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Introduction to The City of Patras, Greece
Patras City in Greece
Patras is Greece’s third-largest city and the regional capital of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, 215 km west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras.
Patra, the name of the city, is located in the northwest of the Peloponnese, backed by the Panajax Mountains and west of the Patras Bay. It is the gateway to Italy and the Ionian Islands in western Greece. An important port city with a population of about 500,000, it is the third largest city in Greece.
History
Patras, the capital of Western Greece and the state of Achaia, has a history of more than 4,000 years. Patras was formed as a city-state in the 6th century BC, allied with city-states such as Athens during the Peloponnesian War. Conquered by the Romans in 146 BC. During Roman times, the city developed into an important port. In 807, it was invaded by the Slavs again. Since then, it has been occupied by the Franks, Venetians and Turks.
When Patras came under Ottoman rule, commerce was slow, although Mohammed II gave the city tax incentives.
During the Greek War of Independence in 1821, Patras was the first city to hold a stand against Turk rule. After the end of the Greek War of Independence, a large number of buildings in the city were destroyed, but then new urban planning revived Patras. In the 1920s, Patras became the first city in Greece to introduce public street lights and tram tracks.
Many cultural relics from the ancient Greek city-state period, the Roman and Byzantine periods are preserved, and the mosaic paintings of the Roman period are the most famous.
Culture
The ancient Roman theater in Patras was built in AD 170. It has 2,300 seats and is basically well-preserved. It also hosts open-air concerts every summer. People at the time certainly did not expect that more than 1800 years later, this theater would still be useful.
The Archaeological Museum in Patras is also very famous, although it is not big, but the collections are very distinctive in Greece. It mainly collects the cultural relics of the ancient Greek city-state and the Byzantine period. The treasure of the museum is a mosaic painting of the ancient Roman period. Its surface is plated with gold, and the brushstrokes are delicate and vivid.
Patras not only has history, but also fashion, the most dazzling of which is the Patras Bridge that shines like a diamond necklace. From a distance, it looks like a string of huge gemstone necklaces connecting the southwest corner of the Greek mainland and the northwest corner of the Peloponnese, becoming a modern landmark that Patras people talk about.
Patras is also the most famous university town in Greece. Greek friends told reporters that there are more than 20,000 college students among the population of 164,000 in the urban area of Patras.
The Greeks believe that the earliest carnival in the world originated in their Patras. In ancient Greece, people used wine, singing and dancing to express their reverence for Dionysus, the god of wine, and spontaneously formed the “Carnival”. Today’s Patras carnival is very different from the ancient Greek period, and in the past 170 years, it has developed into one of the most heavyweight carnivals in Europe. The Patras Carnival Parade is held every spring around Easter. During the carnival, the small central square of Patras is crowded with people, performers and tourists are dressed in bizarre costumes and grotesque makeup. The parade float show here is the most ornamental in Greece.
