Veria

Veria / Veroia Βέροια
Panoramic view
Location
Veria / Veroia
Coordinates	40°31′N 22°12′E / 40.517°N 22.200°E / 40.517; 22.200Coordinates: 40°31′N 22°12′E / 40.517°N 22.200°E / 40.517; 22.200
Location within the region
Government
Country:	Greece
Administrative region:	Central Macedonia
Regional unit:	Imathia
Mayor:	Charoula Ousoultzoglou-Georgiadi
Population statistics (as of 2011)[2]
Municipality
- Population:	66,547
- Area:	791.4 km2 (306 sq mi)
- Density:	84 /km2 (218 /sq mi)
Municipal unit
- Population:	48,306
Other
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (center):	128 m (420 ft)
Postal code:	591 00
Telephone:	2331
Auto:	ΗΜ
Website
www.veria.gr

Veria (officially transliterated as Veroia, Greek: Βέροια or Βέρροια), historically also spelled Berea, is a city in northern Greece, located 511 kilometres (318 miles) north-northwest of the capital Athens and 73 km (45 mi) west-southwest of Thessalonica.

Even by the standards of Greece, Veria is an old city; first mentioned in the writings of Thucydides in 432 BC, there is evidence that it was populated as early as 1,000 BC.^[3] Veria was an important possession for Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) and later for the Romans. Apostle Paul famously preached in the city, and its inhabitants were among the first Christians in the Empire. Later, under the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, Veria was a center of Greek culture and learning. Today Veria is a commercial center of Central Macedonia, the capital of the regional unit of Imathia and the seat of a metropolitan bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece.

History

The Jewish synagogue. Veria has a Romaniote community since ancient times.

A view of the city.

The city is reputed to have been named by its mythical creator Beres - Pheres or from the daughter of the king of Berroia who is the thought to be the son of Macedon. The Ancient Macedonians made it their second most important city after Pella. Part of the Kingdom of Macedon, it surrendered to Rome in 168. During the Roman empire, Veria became a place of worship for the Romans. Diocletian made the large and populous city one of two capitals of the Roman Province of Macedonia. Within the city there was a Jewish settlement where the Apostle Paul^[4] preached after leaving Thessalonica (Acts 17:10-15). The Apostle Paul and his companion Silas preached to the Jewish and Greek communities of the city in AD 50/51 or 54/55 (see Bereans). Said section provides:

'10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. 13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible."

Under the Byzantine Empire the city continued to grow and prosper until it was attacked by the Normans (1185) and the Franks (1204) and in the middle of the 14th century by the Serbs. Invaded by Serbs and Bulgars, it was captured by the Ottomans in 1361, who named it Karaferye and established a military colony. In 1436, it was besieged and captured again by the Ottoman Empire and remained in their control until 1912. Veria was united with Greece on 16 October 1912 (Julian calendar) / 29 October 1912 (Gregorian calendar).

Geography

Geology

Veria is located at 40º31' North, 22º12' East, at the eastern foot of the Vermio Mountains. It lies on a plateau at the western edge of the Central Macedonia plain, north of the Haliacmon River. The town straddles the Tripotamos (river), a Haliacmon tributary that provides hydroelectric power to the national electric power transmission network and irrigation water to agricultural customers of the Veria plain.

Climate

Veria has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) that borders on a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). Since the city lies in a transitional climatic zone, its climate displays characteristics of continental, semi-arid and subtropical/Mediterranean climates. Summers (from April to October) are hot (often exceptionally hot) and dry (or mildly humid, with rainfalls that occur during thunderstorms), and winters (from mid-October to March) are wet and cool, but temperatures remain above or well above freezing (meteorological phenomenon of Alkyonides). Snow typically falls once or twice a season. Major temperature swings between day and night are seldom.

Economy

The modern town has cotton and woolen mills and trades in wheat, fruit, and vegetables. Lignite mines operate in the area. The largest wind farm in Greece is to be constructed in the Vermio Mountains by Acciona, S.A.. It will consist of 174 wind turbines, which will be connected to the national electric power transmission network, generating 614 MW.

Infrastructure - Transport

Veria is linked to Thessalonica by the Thessalonica-Edessa railway, with connections to Athens and Alexandroupoli. Veria is connected to the motorway system of Greece and Europe through Egnatia Odos, the Greek part of the European route E90. It is also connected to more than 500 local and national destinations via the national coach network (KTEL). Thessalonica International Airport "Macedonia" is the closest international airport, located 88 km (55 mi) east-northeast of Veria.

Education

Veria has one of the largest public libraries in Greece. Originally a small single-room library with limited funds and material, it expanded into a four-story building offering multimedia, as well as special and rare editions. Veria's public library collaborates with many international organizations and hosts several cultural events.

The Department of Spatial Planning and Development Engineering of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is located in Veria since 2004.

Culture

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Archaeological Site of Aegae / Aigai (Greek: Αἰγαί; modern name Vergina)
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iii
Reference	780
UNESCO region	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1996 (20th Session)

Museums in Veria include the Archaeological Museum of Veroia, the Byzantine Museum of Veroia, a museum of modern Greek history and a laographical museum. There are also 48 Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches, four Ottoman mosques, and a 19th-century Jewish synagogue in the protected Jewish neighbourhood.

The Archaeological Site of Aegae / Aigai (Greek Αἰγαί; modern name Vergina), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 12 km (7 mi) south-east of the city centre of Veria.

Every summer (August 15 to September 15) the "Imathiotika" festivities take place with a rich cultural program deriving mainly from Veria's tradition. The site of Elia offers great natural beauty and with an amazing view of the Imathia plain. Neighboring Seli is a well-known ski resort and a few kilometers outside the city is the Aliakmonas river dam.

Local government – Municipality

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

• Apostolos Pavlos
• Dovras
• Makedonida
• Vergina
• Veria

Twin towns — sister cities

Veria is twinned with:

• Strovolos, Cyprus (1993)^[6]
• Kazanlak, Bulgaria
• Rognac, France^[6]
• Užice, Serbia

Sports

Veria is home to many sports clubs. Most prominent is the handball team of Filippos Veria, competing in the first national division and which has won many championships (both national and international) over the last 40 years. The most famous is Veria FC which competes in Alpha Ethniki (Greece's 1st division). Veria also has two basketball teams, AOK Veria and Filippos Veria, which compete in the local and third national division respectively.

Notable people

Ioannes Kottounios, Renaissance humanist and professor of Philosophy at various Italian universities, was born in Veria in 1577.^[1]

• Demetrius Vikelas, Greek writer; the first president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
• Konstantinos Raktivan, liberal politician, lawyer, Greek Council of State's first president, member of the Academy of Athens, speaker of the Hellenic Parliament
• Ioannes Kottounios, Renaissance humanist and philosopher
• Konstantinos Kallokratos, teacher and poet
• Sopater, kinsman of Paul
• Patriarch Metrophanes of Alexandria, Patriarch of Alexandria
• Patriarch Nephon I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch (Constantinople)
• Sonia Theodoridou, Greek soprano
• Efthymios Warlamis, Greek architect, sculptor and painter
• Sedat Alp, Turkish archaeologist
• Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek politician
• Mimis Papaioannou, Greek football player
• Kostas Tsartsaris, Greek professional basketball player
• Yiannis Arabatzis, footballer
• Pantelis Kafes, footballer
• Panagiotis Tsalouchidis, former football player
• Pavlos Kontogiannidis, actor, singer
• Dimitris Mavropoulos, actor and theatrical director

Gallery

See also

• List of settlements in Imathia

References

External links

• Veroia Municipality (official website)

v t e Macedonia (Greece) People Ancient Macedonians List of ancient Macedonians Greek Macedonians List of Greek Macedonians Jews of Thessaloniki Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia Macedonian Bulgarians History Macedonia (ancient kingdom) List of kings of Macedon Wars of Alexander the Great Wars of the Diadochi Macedonian Wars Roman province of Macedonia Diocese of Macedonia Theme of Thessalonica Theme of Strymon Byzantine–Bulgarian wars Sack of Thessalonica (1185) Kingdom of Thessalonica Byzantine civil war of 1321–28 Zealots of Thessalonica Byzantine civil war of 1341–47 Byzantine–Ottoman Wars Siege of Thessalonica (1422–30) Ottoman Greece Greek War of Independence Greek Struggle for Macedonia Balkan Wars Macedonian front Provisional Government of National Defence Axis occupation Macedonia naming dispute Major cities Thessaloniki Veria Katerini Serres Kavala Kastoria Drama Naousa Administration Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace Decentralized Administration of Epirus and West Macedonia West Macedonia Central Macedonia East Macedonia and Thrace Ministry for Macedonia and Thrace Monuments Amphipolis Dion Mount Athos Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki Pella Philippi Platamon Castle Vergina Culture Vergina Sun Flag Music Cuisine Greek Macedonia Portal

v t e Administrative division of the Central Macedonia Region Area 18,811 km² Population 1,880,058 (2011) Capital Thessaloniki Regional unit of Chalkidiki Aristotelis Kassandra Nea Propontida Polygyros Sithonia Regional unit of Imathia Alexandreia Naousa Veroia Regional unit of Kilkis Kilkis Paionia Regional unit of Pella Almopia Edessa Pella Skydra Regional unit of Pieria Dio-Olympos Katerini Pydna-Kolindros Regional unit of Serres Amfipoli Emmanouil Pappas Irakleia Nea Zichni Serres Sintiki Visaltia Regional unit of Thessaloniki Ampelokipoi-Menemeni Chalkidona Delta Kalamaria Kordelio-Evosmos Langadas Neapoli-Sykies Oraiokastro Pavlos Melas Pylaia-Chortiatis Thermaikos Thermi Thessaloniki Volvi Regional governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas (el) Website www.pkm.gov.gr

v t e   Prefectural capitals of Greece Agios Nikolaos Alexandroupoli Amfissa Argostoli Arta Athens Chalcis Chania Chios Corfu Corinth Drama Edessa Eleusis Ermoupoli Florina Grevena Heraklion Igoumenitsa Ioannina Kalamata Karditsa Karpenisi Kastoria Katerini Kavala Kilkis Komotini Kozani Lamia Larissa Lefkada Livadeia Missolonghi Mytilene Nafplion Pallini Patras Piraeus Polygyros Preveza Pyrgos Rethymno Rhodes Serres Sparta Thessaloniki Trikala Tripoli Vathy Veria Volos Xanthi Zakynthos

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