Veria

Infobox Greek Dimos
name = Veria
name_local = Βέροια
periph = Central Macedonia
prefec = Imathia
population = 47411
population_as_of = 2001
area = 359.146
elevation = 128
lat_deg = 40
lat_min = 31
lon_deg = 22
lon_min = 12
postal_code = 591 00
area_code = 23310
licence = ΗΜ
mayor = Charoula Ousoultzoglou-Georgiadi
website = [http://www.veria.gr www.veria.gr]


caption_skyline = Nightview of Veria from the Villa Vikela Hill in May 2008.
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Veria (officially transliterated as "Veroia", Greek Βέροια or Βέρροια, also Φέροια in Classical Greek - Βέροια being the Ancient Macedonian equivalent) is a city in Greece. It is a commercial center of Macedonia, the capital of the prefecture of Imathia, the province of Imathia and the seat of a bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church. Veria is on the site of the ancient city of Beroea (called Berea in some translations of the Bible), which was prominent from the 4th century BC and part of the Kingdom of Macedon. Part of Rome from 168 BC, both Paul and Silas preached there in AD 54 or 55 (see Bereans). Diocletian made the large and populous city one of two capitals of the Roman Province of Macedonia, and it was one of the earliest cities to become the seat of a bishop. Invaded by Bulgars, it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1361, who named it "Kara Ferye". It was incorporated into the Greek state in 1912.

Veria since the 1980s is bypassed and is linked by the superhighway linking to GR-1. GR-4/Via Egnatia runs through Veria and also the road to Edessa. It is located NE of Kozani, S of Edessa, SW of Thessaloniki, NW of Katerini, WNW of Athens and N of Larissa.

History

The city of Veria is first mentioned in the writings of Thucydides in 432 BCveria.gr, [http://www.veria.gr/content/view/79/23/ Veria:Its history (greek)] , accessed June 1, 2008.] , although there is evidence that the city was populated as early as 1000 BC. The city got its name from its mythical creator Ferona or Verona OR from the daughter of the king of Veria (Verita) who is the thought to be the son of Macedon. The first inhabitants are known as the Vriges, who were uprooted by the Macedonians. The Macedonians made it their second most important city after Pella. During the Roman empire, Veria became a place of worship for the Romans. Within the city there was a Jewish settlement to which the Apostle Paul {greek) hellasportal.gr, [http://www.hellasportal.gr/cat_content.asp?lng=el&contentid=201&catid=287&cattypeid=101&menu2=161&menu3=285&menu4=286&htab=1&visible=1 Apostle Paul preach in Veria] , accessed June 1, 2008.] preached upon his arrival in the city in 50-51 AD. Under the control of the Byzantine Empire the city continued to grow and prosper until it was pillaged in the 9th century by the Bulgarians. During the Crusades it was conquered by the Normans (1185) and the Franks (1204) and in the middle of the 13th century by the Serbs. In Slavic it is called Бер "Ber".In 1436 it was besieged and captured by the Ottoman Empire and remained in their control until 1912.

Culture

Veria hosts one of the largest and most complete public [http://www.libver.gr 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. Every summer (August 15th to September 15th) 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.

Historical population

ports

Veria is home to many sports clubs.The most famous is Veria FC which competes in Beta Ethniki. Veria also has two basketball teams. AOK Veria and Filippos Veria which compete in a local and third national division respectively.

Climate

Typically, Veria experiences cold wet winters and hot dry summers.In summer 2007 the highest temperature ever in Veria was recorded, 44 [°C] .

Famous People

*Sedat Alp, Archaeologist
*Yiannis Arabatzis, Footballer
*Pantelis Kafes, Footballer
*Pavlos Kontogiannidis, Actor, Singer
*Ioannis Kottounios, Writer and humanist
*Dimitris Mavropoulos, Actor and theatrical director
*Patriarch Metrophanes of Alexandria, Patriarch of Alexandria
*Patriarch Nephon I of Constantinople, Patriarch of Constantinople
*Panagiotis Tsalouchidis, Former football player
*Kostas Tsartsaris, Basketball Player

Gallery

ee also

*List of communities of Imathia

References

External links

* [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?tb=1&city=Veria&country=GR Mapquest - Veria] , street map not yet available
*Coordinates: coord|40|31|14|N|22|12|8|E|region:GR