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 is 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

• 1889: 13,610 (city)

• 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 (i.e. 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

• flagicon Moldova Bălţi, Moldova
• flagicon Slovakia Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
• flagicon USA Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
• flagicon Poland Rybnik, Poland
• flagicon Turkey Ürgüp, Turkey

See also

• CERETETH, Center of Technology Thessaly

Notes

External links

• Larissa; 1911 Encyclopedia article.
• Official website
• Region of Thessaly Official Website
• VOLOS - LARISSA 2013 Bid for the XVII MEDITERRENEAN GAMES Official Website