VOLOS

'Volos' (Greek: Βόλος, Ottoman Turkish: ''Golos'') is a city situated at the center of the Greek mainland, about 326 km north from Athens and 215 km south from Thessaloniki. It is the capital of Magnesia prefecture.

Contents

Overview

History

Antiquity

Byzantine Era

Modern Volos

Geography

Climate

Natural disasters

Urban Plan

Architecture

Nea Magazia

Neoclassical buildings

Industrial buildings

Nea Ionia Refugee settlement

Demographics

Historical population

Economy

International Embassies

Persons

Professional Sports

Sites of interest

Museums and galleries

Transportation

Motorways

Airport

Railway

Sister cities

External links

Overview

Built at the innermost point of the Pagasetic Gulf and at the foot of Mount Pilio or Pelion (the land of the Centaurs), Volos is the only outlet towards the sea from Thessaly, the country's largest agricultural region. With a population of around 83,000 it is an important industrial centre, while its port provides a bridge between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Volos is the third of the major commercial ports of Greece, but also gains much traffic because it is connected by ferries as well as by hydrofoils with the nearby Sporades Islands, which includes Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos. Moreover there are connections to Limnos, Lesvos, Chios and Skyros.
Volos is the most recent of the Greek port cities, with a remarkably large proportion of modern buildings, erected in the wake of the catastrophic earthquakes of 1955. It includes the municipalities 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. It is a city full of energy, equipped with contemporary infrastructures. Home to the University of Thessaly, one of the most important of the country, it has all the necessary facilities in terms of accommodation and organization of conferences, exhibitions and major cultural and scientific events not to mention its international-level sporting amenities.
Volos participated in the Olympic Games and as an Olympic City it acquired international experience and together with the other Olympic Cities it defined worldwide the new face of contemporary Greece. Noteworthy are the continuous athletic events that the city held like the European Gymnastics Championship in 2006 and the World Pool Championship. Volos today represents Greece as the candidate city for the Mediterranean Games of 2013. [1]

History

Antiquity

Modern Volos is built on the area of the ancient cities of Demetrias, Pagasae and Iolkos. Demetrias was established by Demetrius Poliorcetes, King of Macedonia. Iolkos or Iolcos or Iolcus was the homeland of hero Jason who boarded the ship Argo accompanied by the Argonauts and sailed in the quest for the Golden Fleece to Colchis. To the west of Volos there are the Neolithic settlements of Dimini with a ruined acropolis, walls and two beehive tombs dated between 4000-1200 BC and Sesklo with the remains of the oldest acropolis in Greece (6000 BC), as well as the foundations of a palace and mansions, among the most typical examples of Neolithic civilisation.

Byzantine Era

According to a Byzantine historian of the 14th century Volos was called "Golos". The most widely accepted theory for the derivation of the city's name is that Volos is a corruption of the Mycenaean Iolkos, which was distorted through the ages to "Golkos", then "Golos" and subsequently "Volos". Others claim that it originates from Folos, who according to mythology was a wealthy landlord of the region.

Modern Volos

Volos is a relatively new city, that began growing in the mid 19th century where an insignificant Turkish hamlet used to be. After its annexation to Greece from the Ottoman Empire in 1881, it had a population of only 4,900 but rapidly grew within the next 4 decades. Merchants, businessmen, craftsmen and sailors moved to Volos from the surrounding area. In the 1920s there was a large influx of refugees in Volos, especially from Ionia, but also from Pontus, Cappadocia and Eastern Thrace. In the 1920 census, Volos had 30,046 inhabitants but according to the 1928 census, its population had grown to 47,892. In detail: Volos had a total population of 41,706 and the refugees of the "Asia Minor Catastrophe" were 6,779 (percentage of refugees in Volos 16.25%). In the Nea Ionia district, the total population was 6,186 and the refugees were 5,166 (percentage of refugees in the district of New Ionia 83.51%). Thus the total number of refugees in the Municipality of Pagasses (Volos and Nea Ionia) was: 11,945 and the percentage of refugees in the Municipality of Pagasses (Volos and Nea Ionia) was: 24,94%.
The development of the city was closely connected with the establishment of the industrial estate, the upgrading of the port and the growth of tourism due to the geographical position of Volos near scenic Mt. Pelion (home of Chiron the Centaur) and the beautiful beaches of Magnesia prefecture, especially those of the Northern Sporades islands. The city has been linked with various social and other movements in the past, such as the early teaching of Dimotiki by A. Delmouzos in the early 20th century (when Katharevousa was the officially sanctioned version). The city is well known for its assortment of mezedes and a clear, alcoholic beverage called Tsipouro.
A street in the Russian sister city, Rostov-on-Don, bears a name Улица Греческого Города Волос (Street of the Greek City of Volos), weaving through a picturesque mix of early XX-century buildings with characteristic inner yards, tiered balconies and open iron stairs that give the old Rostov its characteristic Mediterranean-like look.

Geography

Volos, which is the administrative center of Magnesia perfecture, is comprised of three major municipalities, Municipality of Volos, Nea Ionia and Iolkos. The geoographical coordinates of Volos are as follows: the Latitude of the city is 39°21'38.83"N while the longitude is 22°56'57.26"E. Many of the city domains are separated through natural barricades, such as rivers.
Three main rivers/mountain torrents all rise from mount Pelion (1651m), crossing the city creating a unigue urban geography, before ending in Pagasetic Gulf flowing west. The Anavros river, famous for Jason's pass, divides Nea Dimtriada district from the rest of the urban area. Krausidonas 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, the municipalities of Volos and Nea Ionia. Xirias (Ξηριάς:in Greek), is the largest torrent of the metropolitan urban area of Volos, and passes through Nea Ionia Municipal area.
Of great importance for the biological diversity in the area and the preservation of its climate, is the swamp of Mpourmpoulithra a wide aquatic ecosystem, located west of the city center at Neapoli district. The main feature of the wetland, is the apparent rarity of its survival in a densely populated urban area and among port facilities, and its significant level of biodiversity, with over 100 species observed, by the established watch tower of the Ecological Initiative of Magnesia. Today as the port is expanded, a new threat rises for the river delta at the northern part of the Pagasetic Gulf affecting its richness in flora and fauna.
The city boundary at its south-east corner, is considered to be one of the main foothills of Mount Pelion, the hill of Goritsa, which separates the city from Agria. The paleolithic settlement on the top, is today a place for recreational activities.

Climate

Volos as a Mediterranean city has a typical climate of neither very high nor extremely low temperatures during the year. Volos has a climate with low humidity that is favorable for all kinds of activities. Pelion mountain with its microclimatic conditions affects the city's weather. The following graph illustrates the climatic conditions of Volos.

Natural disasters

As generally Greece is considered an area suffering from earthquakes, Volos could not be excluded. Several earthquakes left their traits in various domains of city's life from urban planning to house design. The most well-known and devasting one happened in 1954-1955 and nearly demolished the whole city including all its momentous neoclassical buildings. Later the same year a flood come to completely destroy what was mentioned until today as the urban miracle of later Greece.
The city of Volos was flooded on October 10, 2006, one of the prefecture's worst recorded floods. The flood devastated crops and groves and many homes. A railroad bridge connecting Volos and Larissa collapsed when the central stone support was ruined by a combination of rocks, mud and debris carried by a swollen river. Almost one fifth of the city faced severe mudslides.

Urban Plan

Architecture

The architectural and urban-planning character of Volos is achieved by the layouts of streets and squares, the neighborhood, the imposing neoclassical buildings, the aged industrial edifices, a number of green oases, and of course by the presence of sea and harbor. These elements combined give Volos its atmosphere and individuality, which makes it one of the most beautiful Greek cities. The current urban plan of Volos was fundamentally formed in 1882, shortly after the liberation of the city and was much influenced by concepts of neoclassical town planning. The plan connected the two city-centers (The Castle and Nea Magazia) along a simple axis. However it was somewhat limited given the development possibilities of the city. The arrival of the refugees in 1922 and the earthquakes of 1955 gave Volos its present form.

Nea Magazia

Nea Magazia begun to be built in 1841 on the basis of geometrically designed plan. Characteristics of the plan are the road axis parallel to the shore, along which developed shops and dwellings. The two central road axes are today Dimitriados street and Ermou street.

Neoclassical buildings

The development of the new city coincided with the flourishing of neoclassicism. Public buildings conformed the style and prestigious private buildings belonging to prosperous merchants were particularly sophisticated. Typical examples are:

★ The 3-storeyed Hotel de France, with its impressive decorative murals (1894, Iasonos and K. Kartali streets)

★ The National Bank, formerly the Epirothessalian Bank(1895)

★ The Athens Bank (1903, today the library of University of Thessaly)

★ The Achilllopouleion Hospital (1901)

★ The Archaeological Museum of Volos, Athanasakeio (1909)

★ The Agricultural Bank (1909, formerly the Kosmadopoulos Bank)

★ The Cinetheater Achillion, (1925)

★ The Aegli Hotel, (1927), designed by Kassiopoulos

★ The Building of the Air-force High officials Club near Agios Konstantinos Park, believed that it was designed by Le Corbusier

★ The Bank of Greece (1935)

★ The Averofeian courts of Justice

★ The family houses of Kartalis, Glavanis, Kastemis, Saratsis

★ The Sarafopoulos Mansion (1927), today the Volos Club

★ The well preserved Regas house and its singular decorative murals, today the Lyceum of Greek women.

Industrial buildings

The factories and the tobacco warehouses constitute noteworthy architectural examples of the industrial acme of the city towards the end of the 19th century and particularly the first half of the 20th century. They are mainly centered on the railway and the harbour, but also within the fabric of the city. Their construction and design was often undertaken by well-known architects and engineers from Europe. Many of them survived to this day having been restored and changed function. Outstanding among them are the Stamatopoulos engine-works(1883), the Glavani-Kazazi factory (1896), the Papageorgiou textile workshop (1905), the Mortzoukou textile workshop (1908), the Adamopoulos cotton industry plant (1908, today a gymnasium), the Papagianopoulos steel works (1909), the Volos Electricity Company Plant (1911 today the music theater centre of Volos), the Tsalapatas brickworks factory (1925, today the National museum of Industrial Archeology), the Etmektzoglou silkworks (1926, today the Silk Museum), the Spirer Tobacco warehouse (1926 home of the Drury University Center), the Styxnokarpos Factory (1929), the Papastratos Tobacco warehouse, the Matsangos Tobacco warehouse among many others.

Nea Ionia Refugee settlement

The history of Nea Ionia, Magnesia is linked with the Asia Minor disaster, the torching of Smirni and the diplacement of 2,000,000 People from their wealthy family home. In late February of 1924 the refugee houses were erected on the arid land of Xirokambos. These were known as Tetragona or Squares and formed the Volos refugee settlement. The summer of 1925 the first houses were reality and they were called Tsimedenia being built at the west end of the central square and a few years later the Petrina appeared further west. Together with Tzamaliotica and Germanica houses at the east makes the atmosphere of the settlement alive until today. Many of those houses have still their original appearance while some of them are rebuilt with changed functions (Municipal uses). There is a plan to rebuild the area around the central square with other uses than today.

Demographics

Volos is a relatively new city, and according to the statistics, its growth was launched in 1881 when the area became part of the former Greek Kingdom. During this time the city had a population of around 4,000 citizens, mostly distributed around the old castle city (Palaia District today). Since then the city has multiplied its population, reaching today an overall population of approximately 200,000, including permanent and temporary citizens, as well as University students.
A large proportion of the population (today, around 34% of the total) derives from the refugee population, established in the area at 1924, while another population group almost 30% are the internal immigrants of Thessaly, whose stablishment began in 1890 and riched its peak in the late 70s. The remaining population is mainly from Pelion and Almyros county, as well as from the rest of Greece. There is a significant number of Europeans that lived and lives today in the city.
The city represents a fully urbanized Greek city with a large population in tertiary employment 52%, 42% in the secondary and less than 6% in primary employment. Volos today attracts more than 65% of Magnesia's perfectural population.

Historical population

Year	Population	Change	Metropolitan population
1981	71,378	-	103,000
1991	77,192	+5,814/+8.14%	120,000
2001	82,439	+5,247/+6.79%	150,000

Economy

Volos has a huge amount of technological knowledge. The active population of the city is measured at 53,791.

International Embassies

The city of Volos had always had 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. As a result many investments occurred while several investors had a particular relationship with the city. Many countries of the West found it valuable to establish embassies in Volos in favor of those investments. Today the city hosts seven embassies including

★ Italy

★ France

★ Belgium

★ Germany

★ Denmark

Persons

★ Jason, ancient hero

★ Peleus, ancient hero

★ Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978)

★ Sofia Vembo, (1910-1978), Musician

★ Tzimis Armaos, (Volos--Athens1999), World Champion Wrestler, Public Herow

★ Theophilos Xatzimiaxail, Public Painter (1871-1934)

★ Vangelis, Music composer, born 1943

★ Phaidon Gizikis (June 13, 1917 - July 17, 1999 in Athens), Greek politician

★ Laurentis Macheritsas, composer, musician

★ Alexandros Myrat,

★ Paraskevi Tsiamita, 1st World Champion 1999, Seville Spain, Triple Jump

★ Olga Vasdeki, 3rd World Champion 1999, Seville Spain, Triple Jump

★ Vasilis Polimeros, 3rd Olympic Champion 2004, Athens Greece, Doule skiff

★ Nikos Skiathitis, 3rd Olympic Champion 2004, Athens Greece, Doule skiff

★ Elena Paparizou, Musician, Winner of Eurovision 2005

Professional Sports

'Professional clubs'

★ Olympiakos Volou FC[2]

★ Niki Volou FC[3]
'Water sport teams'

★ OEA NAB

★ NOBA

★ OYK

★ IOVATH
'Other clubs'

★ MOTOLEV

★ Shooting club of Volos

★ Volos aircooled club

Sites of interest

★ Archaeological site of Dimini

★ Archaeological site of Sesklo

★ Archaeological site of Demetrias

★ Archaeological site of Demetrias Aqueduct.

★ Goritsa Hill

★ Panthessaliko Stadium, Athens 2004 venue

★ The reconstruntion Ancient Ship ARGO

★ Anavros open-air Sculpture Gallery

★ Pelion Train[4]

★ Holy Trinity Church decorated by Gounaropoulos I. near city Hospital

★ The bank of Greece building

★ Cinetheater Achilleion building

★ Saint Constantine

★ Palaia District, the old city-castle

Museums and galleries

★ Archaeological Museum of Volos[5]

★ Modern History Museum of Volos City [6]

★ National Railway Museum of Greece, Railway Station of Volos

★ [http://www.i-politismos.gr/tsalapatas_sx_eng.html/ [Tsalapatas, National Museum of Industrial History][7]

★ Silk Museum, at Nea Ionia, Magnesia

★ Olive Museum, at Panthessaliko Stadium

★ Zogia Museum Gallery

★ Alexander K. Damtsas Museum

★ Kitsos Makris Folklore Meseum

★ Athanasios Koutroumbas Insect Museum

★ Folklore Art Museum of Lyceum of Volos Greek Women

★ Christopoulos N. Traditional Shipyard and Art Collection

Transportation

All land transportation reaches Volos, while the International Airport of Central Greece in Nea Anchialos links the city to international destinations, and the Port of Volos provides links to the islands, (mostly Sporades) as well as some places in Pilio.

Motorways

Volos is linked through the E75 Highway Axis of Greece (mostly known as PATHE) with the North and South Greece. Furthermore the Axis E65 will be the gateway to Western Greece and the port of Igoumenitsa through the plains of inner Thessaly. This part of the E65 motorway, will be completed within 2012.

Airport

The city of Volos along with the rest of Central Greece are linked to the other areas of Greece and Europe through a brand new airport of Central Greece in Nea Anchialos. It has the biggest air lane in Greece after Eleutherios Venizelos Airport and a capacity of 1,500 passengers per hour with parking for 10 big and 80 small aircraft. Every year more than 50,000 flights depart and arrive in the airport.
International Airport of Central Greece (Nea Anchialos)

Railway

Volos Railway station building was built by Evaristo De Chirico soon after the liberation of central Greece. Today the station is still established in this picturesque 1884 building, which is somewhat reminiscent of an old stately home. The adjacent neoclassical building, built between 1900 and 1903 under Evaristo De Chirico, served as the administrative headquarters of the Thessaly Rail Co.
Today the city is served by direct lines to the rest of Greece and houses the main facilities for train reconstructions and services of Greece. The city is linked with Athens 12 times a day, to Thessaloniki 10 times a day and with Larissa 18 times a day. Volos is unusual in being the meeting place of railways of three different gauges.

Sister cities

★ - Le Mans, France

★ - Rostov-on-Don, Russia

★ - Sochi, Russia

★ - Pleven, Bulgaria

★ - Smederevo, Serbia

External links

★ Infovolos:Volos city portal

★ University of Thessaly

★ Homepage of the Municipality of Nea Ionia

★ Drury University Center in Volos

★ Volos candidacy bid for the Mediterranean Games of 2013

	'North:' Iolkos
'West:' Nea Ionia	'Volos'	'East:' Agria
	'South:' Pagasetic Gulf