Florina

For other uses, see Florina (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox Town GR Florina is a town in West Macedonia, Greece. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture, of which it is the capital. It is located at 40°47′00″N 21°24′00″E. The town's population is estimated as some 12,622 people (1991 census). It is in a wooded valley about 13 km south of the border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

It is located east of Korçë, Albania and Lake Prespa, south of Bitola, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, west of Thessaloniki and Edessa, northwest of Larissa and Kozani, and northeast of Ioannina and Kastoria. The nearest airport is situated to the east. The mountains of Verno is to the southwest and Varnous to the northwest.

Florina is passed by GR-2 (Lake Prespa - Edessa) and GR-3/E65 (Kozani - Florina - Niki - Bitola). The historic Via Egnatia is situated to the east.

Name

The name Florina ( Φλώρινα) may derive from the Greek Macedonian word "φλωρός" florós (χλωρός hlorós in standard Greek, which means green or fresh, in reference to the vegetation of the area). The town is called Lerin/Лерин in Slavic, Follorinë in Albanian and Florina in Turkish and Aromanian.

History

File:Florina1.jpg

Florina town hall.

Founded during the Byzantine period, Florina fell to the Ottoman Empire in the late 14th century. By the 18th century, its population was a mixture of Turks, Albanians, Greeks, and Slavs. In the late 19th century, it became a major centre of Slavic agitation for independence from the Ottoman Empire, but in 1912 it became part of Greece following the First Balkan War.

The town was contested again during the Second Balkan War, World War I, and World War II, during each of which it was occupied by Bulgaria.

Economy

Sakoulevas river in the town of Florina.

Florina is a market town with an economy dominated by cross-border trading and the sale of local produce (especially grain, grapes, and vegetables). It also has textile mills and is known for locally manufactured leather handicrafts.

Sites of interest

• Florina Archaeological Museum, Website
• Florina Byzantine Museum, Website
• Florina Museum of Modern Art, Website

Communications

Radio

• ERA Florinas - an ERA affiliate, website

Other

Florina has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, banks, a train station, a sports centre, a post office, and squares (plateies). It also has a University that has recently changed from being a branch of the Aristotle University of in Thessaloniki, to a part of the University of West Macedonia.

Historical population

Year	Population	Change	Municipal population	Change	Density
1981	12,573	-	-	-	-
1991	12,355	-218/-1,73%	14,873	-	98.76/km²
2003	-	-	14,318	-	95.07/km²

References

• The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004
• Encyclopædia Britannica, 2005
• The Penguin Encyclopedia of Places, 1999
• Rough Guide to Greece, Mark Ellingham et al, 2000