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Veria

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Veria is also a settlement in the prefecture of Laconia, see Veria, Laconia, and a commune in France, see Véria, Jura.
Veria is also the brand name of Natural Wellness USA, Inc., see Veria Natural Wellness.
Veria
Βέροια
Settlement
Nightview of Veria from the Villa Vikela Hill in May 2008.
Nightview of Veria from the Villa Vikela Hill in May 2008.
CountryGreece
Administrative regionCentral Macedonia
Government
 • MayorCharoula Ousoultzoglou-Georgiadi
Area
 • Total359.146 km2 (138.667 sq mi)
Elevation
128 m (420 ft)
Population
 (2001)[1]
 • Total47,411
 • Density130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
591 00
Area code(s)23310
Vehicle registrationΗΜ
Websitewww.veria.gr

Veria (officially transliterated as Veroia, Greek Βέροια or Βέρροια, also Φέροια in Classical Greek - Βέροια being the Ancient Macedonian equivalent) is a city built at the foot of Vermion Mountains in Greece. It is a commercial center of Macedonia, the capital of the prefecture of Imathia, the province of Imathia and the seat of a bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church. Veria is on the site of the ancient city of Beroea (called Berea in some translations of the Bible), which was prominent from the 4th century BC and part of the Kingdom of Macedon. Part of Rome from 168 BC, both Paul and Silas preached there in AD 54 or 55 (see Bereans). Diocletian made the large and populous city one of two capitals of the Roman Province of Macedonia, and it was one of the earliest cities to become the seat of a bishop. Invaded by Bulgars, it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1361, who named it Kara Ferye. It was incorporated into the Greek state in 1912.

Veria since the 1980s is bypassed and is linked by the superhighway linking to GR-1. GR-4/Via Egnatia runs through Veria and also the road to Edessa. It is located NE of Kozani, S of Edessa, SW of Thessaloniki, NW of Katerini, WNW of Athens and N of Larissa.

History

The city of Veria is first mentioned in the writings of Thucydides in 432 BC[2], although there is evidence that the city was populated as early as 1000 BC. The city got its name from its mythical creator Ferona or Verona OR from the daughter of the king of Veria (Verita) who is the thought to be the son of Macedon. The first inhabitants are known as the Vriges, who were uprooted by the Macedonians.

The Macedonians made it their second most important city after Pella. During the Roman empire, Veria became a place of worship for the Romans. Within the city there was a Jewish settlement where the Apostle Paul[3] preached after leaving Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-15). The Apostolic Constitutions (7.46) records the first bishop of Berorea as Onesimus, who may be the freedman of Philemon.

Under the Byzantine Empire the city continued to grow and prosper until it was pillaged in the 9th century by the Bulgarians. During the Crusades it was conquered by the Normans (1185) and the Franks (1204) and in the middle of the 13th century by the Serbs. In Macedonian Slavic and Bulgarian it is called Бер, Ber. In 1436, it was besieged and captured by the Ottoman Empire and remained in their control until 1912.

Culture

Veria hosts one of the largest and most complete public libraries in Greece. Originally a small single-room library with limited funds and material, it expanded into a four-story building offering multimedia, as well as special and rare editions. Veria's public library collaborates with many international organizations and hosts several cultural events. Every summer (August 15 to September 15) the "Imathiotika" festivities take place with a rich cultural program deriving mainly from Veria's tradition. The site of Elia offers great natural beauty and with an amazing view of the Imathia plain. Neighboring Seli is a well-known ski resort and a few kilometers outside the city is the Aliakmonas river dam.

Historical population

Year Population Change Municipal population Change
1981 37,966 - - -
1991 37,858 -108/0.29% 42,910 -
2001 - - 42,794 -116/-0.27%

Sports

Veria is home to many sports clubs.The most famous is Veria FC which competes in Beta Ethniki. Veria also has two basketball teams. AOK Veria and Filippos Veria which compete in a local and third national division respectively.

Climate

Typically, Veria experiences cold wet winters and hot dry summers.In summer 2007 the highest temperature ever in Veria was recorded, 44 [°C].

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum. [°C] 7 9 10 16 19 29 29 24 19 16 12 5
Minimum temperature [°C] 3 6 8 11 16 19 17 14 12 10 8 4
Record temperatures [°C] 20 22 25 31 36 44 42 39 36 32 27 26

Famous People

  • Panoramic view of Veria in May 2008.
    Panoramic view of Veria in May 2008.
  • Roloi square before renovation,downtown Veria.
    Roloi square before renovation,downtown Veria.
  • The preserved old section of Veria.
    The preserved old section of Veria.
  • Snow in Veria in December 2007.
    Snow in Veria in December 2007.
  • Snow in the streets.
    Snow in the streets.
  • Eastern part of town in January 2006.
    Eastern part of town in January 2006.

See also

References

  1. ^ De Facto Population of Greece Population and Housing Census of March 18th, 2001 (PDF 39 MB). National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003.
  2. ^ veria.gr, Veria:Its history (greek), accessed June 1, 2008.
  3. ^ (greek) hellasportal.gr,Apostle Paul preach in Veria, accessed June 1, 2008.

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