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50-563: It is situated at 120 metres (390 ft) elevation on a hillside, at the southeastern end of the Thessalian Plain. It is 17 km (11 mi) west of Volos and 40 km southeast of Larissa . Velestino has a train station on the local line from Larissa to Volos. The A1 motorway (Athens–Thessaloniki–Evzonoi) passes east of the town. The Greek writer and revolutionary Rigas Feraios was born in Velestino in 1757. Velestino

100-467: A Greek origin through the words βολή (throw), as fishermen threw their nets into the sea from that area, and βώλος (piece of land) but the Greek scholar G. Hatzidakis considers them to be paretymologies at best. The modern form of the name is first attested in 1540. The walls of medieval Golos follow the traces of the fortifications of ancient Iolcus, and many remnants of the ancient city have been found in

150-500: A garrison, but also Muslim settlers from Anatolia . The local Christian population in turn moved to the slopes of Pelion. From this time on, Volos became the chief settlement on the Pagasetic Gulf. The city began to spread outside its walls in the late 16th/early 17th centuries, coinciding with a growth in commerce, helped by the city's famed twice-weekly local fair and the first works at the waterfront harbour. The fortress

200-576: A hostel for caravans and a toll station. However, houses were built in the early 19th century, before the Revolution of 1821 . It is a relatively new town (the community was established in 1912). The area formerly belonged to the villages of Drakia and Agios Laurentios, a port from which these and other villages distributed agricultural and craft products. From 1809 - 1860 companies were created that exported local crafts and copper to Western Europe, Romania, and Russia. Agria started to grow rapidly after

250-477: A major role in the financial, economic, commercial and administrative matters of the region of Thessaly and Central Greece , due to the strategic position of the city's port, unique between Athens and Thessaloniki . Several European countries have established consulates in Volos including: Volos is twinned with: The wider region of Volos is a place rich with history, finding the first signals of culture in

300-642: A member of the Lafarge group, operates one of the largest cement facilities in the world (with capacity exceeding 7,000,000 tn ) with its own private port, next to the city. Volos is also active in the research sector, hosting the Institute of Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO), one of the five Institutes of the Center for Research and Technology – Hellas (CERTH). The port lies upon the ancient Thessalian settlement of Iolkos. According to Greek mythology, this

350-415: A popular tourist destination. The large boulevard at Agria and at nearby Soutrali beach are good for swimming. The chapels of Timios Stavros, Panaghia Goritsa and Panaghia Tripa, built within the rocks, are remarkable for their beauty and simplicity. At the end of July exhibitions of popular art and local dances take place. Also in the middle of summer when there is a new moon there is a celebration in honor of

400-467: A ruined acropolis , walls, and two beehive tombs dating to between 4000 and 1200 BC, and Sesklo , with the remains of the oldest acropolis in Greece (6000 BC). The mound of Kastro/Palaia in western Volos is the site of a Bronze Age settlement, including a Mycenaean palace complex where a couple of preserved Linear B tablets have been found. Iolcus is still attested in the early Byzantine period but

450-609: Is built on the area of the ancient cities of Demetrias , Pagasae and Iolcos . Demetrias was established in 293 BC by Demetrius Poliorcetes , King of Macedon . Iolcus , or Iolkos, was known in mythology as the homeland of the hero Jason , who boarded the ship Argo accompanied by the Argonauts and sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece to Colchis . To the west of Volos lie the Neolithic settlements of Dimini , with

500-477: Is built on the site of ancient Pherae . The ancient settlement is still attested in early Byzantine times, but was apparently abandoned following the Slavic invasions of the 7th century. The current settlement appears with its current name—probably of Slavic origin—for the first time in 1208, in a letter by Pope Innocent III mentioning its Frankish ruler, Berthold of Katzenelnbogen . In c.  1213 it

550-467: Is one of the most industrialized provincial cities of Greece, because of its strategic location between the largest population centers of the country ( Athens – Thessaloníki ) and its port. Industry is intensely specialized in steel production and manufacturing. Three major steel producers ( METKA , SIDENOR and Hellenic Steel Industry (Ελληνική Χαλυβουργία)) have production facilities in the industrial areas of Volos and nearby Almyros . AGET Heracles ,

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600-582: Is the capital of the Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos is also the only outlet to the sea from Thessaly, the country's largest agricultural region. With a population of 85,803 (2021), the city is an important industrial centre, and its port provides a bridge between Europe and Asia. Volos is the newest of the Greek port cities, with a large proportion of modern buildings erected following catastrophic earthquakes in 1955. It includes

650-709: The Axis occupation of Greece , the prompt actions of the local chief rabbi, Moshe Pessach , and the Greek authorities saved about 700 of the local Jewish community from deportation to the Nazi death camps. After an aerial attack by Italian troops in November 1940 and another by the Germans in 1941, many of the city's inhabitants took refuge in the villages of Pelion . Abandoning Volos after Italy's capitulation in September 1943,

700-605: The European Athletic Championships . Volos hosted the 7th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics from 27 July to 5 August 2013. Built at the innermost point of the Pagasetic Gulf and at the foot of Mount Pilio ( Pelion , the land of the Centaurs ). The city spreads in the plain on the foothills of Mount Pelion, bordering the town of Agria to the east and Nea Anchialos to

750-553: The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 . Velestino is a village partly populated by people of Aromanian heritage. Reportedly, as of 1911, Velestino was predominantly Aromanian. Volos Volos ( Greek : Βόλος [ˈvolos] ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Athens and 220 kilometres (137 miles) south of Thessaloniki . It

800-565: The Greek Kingdom , the town had a population of only 4,900, but grew rapidly in the next four decades as merchants, businessmen, craftsmen and sailors gravitated toward it from the surrounding area. In the 1920s a large influx of refugees to the settlement took place, especially from Ionia , but also from Pontus , Cappadocia and Eastern Thrace . In 1882, Andreas Syngros established the Privileged Bank of Epirothessaly , which

850-536: The National Bank of Greece acquired in 1899 after its founder's death. Volos was occupied by Ottomans on 8 May 1897, during the Greco Turkish War . The city had a vibrant Jewish community in the early 20th century: from ≈500 in 1896, it rose to ≈2,000 in 1930, before falling drastically to 882 members in 1940, because of emigration to the great cities of Thessaloniki and Athens or abroad. During

900-456: The Neolithic period. In the villages of Sesklo and Dimini , the first traces of Neolithic culture in Europe have been discovered. Moreover, close by Volos, there are the ancient Dimitrias, a town built by Dimitrios Poliorkitis in 294-2 AC. Today, the ancient theatre of Dimitrias remains preserved. Also present are the archaeological areas of Goritsa hill, archaeological findings dating from

950-506: The municipal units of Volos, Nea Ionia and Iolkos , as well as smaller suburban communities. The economy of the city is based on manufacturing, trade, services and tourism. Home to the University of Thessaly , the city also offers facilities for conferences, exhibitions and major sporting, cultural and scientific events. Volos participated in the 2004 Olympic Games , and the city has since played host to other athletic events, such as

1000-572: The 1280s, Velestino itself is listed as a separate thema . Very few traces remain of the medieval town today. Under the Ottoman Empire , Velestino was called Velestin or Velsin and was the seat of a kaza within the Sanjak of Tirhala . With the rest of Thessaly, Velestino was ceded to Greece in 1881 by the Convention of Constantinople . The Battle of Velestino was fought here during

1050-554: The Greek City of Volos), weaving through a mix of early 20th-century buildings with characteristic inner yards, tiered balconies and open iron stairs that lend the old Rostov its characteristic Mediterranean look. In September 2023 the city of Volos was flooded by massive rain. The municipality Volos was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following nine former municipalities, that became municipal units: The municipality has an area of 385.614 km ,

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1100-509: The Italians left storerooms full of food, arms and ammunition. Large quantities of this material was transported with the Pelion railway to the mountain village Milies and under the supervision of ELAS loaded onto mules and taken to secure hideaways. When the Germans set off a column to Milies an officer and a soldier were killed by resistance fighters. In reprisal nearly the whole village

1150-529: The Kosmadopoulos brothers, who owned a bank, built a refrigerated fruit and ice plant. The overproduction of lemons in the already developed movement of traditional lemonade from Asia Minor sellers, leading owners to recruit a German engineer for running drink bottling plant. The legend is the German engineer has discovered a rare recipe for the production of lemonade, recipe still used today is unchanged and

1200-560: The School of Engineering, while the School of Humanities and Social Sciences is located in the centre of Volos. The School of Agricultural Sciences is based in a renovated building in Fytoko. In addition to Greek students, the city and the university attract many foreign students via Erasmus and other programmes. In addition, in the city, there are 56 kindergartens, 51 primary schools, 18 junior high schools and 13 senior high schools. Volos

1250-546: The annexation of Thessaly from the Turks, and with the construction of a coastal road and rail network during 1895 that connected Volos to the southwestern villages of Pelion, which exported sea fruit, oil, and black olives from the bay. In 1911 the cement plant A.G.E.T HERCULES ( Greek : Α.Γ.Ε.Τ ΗΡΑΚΛΗΣ ) was founded there. The plant occupies a natural harbor and is among the largest cement producers in Europe, Asia, and America. In 1920 an English commercial paper stated that Agria

1300-483: The city to create a unique urban geography, before ending in the Pagasetic Gulf flowing west. The Anavros river, famous for Jason 's pass, divides the Nea Demetriada district from the rest of the urban area. Krafsidonas is the major river passing through the city and constitutes the natural lung of the urbanized area of Volos, as well as the boundary between the major municipalities of the metropolitan city,

1350-566: The city's harbour and forced the local garrison to evacuate the fortress. The provisional government of Greece claimed Volos as part of Greek national territory, but the Treaty of Constantinople (1832) , which established a Greek independent state, set its northern boundary along a line running south from Arta to Volos. Volos was incorporated into the Greek Kingdom in November 1881 with the rest of Thessaly. After its incorporation into

1400-475: The city, but also in the wider region. Above all, Volos forms one of the most attractive and tourist-friendly cities in Greece because of its physical setting, combining the Pagasetic Gulf with Mount Pelion . Volos was a candidate city for the European Capital of Culture , 2021. One of the main characteristics and most widely known specialities of Volos is its traditional drink, tsipouro , and

1450-444: The company's stock. Other local businesses were founded and flourished then as the factories of packaging and trade of olives, the wood processing industry which was originally craft construction barrels and the modernization of the industry turned to woodworking and furniture at the same time. Other smaller companies also mostly oil warehouses - have begun to operate and attract people to Agria. From June 1941 until September 1943

1500-515: The early Christian period in Nea Anchialos , and the wall of Volos's old castle, which is open to visitors. Volos consists of a city with diverse Greek trades, as its industrial development encouraged many people to move to the city. The city's industrial and financial evolution also gradually resulted in cultural and social evolution, too; in 1894, Volos acquired its Municipal Theater and later its Gymnastics Club. In 1908, Volos became home to

1550-497: The first Labour Union in Greece. After 1922, following the Asia Minor Catastrophe , Volos received a large number of people from the destroyed regions. This coexistence with the locals deeply influenced the culture of the city, leaving a mark still visible in the food, music, sports, entertainment and social life of the city today. In modern times, there are plentiful museums and galleries to be visited throughout

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1600-412: The flourishing of neoclassicism . Public buildings conformed to this style and private buildings belonging to prosperous merchants were particularly sophisticated. Typical examples include: City Centre (50,249) North (9,247) East (11,514) North-West (33,815) South-West (20,403) The city of Volos consists of the administrative and academic centre of University of Thessaly , which

1650-509: The medieval citadel. Along with the rest of Thessaly, Volos fell under Serbian rule in 1348, governed by Gregory Preljub . After Preljub's death Thessaly passed under the brief rule of Nikephoros II Orsini , followed by the Serbian rulers Simeon Uroš and John Uroš . After the latter's death in 1373, Thessaly returned under Byzantine rule for twenty years, until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Bayezid I . Ottoman rule

1700-412: The most known churches of Volos, St Nicholas and St Constantine and Helen on the promenade, were designed by architect Aristotelis Zachos . Volos was once also characterised by a number of old mansions, the majority of which were destroyed after the earthquakes in 1955. Nowadays, only some of them have been saved, restored and have a new, mainly public, use. The development of the new city coincided with

1750-642: The municipal unit 108.6 km . The province of Volos ( Greek : Επαρχία Βόλου ) was one of the provinces of the Magnesia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities Volos, Rigas Feraios , South Pelion and Zagora-Mouresi . It was abolished in 2006. Volos is the administrative centre of the Magnesia regional unit. Many of the city domains are separated through natural barricades, such as rivers. Three main rivers/mountain torrents all rise from mount Pelion (with its peak at 1,610 metres (5,280 feet)), crossing

1800-562: The municipalities of Volos and Nea Ionia . Xirias (Ξηριάς), is the largest torrent in the metropolitan urban area of Volos and passes through the Nea Ionia municipal area. Volos experiences a Csa hot-summer Mediterranean climate , with neither particularly high nor extremely low temperatures throughout the year. Its climate is one of fairly low humidity, favorable for all kinds of activities. Measurable rainfall occurs on average around 89 days per year. Thunderstorms occur sparsely throughout

1850-539: The past, it was home to a maritime link with Tartus , Syria. Ferries and flying dolphins operate daily, connecting Volos to the Magnesia islands of the Sporades , ( Skiathos , Skopelos , Alonissos ). In addition, many cruise ships use the port of Volos as a destination. During the summers of 2015 and 2016, more than 100 cruises arrived in Volos, carrying more than 100,000 visitors. The city of Volos has always had

1900-470: The seafood that is served accompanying the drink. Local specialities include: Agria Agria ( Greek : Αγριά ) is a town and a former municipality in Magnesia , Thessaly , Greece . Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Volos , of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 25.227 km . It lies on the Pelion peninsula about 7 km from Volos . There are some different opinions about

1950-500: The southwest. Volos' municipality includes both towns, along with many nearby villages, including Makrinitsa and Portaria . Volos is a major commercial port of mainland Greece in the Aegean sea (after Piraeus and Thessaloniki), with connection by ferry and hydrofoil to the nearby Sporades Islands, which include Skiathos , Skopelos and Alonissos . There are also connections to Lemnos , Lesbos , Chios and Skyros . Modern Volos

2000-552: The town's name. Some believe that the name comes from wild olive trees (Agrielies) (Αγριελιές), or a small plant named "Agriada" ( Greek : Αγριάδα ). A scholar named Patroklos Palamidas from the nearby village of Lechonia said that the name originated from an ancient temple, which existed in the region and was dedicated to Agrea Dimitra ( Greek : Αγραία Δήμητρα ). During the Turkish occupation in Agria there were few settlements such as

2050-467: The village was base for the Italian occupation forces. From October 1943 until September 1944 Agria was the home and base for operations of a company of the 4th Polizei Waffen SS field engineers, the 16th Coy SS Pz. Gren. Rgt 8. The commanders building still exists. It is a neoclassical house located at the center of Agria next to the church of Saint George (Agios Georgios). In the summer months it becomes

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2100-511: The year, more often during the warmer months. Snow occurs more or less every year on a few occasions, though it usually doesn't cause disruption to daily life. The Pelion mountain, with its own microclimate, affects the city's weather, acting as a rain shadow to the north-easterly winds thus limiting the amount of precipitation the city receives in comparison to the eastern side of the mountain. Average temperature values, like in most regions, have slightly increased in more recent periods. Two of

2150-424: Was burnt down by German occupation troops on 4 October 1943. According to the official report of the municipality the Germans executed 25 men, and three inhabitants died in their houses from the flames. Volos is also well known for its assortment of mezedes and a clear alcoholic beverage known as tsipouro . A street in a sister city, Rostov-on-Don , bears the name Улица Греческого Города Волос (Street of

2200-701: Was captured by the Venetians under Francesco Morosini in 1665, during the Cretan War , but recovered and refortified by the Ottomans. In May 1821, at the beginning of the Greek Revolution , the Greek rebels of Mount Pelion tried to capture the fortress but failed. On 8 April 1827, the Greek fleet, under the command of the British philhellene Frank Abney Hastings , captured five Ottoman ships in

2250-709: Was eclipsed for most of the Middle Ages by Demetrias. The Slavic tribe of the Belegezites settled in the area during the 7th century. Volos first appears again in 1333, as one of the cities captured by the Byzantine general John Monomachos in Thessaly, under the name "Golos" (Γόλος). The name is of Slavic origin, from golo , golъ , "barren". Another theory derives the name from Slavic golosh , "seat of administration". Two alternative theories allude to

2300-473: Was founded in 1984, and is the most important centre of education in central Greece. The faculties of Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences and Agricultural Sciences, with their twelve departments, are based in Volos, emphasising the academic, economic and cultural development of the city. The faculties are located in different areas of the city ; “Pedion Areos” Campus is used by the Departments of

2350-484: Was not yet firm. The first period of Ottoman control lasted from 1393 to 1397, followed by another c.  1403 , but it was not until 1423 that Volos was definitively incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman name of the city was Ottoman Turkish : قلز , romanized :  Quluz . The Ottomans strengthened the town's fortifications against a possible Venetian attack, and installed not only

2400-523: Was part of the jurisdiction of the Latin bishop of Gardiki , Bartholomew ( Cardicensis episcopus et Valestinensis ). At about the same time, it became a Greek Orthodox episcopal see as well, being attested thereafter in episcopal lists and acts of the Patriarchate of Constantinople . In 1259 an imperial estate ( kouratoria ) is attested in the area, as part of the province ( thema ) of Halmyros ; by

2450-403: Was where the hero Jason built his trireme, Argo, and along with his oarsmen set course for Colchis, bringing back and marrying priestess Medea. The new port was founded in 1893 and was the most significant element in the industrial development of the area. Today, Volos has the third-largest cargo port in Greece (after Piraeus and Thessaloniki ), carrying agricultural and industrial products. In

2500-458: Was «the largest port in the world» with reference to their exports of olives and oil. Around two hundred thousand kilos (200 tons) of table olives are exported annually from Agria. A new wave of residents moved to Agria in 1922 when refugees from Asia Minor, mainly Eastern Thrace, took shelter there after their expulsion from their home land. 20th century Agria saw population and industrial growth. The famous EPSA ( Greek : ΕΨΑ ) founded in 1924 by

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