Patras

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Image:Patrasport.JPG {{Infobox Town GR 

 |name = Patras
 |name_local = Πάτρα
 |image_coa =  
 |image_map = Patras location.png
 |periph = West Greece
 |prefec = Achaea
 |province = 
 |population = 163,446
 |population_as_of = 2001
 |population_ref = source 
 |pop_dens = 1303
 |area =  125.4
 |elevation = 10
 |lat_deg = 38
 |lat_min = 15
 |lat_hem = N
 |lon_deg = 21
 |lon_min = 44
 |lon_hem = E
 |postal_code = 26x xx
 |area_code = 2610
 |licence = ΑΧ
 |mayor = Andreas Karavolas
 |website = patras.gr

}} Patras (Greek: Modern: Πάτρα, Ancient: Πάτραι, Pátrai, Latin: Patrae, -arum) is the third largest city of Greece, and the capital of the Achaea prefecture of Greece and of the Region of West Greece. Patra, or Patras, is located in the southwest part of Greece in Peloponnesos and has a history of 4000 years. 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.


Contents

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Etymology

The most common explanation given for the name Patras is the mythological one, from Patreus the name of the town's legendary settler. In the Greek language, however, the word Patra, is etymologically related to the word Patrís, which means homeland. It is argued then, that the founding myth was created after the name and not vice versa.

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History

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Patras in Antiquity

Image:Patrasodeum.jpg The first traces of settlement in Patras date to the 3rd millennium BC, in modern Aroe. During the Middle Helladic period (the first half of the 2nd millennium BC), another settlement was founded in the region. Patras flourished for the first time during the Post-Helladic or Mycenean period (1580–1100 BC). Ancient Patras was formed by the unification of three Mycenaean villages located in modern Aroe, Antheia and Mesatis. Mythology tells us that after the Dorian invasion, a group of Achaeans from Laconia, led by the eponymous Patreus, established a colony. During antiquity, Patras remained a farming region but in Roman times it became an important port.

After 280 BC, Patras played a significant role in the foundation of the second "Achaean League" (Achaiki Sympoliteia) together with the cities Dyme, Triteia and Pharai, and the initiative of political movements was transferred for the first time to western Achaea. Later on and after the Roman occupation of Greece, in 146 BC, Patras played the main role and Augustus founded a Roman colony there. A cadastral map was drawn up, privileges were granted, crafts were 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 were created, temples were built, roads that render Patras a communication center were opened, streets were paved with flagstones, foreign religions were introduced. Patras was by then a cosmopolitan city. But at the end of the 3rd century AD it fell into decline, probably because of a strong earthquake that stroke the whole of NE Peloponnese in 300 AD. According to the christian tradition Saint Andrew came to Patras to preach Christianity during the reign of Emperor Nero and was crucified as a martyr. He is considered to be the patron saint of the city. (A large byzantine-style basilica was built in the 1970s in his honor, on the traditional place of his crucifixion.)

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Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Patras

Image:Patras Patrasfortress.jpg During the Byzantine times Patras continued to be an important port as well as an industrial center. One of the most scholarly philosophers and theologians of the time, Arethas of Caesarea was born at Patrae, at around 860. In the 9th century there is a sign that the city was prosperous: the widow Danielis from Patras had accumulated immense wealth in land ownership, carpet and textile industry and offered critical support in the ascent of Basil I the Macedonian to the byzantine throne.

In 1204 Patras was conquered by the Fourth Crusade, and became the seat of the Latin Duchy of Achaia within the Principality of Achaea. In 1408, it became Venetian. It was seized again by the despot Constantine in 1430, who was immediately contested by the Ottoman Empire.

In 1458 Patras was conquered by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet II. Under the Ottomans, it was called Baliabadra (from Greek Παλαιά Πάτρα, the town, as opposed to Νέα Πάτρα, the fortress). Though Mehmet granted the city special privileges and tax reductions, it never became a major center of commerce. Venice and Genoa attacked and captured Patras several times during the 15th and 16th centuries, but never re-established their rule effectively.<ref>Encyclopedia of Islam s.v. Baliabadra</ref>

Template:FactGenerally, the first period of Turkish rule (1460-1687) was miserable, but from 1715 and on there was a revival of commerce, and so in the 18th century it became a prosperous town again economically based on agriculture and trade.

On 7 October 1571, the Ottoman fleet on the one side, and the fleet of the Christian Holy League on the other, clashed in the Gulf of Patras, in the Battle of Lepanto. The Ottomans were defeated, but the Holy League did not seize the city of Patras. The news of the Ottoman destruction were celebrated in Patras, but a revolt organized by five of the elders of the town and metropolitan Germanos I of Old Patras (1561-1572) was stifled and its instigators were executed <ref>Chasiotis,Ioannis "Revolutionary efforts in the Greek area after the naval battle", Istoria tou Ellinikou Ethnous, Ekdotiki Athinon, vol. 10, pp. 320-321, Athens 1974</ref>.

Patras played an active part in the Independence struggle against the Ottomans (1821). Template:FactIt is argued that the Greek War of Independence was declared the 25th March 1821, when the then archbichop of Old Patras, and member of the revolutionary organization Filiki Eteria, Germanos swore in the first freedom warriors in the chapel of Agios Georgios close to the modern day square.

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Modern Patras

Image:Raisin.jpg Image:Patras NASA WorldWind.jpg Patras was liberated on 7 October 1828 by the French expeditionary force in the Peloponnese, under the command of General Maison. In 1829 the then Governor of Greece, John Capodistria approved a very ambitious new urban plan for the city--which was still in ruins--presented to him by the French army engineer Stamatis Vulgaris. The plan was not enforced until the mid-19th century and then only with great adaptations conforming to the interests of powerful land owners. Patras developed as the second largest urban centre in late 19th century Greece. The city benefited from its role as the main export port for the agricultural produce of the Peloponnese. It was the main centre for the organisation of production of raisin, offering warehouse, banking and insurance services. However, this early era of prosperity was short lived; in 1894 raisin export prices in the international markets began to plummet, due to overproduction and international circumstances, which triggered a prolonged crisis with deep financial, political and social repercussions, known as the Great raisin crisis. Trade with western Europe, mainly Britain, France and Italy, did much to shape the city's early identity as a significant port and cosmopolitan urban centre in early 20th century Greece.

In the early 20th century, Patras developed fast and became the first Greek city to introduce public streetlights and electrified tramways. The war effort of the first World War hampered the city's development and also created uncontrollable urban sprawl with the influx of refugees from Minor Asia. During the Second World War Patras was the major target of Italian air raids. At the time of the Axis occupation, a German military command was established and German and Italian troops were stationed in the city. On 13th December 1943, in the nearby town of Kalavryta, the German troops executed all the male population and set the town ablaze. After the liberation city grew fast to recover, but in later years was increasingly overshadowed by the urban pole of Athens.

Notes

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Urban Plan and sights

Image:Patrnight.jpg The city nowadays is 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. The most notable squares are 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 significant, open to visit, 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 the ruined Castle, whose current outline dates back to the Venetian invasion of the town (1687-1715). In current times, its interior is laid out as a public garden. Image:Oldlighthouse.jpg Close to the seafront, between the site of the new and the old port, there is the monumental church of St Andrew and in a projection of land stands a replica of the city's old lighthouse, built as a part of a coastline beautification project. Generally, 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 institutional weakness on the part of the City Council, which in turn is due to the lack of financial planning, most of the city's coastal areas are not in an ideal situation and spots are being illegally occupied by shops which are illegally built on the coastline. This is contrary to the Greek constitution of 2001 declares that the Greek coastline is a "National Treasure" and as such it belongs to the People.

The city is endowed with many neoclassical buildings and mansions from late 19th-early 20th century, which now enhance the city centre. Years of neglect and the absence of protection enforcement, as well as recent earthquakes, had contributed to the destruction of many, but today most surviving neoclassical buildings are under protection status. A project for the restoration of the city's architectural heritage is part of the 2006 Cultural Capital bid.

Several (Λαϊκή)laikê (Produce bazaars) take place in the city's neighborhoods on weekdays and on Saturday.

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Infrastructure and facilities

Image:Rionbridge.jpg Patras is considered one of the most beautiful towns in Greece. It offers its residents 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 Andreas, the oldest of the two is named after the city's patron saint and it resides on the south side of the city. The University Hospital of Rio is a university hospital, where med-students intern and specialise in their major. It resides on the north-eastern part of the city, inside the city's University campus.

  • Rail connection
The length of rail is around 12 km. A train station lies 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.
Is located north of Patras, and links the Peloponnese to mainland Greece.
  • The new highway
A beltway, the length of which is 20 km, was first opened in 2002 to alleviate traffic passing through the city. Two highway lanes are being constructed, to link the beltway to the city's new port.
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Economy

The city economy has a larger service sector. Main activities are retailing, logistics, financial services, and the public sector services. Patras suffered from a great problem of deindustrialization during the late 1980s and 1990s. Many big productive units were shut down one after the other and the workforce as well as the city's economy had to restructure. To this aim conributed the university, and a small but dynamic service and technology sector that evolves around it. The city's region retains some of its traditional winemaking and foodstuff industries. 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).

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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. The International Festival of Patras takes place every summer, with a program consisting mostly of plays--both ancient drama and modern theatre--as well as various music concerts. Patras has also a very strong indie rock scene with critically acclaimed bands such as Raining Pleasure, Abbie Gale, Serpentine, Doh an Doris and many more.

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European Capital of Culture 2006

Image:Button europeancapital en.jpg 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 archaeological 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 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 redefine the meaning of the term Cultural Capital. So far, various cultural events have taken place and the construction of the new museum is moving on rapidly. Old factories and neoclassical buildings are renovated as part of a plan to link such spaces to preserve the city's architectural heritage and link it to its cultural life. Image:Big politistiki.jpg Image:Patras2006.jpg

The Selection Panel for 2006 noted in its final report:

The current cultural activity [2] of the city includes the Patras International Festival (various artistic activities, mainly in the field of music), the Patras Carnival and the Poetry Symposium (organized each year for the 25 years by an ad hoc committee at the Unversity of Patras). The city hosts several conservatoires and schools of music, including one devoted exclusively to Byzantine music, and several orchestras and choirs. There is one full-time theatre group in the city, the Patras Municipal Regional Theatre, as well as several amateur groups. A number of schools teach dancing, and there are plans to set up a dance theatre within the context of the Patras Municipal Regional Theatre. Patras has a visual arts workshop, a school of icon painting and a carnival float workshop, and hosts a Municipal Gallery as well as private art galleries. The city has a Municipal Library, an archaeological museum, a folk art museum, an historical and ethnological museum and a museum of the press. The architectural heritage of the city is dominated by neo-classicism, but includes also constructions from other periods.
The Patras 2006 proposal focuses on two central ideas: “bridges” and “dialogues”. Cultural managers from Patras and the general public will be involved in developing these ideas. Further, four poles/programmes of cultural attraction will be developed. The first, “A city for Europe”, will relate to the architectural heritage, the industrial revolution and similar subjects. “The counterpart cities” programme will bedeveloped in the fields of human and social sciences and in diverse artistic fields. “The three sea battles” will present a cultural programme focusing on peace and understanding. The last theme, “The many homelands”, is directly linked to the etymology of the name of the city. This programme will amongst other things concentrate on art workshops, the transfer of know-how, way of life and entertainment.
Excerpt from the Report of the Selection Panel for the European Capital of Culture 2006[3][4]
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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 and Imera.

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Quarters and subdivisions:

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Nearby communes

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Communes:

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Historical population:

Year Municipal population Change Urban Population Change
1991 161,782 - 190,463 -
2001 171,616 9,834/6,08% 210,494 20,031/10,52%

The municipality includes the following communities:

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

The urban area of Patras includes the cities of:

  • Rion (12,674)
  • Paralia (9,153)
  • Vrachneika (4,805)
  • Messatida (12,246)

That is 18,5% of the urban population.

(the above data refer to permanent population and are taken from the "2001 Census" of the National Statistical Service of Greece)

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Twin cities

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Photo gallery

View from the port

Rion-Antirrio Bridge

Fortress

Old lighthouse

Roman Odeum

Achaia Clauss

Night view of Patras

Computer generated view

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External links:




North: Strait of Rio-Antirio, Rhion
West: Gulf of Patras
Patras East: Erineos, east of the Panachaicus, Leontio (independent commune)
South: Paralia, Messatida/Messatis
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References

<references/>

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See also

Template:Achaeabg:Патра de:Patras el:Πάτρα fr:Patras it:Patrasso he:פטרס la:Patrae nl:Patras pl:Patras pt:Patras ro:Patras sv:Patra ja:パトラ

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