli. Greece consists of 13 administrative regions known as Peripheries of Greece, which are further subdivided into 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos): External link Map Categories: Lists of subnational entities | Prefectures of Greece ... This article is about the modern Greek district Achaea. ... Here are a lists of the provinces (Greek: επαρχεία, eparcheia fr. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Panachaicus (Greek, Modern: Παναχαϊκό, Ancient/Katharevousa: -on, commonly Panachaïkos or Panachaiko and Panahaiko, Voidia or Vodia in medieval, post-medieval and until the beginning of the 20th century. ... Here are list of postal codes in Greece. ... This is an alphabetical list by town of dialing codes in Greece. ... Greece Dialing code 2610 is an area code for much of the metropolitan area of Patras. ... ... The Greek car license plates are composed of three letters and four digits per plate (f. ... Download high resolution version (1024x658, 139 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1024x658, 139 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Achaea (Greek: , AkhaÃ¯a) is a province on the northern coast of the Peloponnese, stretching from the mountain ranges of Erymanthus and Cyllene on the south to a narrow strip of fertile land on the north, bordering the Gulf of Corinth, into which the mountain Panachaicus (1,902 m, the... Peloponnesos (Greek: Πελοπόννησος, Pelops Island, sometime Latinized as Peloponnesus or Anglicized as The Peloponnese) is a large peninsula in Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Isthmus of Corinth. ... The Acropolis in central Athens, one of the most important landmarks in world history. ... Temple of Apollo at Corinth Corinth, or Korinth (Κόρινθος) is a Greek city, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the original isthmus, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ... Kalalvryta or Kalavrita (Greek: Καλάβρυτα) is a town, a province and a municipality in the eastcentral part of the prefecture of Achaia. ... Tripoli (Greek, Modern: Τρίπολη, Ancient/Katharevousa: -s), older form and Latin: Tripolis, rarely Tripolitsa, Tripolitza and Tripolizza is a city in the central part of the Peloponnesos, Greece, and the capital of the prefecture of Arcadia and the province of Mantineia which is the most populated province in Arcadia. ...

History

Patras in Antiquity

Patras is firstly inhabited in the 3rd millenium BC. These very ancient traces of the city are located at the region where Aroe is situated today. During the next Middle-Hellenistic period, in the first half of the 2nd millenium BC, another settlement is founded at the region. But Patras starts flourishing for its first time during the Post-Hellenistic or Mycenean period (1580 - 1100 BC). The ancient city of Patras was originally formed by the unification of three Mycenaean villages: Aroe, Antheia and Mesatis. After the Dorian invasion a group of Achaeans from Laconia, led by Patreas, established a colony and the city took its name from their leader. During Antiquity, Patras remained a farming region but in Roman times it became an important port. After 280 BC, Patras plays a significant role in the foundation of the second "Achaian League" (Achaiki Sympoliteia) together with the cities Dyme, Triteia and Pharai and the initiative of the political movements is transferred for the first time at the western Achaia. Later on and after the roman occupation of Greece, in 146 BC, Patras plays the main role and Augustus founds here a roman colony. A cadastral map in drawn up, privileges are given, crafts are created, and the most important was that of earthen oil lamps which were exported almost to the whole world of that time, two industrial zones are created, temples are built, roads that render Patras a communication center are opened, streets are paved with flagstones, foreign worships are introduced. Patras is by then a cosmopolitan city. But at the end of the 3rd century AD it falls into decline, most possibly because of a strong earthquake that stroke the whole of NE Peloponnese in 300 AD. Mycenaean can have the following meanings: coming from or belonging to the ancient town of Mycenae in Pelloponese in Greece; belonging to the culture of the Mycenaean period of the eastern Mediterranean in the late Bronze Age; the Mycenaean language, an ancient form of Greek, known from inscriptions in Linear... Antheia was a Greek goddess worshipped on Crete. ... The Municipality of Messatida, also: Messatis is an administrative district in Greece. ... The Dorians were one of the ancient Illyrian (Greek) tribes acknowledged by Greek writers. ... The Achaeans (also Akhaians, Greek Î‘Ï‡Î±Î¹Î¿Î¹) is the collective name given to the Greek forces in Homers Iliad. ... Laconia (Î›Î±ÎºÏ‰Î½Î¯Î±), also known as Lacedaemonia, was in ancient Greece the portion of the Peloponnesus of which the most important city was Sparta. ...

Saint Andrew came to Patras to preach Christianity during the reign of Emperor Nero and was crucified as a martyr. He is considered the protector of the city. (A large byzantine-style basilica was built in the 1970s in his honor, on the traditional place of his crucifixion.) Saint Andrew (Greek: Andreas, manly), called in the Orthodox tradition Protocletos, or the First-called, is the Christian Apostle, brother of Saint Peter. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (15 December 37â€“9 June 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called (50â€“54 AD) Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... The Basilica of St. ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ...

Byzantine and Ottoman Patras

During the Byzantine period Patras continued to be an important port as well as an industrial center. Patras was invaded by the Turks in 1460. The first period of Turkish rule (1460 -1687) was a miserable one but from 1715 and on there was a revival of trade and so in the 18th century it became a prosperous town again economically based on agriculture and trade. Later Patras played an active part in the Independence struggle against the Ottomans (1821). The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Events The first Portuguese navigators reach the coast of modern Sierra Leone. ... Events The first Portuguese navigators reach the coast of modern Sierra Leone. ... Events March 19 - The men under explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle murder him while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. ... // Events September 1 - King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years, leaving the throne of his exhausted and indebted country to his great-grandson Louis XV. Regent for the new, five years old monarch is Philippe dOrlÃ©ans, nephew of Louis XIV. September - First of...

Modern Patras

The town nowadays remains divided into the Upper and Lower part with broad flights of steps, as well as streets, giving access between the two levels. The upper part is the older and more picturesque but the lower part is attractively laid out with plenty of squares, notably the square of Psila Alonia and Georgiou I square. There are a lot of neoclassical buildings like the theatre "Apollon" in Georgiou I Square, the Town Hall, the headquarters of the Local Trade Association and the Justice Court.

The most interesting ancient monument in Patras is the Roman Odeon, now reconstructed and used as an open-air theatre for performances and concerts during the summer period. Overlooking the whole town is a ruined Castle, a relic of the Venetian invasion of the town (1687-1715). In current times, its interior is laid out as a public garden.

Events March 19 - The men under explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle murder him while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. ... // Events September 1 - King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years, leaving the throne of his exhausted and indebted country to his great-grandson Louis XV. Regent for the new, five years old monarch is Philippe dOrlÃ©ans, nephew of Louis XIV. September - First of... Image File history File links Ancient Odeon. ...

Infrastructure and facilities

Patras is considered one of the most beautiful towns in Greece. It offers its resident a lot of facilities such as shopping centers, picturesque cafes, pubs, discos, restaurants as well as educational and cultural facilities such as schools, colleges, a university, a library, two theatres and some galleries and cinemas. Two state-funded hospitals exist in the city: Saint Andreus, the oldest of the two is named after the city's protector sant and it resides on the south side of the city. The University Hospital of Rio is a university hospital, where med-students inter and specialise in their major. It resides on the north-eastern part of the city, inside the city's University Park, the pak. University of Patras (Greek: Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών Panepistimio Patron) is a university located 6 km northeast of downtown Patras, 3 km S of the Rio-Antirio bridge, 206 km W of Athens, 106 km NE of Pyrgos and 2 km east of Rhio, Greece. ...

Rail connection

The length of rail is around 12 km. A train station is lying west of downtown between the port and Othonos-Amalias Avenue. A little north is a freight yard with about ten tracks. Its length is around 400 m. It is situated near the park and Athinon Street.

The new highway

A new beltway, the length of which is 20 km, was first opened in 2002 to alleviate decrease traffic passing through the city. Greece Interstate 9 is the second-longest national highway that runs into the Peloponnese. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Industry

Patras suffered from a great problem of deindustrialization during the late 1980s and 1990s. Many big productive units closed one after the other and the workforce as well as the city's economy had to restructure. To this aim conributed the university, and the dynamic services and technology sector that evolves around it. Patras' industrial area is 20 km south of downtown, and is located between the 16th km of GR-9 and Fares/Phares (pro. FAH-rehs). Deindustrialization is the process by which a country or region moves from a manufacturing-based economy to a service economy or information economy. ...

Culture

One of the biggest tourist attractions of Patras, is the Carnival of Patras[1], held every year from February to March. It is said to be one of the most famous in the world coming just after Rio de Janeiro and Venice. Every summer takes place the International Festival of Patras with a program consisting mostly of plays--both ancient drama and modern theatre--as well as various music concerts.

European Capital of Culture 2006

Patras was chosen by the European Commission to be the European Capital of Culture for the year 2006. The planning involves the construction of a major archaelogical museum, to be finished in 2006, which with its globe-like roof and modern architectural design, will enhance the town's northern entrance and take its place among the other town landmarks. Moreover the concept of Patras 2006[2] revolves around the main theme of "Bridges" and "Links", taking benefit from the City's rich history and its position as a "Gate to the West", to underline the essence of the productive interaction of culture and civilisation in Europe. The EU Commission found Patra's plans really ambitious and also commented that a successful hosting of the title by a medium sized city would make it possible to redifine the meaning of the term Cultural Capital. So far the program of events is being finalized and the construction of the new museum is moving on rapidly. Attempts to renovate old factories and link such spaces to the town's cultural life are to begin soon. The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive of the European Union. ... The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. ... Europe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Press

There are around 10 local radio stations and 4 television stations, 1 covering the entire south-western region of Greece and 3 stations that broadcast only in the prefecture of Achaia. The main newspapers are the Peloponnisos [6] and Imera. This article is about the modern Greek district Achaea. ... Greece and the Peloponnese The Peloponnese (Greek Î ÎµÎ»Î¿Ï€ÏŒÎ½Î½Î·ÏƒÎ¿Ï‚ Peloponnesos or modern PelopÃ³nnisos; Latinized as Peloponnesus) is a large peninsula in southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth. ...

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1287 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1287 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ...

Urban Planning

Much of Patras' coastline has streets running alongside. Roads include Akte Dymaion in the south, and Iroon Polytechneiou in the north. Unfortunately, due to bad urban design planning and lack of ability on the part of the City Council to supervise and enforce laws, which in turn is due to the lack of financial planning, most of the city's coastal areas are being illegally occupied by shops which are illegally build on the coastline. The Greek constitution of 2001 declares that the Greek coastline is a "National Treasure" and as such it belongs to the People. As happens with most laws in Greece, few Greek citizens pay attention to that Article.

A (Λαϊκή)laikê(Produce bazaar) most weekends is situated SE of downtown, near Psila Alonia square ( Ψυλά Αλώνια plateía).

Quarters and Subdivisions:

Agyia (Greek: Αγυία) is a section of the city of Greece. ... Demenika (Greek: Δεμένικα) is a community 5 km south of downtown in south suburban Patras that is divided into two municipalities. ...

Nearby communes

This is a town that uses the same modern name, for other uses see Rio Rio or Rion, Latin: Rhion or Rhium (Greek: Modern: Î¡Î¯Î¿ Rio, Ancient: Î¡Î¯Î¿Î½ Rion) is a suburban town north of Patras, Greece. ... Saravali is a surname Saravali (Greek: Σαράβαλι , before the 1970s, -ον, Saraválion)is a community located 6 km SE of the centre and a suburb of Patras, Greece, north of Ovrya, northeast of Mintilogi and 9 km W of the Iera Moni Omplou/Omplos Monastery. ... Paralia (Greek: Παραλία) is a municipality and a community 6 km south of and a suburb of Patras. ...

Communes:

A Souliot man The Souliots (also known as Suli, Souliotes and Souli) were deemed by the great poet Andreas Kalvos as the descendants of the Selloi (in his 30-lined ode entitled Eis Souli or To the Souli). In support of the poets belief, a Greek historian by the...

Historical population:

The municipality includes the following communities: 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Moira(73), Souli(900) and Ekilistra(1,401) along with areas in the Panachaicus range.

External links:

This is a town that uses the same modern name, for other uses see Rio Rio or Rion, Latin: Rhion or Rhium (Greek: Modern: Î¡Î¯Î¿ Rio, Ancient: Î¡Î¯Î¿Î½ Rion) is a suburban town north of Patras, Greece. ... The Gulf of Patras (Greek: Πατραϊκός Κόλπος Patraikos Kolpos) is a gulf that stretches from the eastern part of the Ionian Sea between Oxeia island and Cape Araxos in the south in the west up to the Strait of Rion at the capes Rio and Antirrio to the east next... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Panachaicus (Greek, Modern: Παναχαϊκό, Ancient/Katharevousa: -on, commonly Panachaïkos or Panachaiko and Panahaiko, Voidia or Vodia in medieval, post-medieval and until the beginning of the 20th century. ... Paralia (Greek: Παραλία) is a municipality and a community 6 km south of and a suburb of Patras. ... The Municipality of Messatida, also: Messatis is an administrative district in Greece. ...

Encyclopedia > Patrai

Contents