Everything about Larissa totally explained
» This article is about a city in Greece. For other meanings see Larissa (disambiguation).
Larissa (
Greek:
Λάρισα,
Lárisa) is the capital city of the
Thessaly periphery of
Greece, and capital of the
Larissa Prefecture. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by rail with the port of
Volos and with
Thessaloniki and
Athens. The population of the greater area is around 250,000, and takes in the Municipalities of Nikaia, Giannouli and other smaller suburban communities. According to archaeological evidence, the capital of
Thessaly, Larissa, lies atop a site that has been inhabited since the tenth millennium before Christ. A major commercial and industrial centre, Larissa sits in the middle of the plain of
Thessaly, a few kilometers off the
Athens-
Thessaloniki National Road. Legend has it that
Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, died here.
Geography
There are a number of highways
E75 and the main railway from
Athens to
Thessaloniki (Salonika) crosses
Thessaly. The region is directly linked to the rest of
Europe through
International Airport of Central Greece located in
Nea Anchialos in a small distance from Larisa.
The
Larissa Chasma, a deep gash in the surface of
Dione, a natural satellite of Jupiter, was named after Larissa.
History
Antiquity
Traces of
Paleolithic human settlement have been recovered from the area, but it was peripheral to areas of advanced culture. The area around Larissa was extremely fruitful - it was agriculturally important and in
antiquity was known for its horses. The city finally moved closer to the rest of Greece.
The name Larissa, inherited from the
Pelasgian settlers— an alternative name for the district was
Pelasgiotis— was common to many Pelasgian towns: the ancient Greek word
larissa means "stronghold". In
Greek mythology the nymph
Larissa was a daughter of the primordial man
Pelasgus.
Larissa is thought to be where the famous Greek physician
Hippocrates and the famous philosopher
Gorgias of Leontini died.
When Larissa ceased minting the federal coins it shared with other Thessalian towns and adopted its own coinage in the late fifth century BC, it chose local types for its coins. The obverse depicted the nymph of the local spring, Larissa, for whom the town was named; probably the choice was inspired by the famous coins of
Kimon depicting the Syracusan nymph
Arethusa. The reverse depicted a horse in various poses. The horse was an appropriate symbol of Thessaly, a land of plains, which was well-known for its horses. Usually there's a male figure; he should perhaps be seen as the eponymous hero of the Thessalians, Thessalos, who is probably also to be identified on many of the earlier, federal coins of Thessaly.
Hellenistic and Roman era
Larissa, sometimes written Larisa on ancient coins and inscriptions, is near the site of the Homeric Argissa. It appears in early times, when
Thessaly was mainly governed by a few aristocratic families, as an important city under the rule of the
Aleuadae, whose authority extended over the whole district of
Pelasgiotis. This powerful family possessed for many generations before 369 BC the privilege of furnishing the
tagus, the local term for the
strategos of the combined Thessalian forces. The principal rivals of the Aleuadae were the
Scopadac of
Crannon, the remains of which (called by the Turks Old Larissa) are about 14 miles south west. The inhabitants sided with
Athens during the Peloponnesian War.
As the chief city of ancient Thessaly, Larissa was directly annexed by Philip II of Macedon in 344, and from then on Larissa was under Macedonian control; in 196 B.C. Larissa became an ally of Rome and was the headquarters of the
Thessalian League.
Since the
5th century it has been the seat of an
archbishop.
Modern Greek era
The town was taken from the Byzantine Empire by Bulgaria and later held by Serbia, with which it passed in the 15th century under the rule of the Ottoman Turks.
Larissa was the headquarters of
Ali Pasha during the
Greek War of Independence, and of the crown prince
Constantine during the
Greco-Turkish War of 1897. The flight of the Greek army from here to
Pharsala took place on the
April 23 1897. Until 1881 Larissa was the seat of a
pasha in the
wilaya of
Iannina; and known in
Turkish as
Yenişehr-i Fenar (New Town in Greece). Its long subjection to
Ottoman rule has left little trace of antiquity. In the 19th century, there was a small village in the outskirts of town very unusually inhabited by Africans from the
Sudan, a curious remnant of the forces collected by
Ali Pasha. In the 19th century, the town produced
leather,
cotton,
silk and
tobacco. Fevers and agues were prevalent owing to bad drainage and the overflowing of the river; and the death-rate was higher than the birth rate. It was also renowned for the
minarets of its
mosques (four of which were still in use in the early part of the 20th century) and the
Muslim burial grounds. A considerable portion of the Turkish population emigrated in 1881. During the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, Turkish troops entered the city once again in April 25. After a treaty for peace was signed, they withdrew and Larissa remained permanently in
Greece. This was followed by a further exodus of Turks in 1898.
Historical population
1907: 18,001 (city)
1907: 95,066 (prefecture)
1991: 113,781 (city)
1991: 277,973 (prefecture)
2001: 126,076 (city)
2001: 279,305 (prefecture)
Archaeological Sites
Ancient Theatre A'
Ancient Theatre B'
Fortress Hill & Ancient Agora
Museums
Municipal Gallery-G.I. Katsigras Museum
Historical & Folklore Museum
Archaeological & Byzantine Museum
Diachronic Museum
Folklore Society of Larissa
Sites of Interest
Saint Achellios Church (Cathedral) on the ancient Acropolis
Nike's Monument
Mylos Theatrical & Cultural Complex
Alkazar Park & Municipal Open Amphitheatre
City Center's Pedestrian Zone
Old Town (Lachanàdika-Froùrion)
Sentient Pinios River Park
Municipal Observatory
Squares
Sapka Central Square
Makariou Square (Tachydromiou Square)
Neapolis Square
Trigonal Square
People's Square (Blana Square)
1st May Square
Saint Helias Square
Jew Square
SS Peter & Paul Square
Averof Square
Saint Vessarion Square
Karaiskaki Square
OSE Square
Vembo Square
Makryjanni Square
Livadaki Square
Districts (Quarters)
The Municipality of Larissa is divided in 2 Municipal Districts (Larissa & Terpsithea). The Municipal District of Larissa is subdivided into 4 city-districts (29 quartes) & 2 suburban districts (Amphithea & Koulourion). The Municipal District of Terpsithea is subdivided into 2 suburban districts (Terpsithea & Argyssa).
1.Saint Achellios
2.Saint Nikolaos
3.Saint Athanasios
4.Alkazar
5.Hippocrates
6.Papastavrou
7.Ambelokipoi
8.Saints Saranta
9.Lachanokipoi
10.Nea Smyrne-Kamynia
11.Kalyvia-Saint Marina
12.Charavgi
13.Toumba
14.Pyrovolika-Pharos
15.Averof-Sekfo
16.Nea Politia
17.OKE
18.Saint Georgios
19.Pinioupolis
20.Philippoupolis
21.Livadaki
22.Epirotika-Mezourlo
23.Neapolis
24.Saint Konstantinos
25.Stathmos
26.Anthoupolis
27.Saint Thomas
28.Saint Paraskevi
29.Neraida
Transport
Larissa's Urban Bus System
Larissa's Interurban System
Central Railstation
Mezourlo Railstation
Larissa Airport
Higher Education and Research
University of Thessaly School of Medicine
Technological Educational Institute of Larissa
National Agricultural Research Foundation
Agricultural School of Larissa
Sports
Alkazar Sport Complex
Alkazar National Stadium
Municipal Swimming Pool
Equestrian Club of Larissa
Neapolis Palais de Sports
Larissa's Nautical Club
Alkazar Golf Center
Sporting teams
Larissa F.C. (Super League Greece), Greek Champions in 1988 and Cup Winners in 1985 & 2007. Currently scheduled to play in the group stage of the Uefa Cup after defeating Blackburn Rovers. Their first division championship in 1988 made them the only "countryside" team (for example not based in Athens or Thessaloniki) to have won in the history of the league.
Apollonas Larissa (Fourth Division)
Olympia Larissas BC (A1 Ethniki) Basketball team
AEL 1964 BC/Gymnastikos S. Larissas A1 Ethniki
Famous People
Larissa mythological nymph from Thessaly
Medius of Larissa (4th century BC) friend of Alexander the Great
Philo of Larissa (1st century BC) philosopher
Hippocrates (460 BC–370 BC) ancient physician
Achillius of Larissa (270-330) saint
George Seremetis (1879-1950) lawyer, mayor of Thessaloniki
Kostas Gousgounis (1931) porn actor
Georgios Souflias (1941) politician
Lakis Lazopoulos actor, comedian, script author & director
Petros Efthimiou (1950) politician
Georgios Mitsibonas (1962-1997) footballer
M. Karagatsis (1908-1960) novelist, journalist
Vassilis Karapialis (1965) footballer
Dimitris P. Kraniotis (1966) poet & medical doctor
Paraskevas Boubourakas (1972) fashion model
Konstantinos Chalkias (1974) footballer
Alexis Georgoulis (1974) actor
Yannis Goumas (1975) footballer
Dimosthenis Dikoudis (1977) basketball player
Fani Halkia (1979) hurdler
Ekaterini Voggoli (1970) discus thrower
Dimitris Spanoulis (1979) basketball player
Theofanis Gekas (1980) footballer
Vaggelis Moras (1981) footballer
Vassilis Spanoulis (1982) basketball player
Sotiris Skipis (1881-1952) poet
Achilleas Tzartzanos (1873-1946) linguist, philologist
Takis Tloupas (1920-2003) photographer
Giorgakis Olympios (1772 - 1821) armatolos
Anna Vagena actress
Nestoras Kommatos (1977) basketball player
Sister cities
Bălţi, Moldova
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Rybnik, Poland
Ürgüp, TurkeyFurther Information
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