Serres ( el, Περιφερειακή ενότητα Σερρών) is one of the
regional units of Greece
The 74 regional units of Greece ( el, περιφερειακές ενότητες, ; sing. , ) are the country's Seventy-four second-level administrative units. They are divisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into munici ...
, in the
geographic region of
Macedonia. It is part of the
Region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
of
Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia ( el, Κεντρική Μακεδονία, Kentrikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia. With a populat ...
. Its capital is the city of
Serres. The total population reaches just over 175,000.
Geography
The mountains are
Orvelos to the north,
Menoikio to the east,
Pangaio to the southeast,
Kerdylio to the southwest,
Vertiskos to the west, parts of
Krousi to the west and portions of the
Kerkini
Kerkini ( el, Κερκίνη) 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 K ...
lies to the northwest. The regional unit borders on
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
to the southwest,
Kilkis to the west,
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
with the
Novo Selo Municipality to the northwest, the
Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province ( bg, област Благоевград, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia ( bg, Пиринска Маке� ...
of
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
to the north,
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
to the northeast and
Kavala
Kavala ( el, Καβάλα, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit.
It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the Egnat ...
to the east. The
Strymonian Gulf lies to the south along with the Strymonas delta.
Lake Kerkini
Lake Kerkini ( gr, Λίμνη Κερκίνη - Limni Kerkini) is an artificial reservoir in Central Macedonia, Greece that was created in 1932, and then redeveloped in 1980, on the site of what was previously an extremely extensive marshland.
L ...
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
Strymonas ( el, Στρυμώνας) is a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Emmanouil Pappas
Emmanouel Pappas ( el, Εμμανουήλ Παππάς; 17 ...
river which flows from Bulgaria and empties into the
Strymonian Gulf. Another river is the
Angitis in the eastern part of the regional unit, with the ravine and caves near
Alistrati.
The regional unit has many archaeological and historical features including
Serres,
Amphipolis, 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 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 and the nearby Aggitis ravine.
The southern part around the
Strymonas
Strymonas ( el, Στρυμώνας) is a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Emmanouil Pappas
Emmanouel Pappas ( el, Εμμανουήλ Παππάς; 17 ...
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 was contested territory between
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
and the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
. After its liberation from the
Turks by the
Bulgarians
Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe.
Etymology
Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely underst ...
in the
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
, Serres became a part of Greece at the end of the
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 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies ...
. During the
National Schism
The National Schism ( el, Εθνικός Διχασμός, Ethnikós Dichasmós), also sometimes called The Great Division, was a series of disagreements between King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos regarding the forei ...
, it was occupied by Bulgaria again only to form part of Greece at the end of the war. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
Bulgaria occupied Serres and launched a campaign of
Bulgarisation
Bulgarisation ( bg, българизация), also known as Bulgarianisation ( bg, побългаряване) is the spread of Bulgarian culture beyond the Bulgarian ethnic space.
History
A number of government policies are considered to be exa ...
. It was liberated in 1944.
A substantial portion of the population of the regional unit are descendants of refugees which came from Eastern
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
which is now Northwestern Turkey,
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
and from
Pontus 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
Emmanouel Pappas ( el, Εμμανουήλ Παππάς; 1772–1821) was a prominent member of Filiki Eteria and leader of the Greek War of Independence in Macedonia.
Biography
Pappas was born in Dovista (Δοβίστα), Serres regional unit ...
(4)
*
Irakleia (5)
*
Nea Zichni (6)
*
Serres (1)
*
Sintiki (7)
*
Visaltia (3)
Prefecture
As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the Serres regional unit was created out of the former Serres Prefecture ( el, Νομός Σερρών). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
[
]
Provinces
Before the abolishment of the provinces of Greece in 2006, the Serres prefecture was subdivided into the following provinces:[ ]
Transport
The main roads of Serres regional unit are:
* Motorway 2 (Igoumenitsa - Thessaloniki - Amfipoli - Alexandroupoli)
* Motorway 25 (Thessaloniki - Serres - Sidirokastro - Bulgaria)
*Greek National Road 2
Greek National Road 2 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 2, abbreviated as EO2) is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections, located in the regions of West Macedonia, Central Macedonia and East Macedonia and Thrace. It connects the Albania ...
(Florina - Thessaloniki - Amfipoli - Alexandroupoli)
*Greek National Road 12
National Road 12 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 12, abbreviated as EO12) is a single carriageway road in northern Greece. It connects Thessaloniki with Kavala, passing through Serres and Drama. It also serves traffic heading towards the north, to t ...
(Thessaloniki - Serres - Drama - Kavala)
* Greek National Road 59 (Amfipoli - Nea Zichni)
*Greek National Road 63 Greek National Road 63 (abbr: EO63) is a national highway in northern Greece. It connects Serres with Promachonas on the Bulgarian border, via Sidirokastro. It is part of the European route E79
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: ...
(Serres - Sidirokastro - Bulgaria)
*Greek National Road 65
Greek National Road 65 is a national highway of Greece. It connects the Greek National Road 2 at Diavata, a northwestern suburb of Thessaloniki, with Kilkis
Kilkis ( el, Κιλκίς) is a city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2011 there ...
(Thessaloniki - Kilkis - Sidirokastro)
The Thessaloniki–Alexandroupoli railway
The Thessaloniki–Alexandroupoli railway is an about 440 km long railway in northern Greece connecting the Central Macedonian city of Thessaloniki with Alexandroupoli in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, via Serres. There is a connection toward ...
passes through Serres and Sidirokastro.
Persons
* Constantine Karamanlis (8 March 1907 in Proti - 23 April 1998), a former Greek prime minister
The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρωθυπουργός της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Prothypourgós tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece ( el, Πρωθυ� ...
and president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
*Emmanouel Pappas
Emmanouel Pappas ( el, Εμμανουήλ Παππάς; 1772–1821) was a prominent member of Filiki Eteria and leader of the Greek War of Independence in Macedonia.
Biography
Pappas was born in Dovista (Δοβίστα), Serres regional unit ...
, hero of the Greek Independence Struggle
* Glykeria, famous Greek singer (of Asia Minor Hellenic ancestry)
* Ioannis Melissanidis, a Greek gymnast athlete
* Nansy Stergiopoulou, of the all girl band Hi-5, family originally from Serres.
Sporting teams
The Panserraikos F.C.
Panserraikos Football Club ( el, Πανσερραϊκός 1964), the ''All-Serres Football Club'', is a Greek football club based in Serres in Central Macedonia, Greece. Panserraikos is one of the most important and well-supported clubs in northe ...
association football club, based in Serres, plays in the Football League 2.
See also
* List of settlements in the Serres regional unit
References
External links
Serres Prefecture Official Website
Serres General Hospital Official Website
Alistrati's cave
An up-to-date portal with information regarding the Serres Prefecture
{{Authority control
Prefectures of Greece
1915 establishments in Greece
Regional units of Central Macedonia