Serres Prefecture
Encyclopedia
Serres is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Region of Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the region of Macedonia. With a population of over 1.8 million, it is the second most populous in Greece after Attica.- Administration :...

. Its capital is the town of Serres
Serres
Serres is a city in Greece, seat of the Serres prefecture.Serres may also refer to:Places:* Serres, Germany, a part of Wiernsheim in Baden-WürttembergIn France:* Serres, Aude in the Aude département...

. The total population reaches just over 200,000.

Geography

The mountains are Orvelos to the north, Menoikio to the east, Pangaio
Pangaion hills
The Pangaion Hills , ancient forms: Pangaeon, Pangaeum, Homeric name: Nysa are a mountain range in Greece, approximately 40 km from Kavala. The highest elevation is 1,956 m and the mountaintop name is Koutra...

 to the southeast, Kerdylio to the southwest, Vertiskos
Vertiskos
Vertiskos is a village and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lagkadas, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,350 ....

 to the west, parts of Krousi to the west and portions of the Kerkini
Belasica
Belasica is a mountain range in the region of Macedonia in Southeastern Europe, shared by northwestern Greece , southeastern Republic of Macedonia and southwestern Bulgaria...

 lies to the northwest. The regional unit borders on Thessaloniki to the southwest, Kilkis to the west, the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...

 with the district of Strumica
Strumica
Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it...

 to the northwest, the Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province , also known as Pirin Macedonia , is a province of southwestern Bulgaria. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, Greece to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns...

 of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

 to the north, Drama to the northeast and Kavala to the east. The Strymonian Gulf
Strymonian Gulf
The Strymonian or Strymonic Gulf in [Greece]] is a branch of the Thracian Sea—itself part of the Aegean Sea—lying east of the Chalcidice peninsula and south of Serres...

 lies to the south along with the Strymonas delta. Lake Kerkini
Lake Kerkini
Lake Kerkini , in Greece, is an artificial reservoir that was created in 1932, and then redeveloped in 1980, on the site of what was previously an extremely extensive marshland....

 was a lake located in the southern portion which is now drained. 41% of the regional unit are arable and most of the lands are near the Strymonas
Struma River
The Struma or Strymónas is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. Its ancient name was Strymōn . Its catchment area is 10,800 km²...

 river which flows from Bulgaria and empties into the Strymonian Gulf
Strymonian Gulf
The Strymonian or Strymonic Gulf in [Greece]] is a branch of the Thracian Sea—itself part of the Aegean Sea—lying east of the Chalcidice peninsula and south of Serres...

. Another river is the Angitis in the eastern portion of the prefecture, with the ravine and caves near Alistrati
Alistrati
Alistrati is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nea Zichni, of which it is a municipal unit. Population: town 2,764; municipal unit 4,121 . Alistrati is situated at the borders of the regional...

.

The regional unit has many archaeological and historical features including Serres
Serres, Greece
Sérres is a city in Macedonia, Greece. It is situated in a fertile plain at an elevation of about 70 m, some 24 km northeast of the Strymon river and 69 km north-east of the Macedonian capital, Thessaloniki. The Rhodope Mountains rise to the north and east of the city...

, Amphipolis
Amphipolis
Amphipolis was an ancient Greek city in the region once inhabited by the Edoni people in the present-day region of Central Macedonia. It was built on a raised plateau overlooking the east bank of the river Strymon where it emerged from Lake Cercinitis, about 3 m. from the Aegean Sea. Founded in...

, several monasteries, and Metaxa near the border with Bulgaria. The regional unit is also a tourist attraction including Lailia, rich in forests, a skiing resort in the central portion, lake Kerkini
Lake Kerkini
Lake Kerkini , in Greece, is an artificial reservoir that was created in 1932, and then redeveloped in 1980, on the site of what was previously an extremely extensive marshland....

 which is a reservoir supplying water to the farmlands. Fishing is common within Ano Poroia especially during the summer months and famous Alistrati's caves
Alistrati
Alistrati is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nea Zichni, of which it is a municipal unit. Population: town 2,764; municipal unit 4,121 . Alistrati is situated at the borders of the regional...

 and the nearby Aggitis ravine.

The southern part around the Strymonas
Strymonas
Strymonas is a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Emmanouil Pappas, of which it is a municipal unit. It is named after the river Strymonas. Population 8,055 . The seat of the municipality was in Neos Skopos....

 valley has a Mediterranean climate, the rest is predominantly continental with cold winters in higher elevations.

History

In modern times, Serres, like the rest of Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...

 was contested territory between Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

. After its liberation from the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 by the Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...

 in the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...

, Serres became a part of Greece at the end of the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...

. During the National Schism, it was occupied by Bulgaria again only to form part of Greece at the end of the war. During the Second World War Bulgaria occupied Serres and launched a campaign of Bulgarisation
Bulgarisation
Bulgarisation is a term used to describe a cultural change of the spread of Bulgarian culture within various areas in the Balkans....

. It was liberated in 1944.

A substantial portion of the population of the prefecture are descendants of refugees which came from Eastern Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...

 which is now Northwestern Turkey, Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...

 and from Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...

 during the Greco-Turkish War.

Administration

The regional unit Serres is subdivided into 7 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):
  • Amfipoli (2)
  • Emmanouil Pappas
    Emmanouil Pappas
    Emmanouil Pappas is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is in Chryso. The municipality takes its name after a local historical figure who played an important part as a leader in the war of the Greek revolution against Ottoman rule. Sadly, he met his...

     (4)
  • Irakleia
    Irakleia, Serres
    Irakleia is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. Population 13,173 . The seat of the municipality is the town of Irakleia, which was formerly known as "Lower Jumaya" .-Municipality:...

     (5)
  • Nea Zichni
    Nea Zichni
    Nea Zichni is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, of Central Macedonia region, Greece. Population 15,073 . Nea Zichni is also the name of the administrative seat of the municipality. Population 2,421 .-History:...

     (6)
  • Serres
    Serres, Greece
    Sérres is a city in Macedonia, Greece. It is situated in a fertile plain at an elevation of about 70 m, some 24 km northeast of the Strymon river and 69 km north-east of the Macedonian capital, Thessaloniki. The Rhodope Mountains rise to the north and east of the city...

     (1)
  • Sintiki
    Sintiki
    Sintiki is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Sidirokastro.-Municipality:...

     (7)
  • Visaltia
    Visaltia
    Visaltia is a municipality in the Serres Prefecture, Greece. The seat of the municipality is in Nigrita. The ancient city of Vergi is located here.-Municipality:...

     (3)

Prefecture

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the Serres regional unit was created out of the former Serres Prefecture . The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
New municipality Old municipalities Seat
Amfipoli Amfipoli  Rodolivos
Kormista
Kormista
Kormista is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amfipoli, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,887 . The seat of the municipality was in Nea Bafra....

Proti
Proti, Serres
Proti is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amfipoli, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,999 .- Notable people :...

Rodolivos
Rodolivos
Rodolivos is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amfipoli, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is about 30 km from Drama. Its population was 3,284...

Emmanouil Pappas
Emmanouil Pappas
Emmanouil Pappas is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is in Chryso. The municipality takes its name after a local historical figure who played an important part as a leader in the war of the Greek revolution against Ottoman rule. Sadly, he met his...

Emmanouil Pappas
Emmanouil Pappas
Emmanouil Pappas is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is in Chryso. The municipality takes its name after a local historical figure who played an important part as a leader in the war of the Greek revolution against Ottoman rule. Sadly, he met his...

 
Chryso
Strymonas
Strymonas
Strymonas is a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Emmanouil Pappas, of which it is a municipal unit. It is named after the river Strymonas. Population 8,055 . The seat of the municipality was in Neos Skopos....

Irakleia
Irakleia, Serres
Irakleia is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. Population 13,173 . The seat of the municipality is the town of Irakleia, which was formerly known as "Lower Jumaya" .-Municipality:...

 
Irakleia
Irakleia, Serres
Irakleia is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. Population 13,173 . The seat of the municipality is the town of Irakleia, which was formerly known as "Lower Jumaya" .-Municipality:...

 
Irakleia
Skotoussa
Skotoussa
Skotoussa is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Population 5,389 . Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Irakleia, of which it is a municipal unit....

Strymoniko
Strymoniko
Strymoniko is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Irakleia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,755 ....

Nea Zichni
Nea Zichni
Nea Zichni is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, of Central Macedonia region, Greece. Population 15,073 . Nea Zichni is also the name of the administrative seat of the municipality. Population 2,421 .-History:...

Nea Zichni
Nea Zichni
Nea Zichni is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, of Central Macedonia region, Greece. Population 15,073 . Nea Zichni is also the name of the administrative seat of the municipality. Population 2,421 .-History:...

 
Nea Zichni
Alistrati
Alistrati
Alistrati is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nea Zichni, of which it is a municipal unit. Population: town 2,764; municipal unit 4,121 . Alistrati is situated at the borders of the regional...

Serres
Serres, Greece
Sérres is a city in Macedonia, Greece. It is situated in a fertile plain at an elevation of about 70 m, some 24 km northeast of the Strymon river and 69 km north-east of the Macedonian capital, Thessaloniki. The Rhodope Mountains rise to the north and east of the city...

 
Serres
Serres, Greece
Sérres is a city in Macedonia, Greece. It is situated in a fertile plain at an elevation of about 70 m, some 24 km northeast of the Strymon river and 69 km north-east of the Macedonian capital, Thessaloniki. The Rhodope Mountains rise to the north and east of the city...

 
Serres
Ano Vrontou
Ano Vrontou
Ano Vrontou is a village and a former community in the northern Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Serres, of which it is a municipal unit. Its 2001 population was 452...

Kapetan Mitrousi
Kapetan Mitrousi
Kapetan Mitrousi is a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Serres, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in the west-central part of the Serres regional unit and has a population of 6,402 inhabitants...

Lefkonas
Lefkonas
Lefkonas is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Serres, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,897 ....

Oreini
Skoutari
Skoutari, Serres
Skoutari is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Serres, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 7,517 ....

Sintiki
Sintiki
Sintiki is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Sidirokastro.-Municipality:...

Sidirokastro
Sidirokastro
Sidirokastro is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is built near the fertile valley of the river Strymonas, on the bank of the...

 
Sidirokastro
Agkistro
Agkistro
Agkistro is a village and a former community in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 410 ....

Achladochori
Achladochori
Achladochori is a village and a former community in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,208 ....

Kerkini
Kerkini
Kerkini is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal unit. It is named after ancient Kerkinitis lake . Population of the municipal unit 10,037 . The seat was in...

Petritsi
Petritsi
Petritsi is a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal unit. with a population of 5,877 . The seat of the municipality was in Neo Petritsi.-External links:*...

Promachonas
Promachonas
Promachonas is a village and a former community in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 252 . A major border crossing with Bulgaria is located here...

Visaltia
Visaltia
Visaltia is a municipality in the Serres Prefecture, Greece. The seat of the municipality is in Nigrita. The ancient city of Vergi is located here.-Municipality:...

Visaltia
Visaltia
Visaltia is a municipality in the Serres Prefecture, Greece. The seat of the municipality is in Nigrita. The ancient city of Vergi is located here.-Municipality:...

 
Nigrita
Achinos
Achinos
Achinos is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Visaltia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,008 . The seat of the municipality was in Sitochori. The name Achinos is the Greek word...

Nigrita
Nigrita
Nigrita is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Visaltia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is situated between the Strymonian plain of the Strymon river and the Vertiskos...

Tragilos
Tragilos
Tragilos is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Visaltia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,773 . The seat of the municipality was in Mavrothalassa....


Provinces

  • Province of Serres
    Serres
    Serres is a city in Greece, seat of the Serres prefecture.Serres may also refer to:Places:* Serres, Germany, a part of Wiernsheim in Baden-WürttembergIn France:* Serres, Aude in the Aude département...

     - Serres
  • Province of Visaltia
    Visaltia
    Visaltia is a municipality in the Serres Prefecture, Greece. The seat of the municipality is in Nigrita. The ancient city of Vergi is located here.-Municipality:...

     - Nigrita
  • Province of Philida - Nea Zichni
  • Province of Sintice - Sidirokastron

Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

.

Transport

  • GR-2
    Greek National Road 2
    The National Road 2 in Greece is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the regions of Macedonia and Thrace. It is often confused with the A2 Egnatia Odos, which is a motorway/freeway and is similarly numbered as .Parts of the road belong to european route E86....

    /E75
    European route E75
    European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 75 starts from Vardø, Norway in the Barents Sea and runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Republic of Macedonia to Sitia, Greece on...

    , Via Egnatia
    Via Egnatia
    The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed the Roman provinces of Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thrace, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey.Starting at Dyrrachium on the...

    , old and new, SW, S
  • GR-12
    Greek National Road 12
    The Greek National Road 12 is a highway or route that links the towns and cities of Thessaloniki, Lachanas, Serres Drama and Xanthi. It also serves traffic heading towards the north, to the Greek/Bulgarian border...

    /E90
    European route E90
    European route E 90 is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from Lisbon in Portugal in the west to the Turkish-Iraqi border in the east.-Itinerary:...

    , SW, Cen., SE
  • GR-63
    Greek National Road 61
    Greek National Road 61 is a national highway of Greece....

    /E75, Cen., N
  • GR-65
    Greek National Road 65
    Greek National Road 65 is a national highway of Greece. It connects Thessaloniki, Kilkis and Loutra at the junction with Greek National Road 57....

    , NW

Persons

  • Constantine Karamanlis
    Constantine Karamanlis
    Konstantínos G. Karamanlís , commonly anglicised to Constantine Karamanlis or Caramanlis, was a four-time Prime Minister, the 3rd and 5th President of the Third Hellenic Republic and a towering figure of Greek politics whose political career spanned much of the latter half of the 20th century.-...

     (8 March 1907 in Proti - 23 April 1998) , a former Greek prime minister
    Prime Minister of Greece
    The Prime Minister of Greece , officially the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic , is the head of government of the Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Greek cabinet. The current interim Prime Minister is Lucas Papademos, a former Vice President of the European Central Bank, following...

     and president
    President of Greece
    The President of the Hellenic Republic , colloquially referred to in English as the President of Greece, is the head of state of Greece. The office of the President of the Republic was established after the Greek republic referendum, 1974 and formally by the Constitution of Greece in 1975. The...

  • Emmanouel Pappas
    Emmanouel Pappas
    Emmanouel Pappas , prominent member of Filiki Etaireia and leader of the Greek War of Independence in Macedonia was one of the most heroic figures of the Struggle....

    , hero of the Greek Independence Struggle
  • Glykeria
    Glykeria
    Glykeria is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, while also gaining fame in Israel, France, Turkey and England. Her career has spanned over 30 years and is marked by several multi-platinum releases...

    , famous Greek singer
  • Ioannis Melissanidis
    Ioannis Melissanidis
    Ioannis Melissanidis is a retired Greek artistic gymnast and the 1996 Olympic champion on the floor exercise...

    , a Greek gymnast athlete
  • Nansy Stergiopoulou, of the all girl band
    Girl group
    A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...

     Hi-5
    Hi-5 (Greek band)
    Hi-5 was a Greek - Cypriot pop girl band consisting of female vocalists Marlen Angelidou, Irini Psichrami, Frosso Papacharalambous, Shaya and Nancy Stergiopoulou, who were the winners of the Greek version of the popular talent show Popstars. The band had a large fanbase in Greece and Cyprus. They...

    , family originally from Serres.

Secondary and Tertiary divisions B and G' Ethniki


Junior division

  • Agkistro
  • Ano Poroia
  • Heraklia
  • Lithotopos
  • Nigrita FC
  • Pontismeno
  • Rodopoli
  • Sidirokastro FC
  • Vyroneia

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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