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Giannitsa ( el, Γιαννιτσά , in English also Yannitsa, Yenitsa) is the largest city in the
regional unit The 74 regional units of Greece ( el, περιφερειακές ενότητες, ; sing. , ) are the country's Seventy-four second-level administrative units. They are divisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into munici ...
of
Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...
and the capital of the Pella municipality, in the region of
Central Macedonia Central Macedonia ( el, Κεντρική Μακεδονία, Kentrikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia. With a populat ...
in northern
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
. The municipal unit Giannitsa has an area of 208.105 km2. Its population is 31,983 people (2011 census). It includes a few outlying villages (Mesiano, Melissi, Pentaplatanos, Archontiko, Ampelies and Damiano). The municipality Pella as a whole includes many villages and has 63,122 inhabitants. The city is located in the center of Macedonia between Mount Paiko and the plain of Giannitsa, and is the economic, commercial and industrial center of the Pella regional unit.
European route E86 European route E86 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Krystallopigi, Greece and ends in Gefyra, Greece. The road follows: Krystallopigi - Florina - Edessa - Giannitsa Giannitsa ( el, Γιαννιτσά , in En ...
(
Greek National Road 2 Greek National Road 2 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 2, abbreviated as EO2) is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections, located in the regions of West Macedonia, Central Macedonia and East Macedonia and Thrace. It connects the Albania ...
) runs along the south of the city. The former shallow, swampy, and variable-sized
Giannitsa Lake __NOTOC__ Giannitsa Lake ( el, Λίμνη Γιαννιτσών), also known as Loudias Lake ( el, Λίμνη Λουδία) is a former post-glacial lake in Central Macedonia, Greece, south of the town of Giannitsa and north of Gidas (later renam ...
or (ancient) Loudias Lake, fed by the Loudias River and south of the city, was drained in 1928-1932 by the New York Foundation Company. It or the surrounding marshland were sometimes called Borboros 'slime' or Borboros Limen. About from Giannitsa are the ruins of ancient
Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...
, birthplace of
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
and capital of
ancient Macedonia Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...
. The city is from
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
.


Name

The city was founded as ''Yenice-i Vardar''
Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...
يڭيجۀ واردار 'new (town) of Vardar' in around 1383 – 1387. It was sometimes called ''Evrenos Beg yöresi'' '
Evrenos Bey Evrenos or Evrenuz (died 17 November 1417 in Yenice-i Vardar) was an Ottoman military commander. Byzantine sources mention him as Ἐβρενός, Ἀβρανέζης, Βρανέζης, Βρανεύς (?), Βρενέζ, Βρενέζης, Βρε ...
's town'. The Turkish name, in the form Yenitsa (Γενιτσά), was used until February 1926 when its name was Hellenized as Giannitsa (Γιαννιτσά). In other languages, the city is called:
Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...
''Yenice-i Vardar'' ('new-town of Vardar', as opposed to ''Yenice-i Karasu'', modern
Genisea Genisea ( el, Γενισέα) is a town in the Vistonida municipal unit, within the municipality of Abdera in the Xanthi regional unit of Greece. It is the seat of the municipality Abdera. According to the 2011 census, the population of Genisea ...
, near
Xanthi Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope m ...
and known for tobacco), Turkish ''Yenice'' or ''Vardar Yenicesi'', bg, Енидже Вардар, ''Enidzhe Vardar'' or Пазар ''Pazar''.


Population


History


Prehistoric

In the area of "Old Market", on the southern hill of the city, there was an Early Neolithic settlement (late 7th to early 6th millennium BC). Giannitsa was also inhabited through the Bronze and Iron Ages. Incidental findings, such as coins, inscriptions, and sculptures indicate that the area was inhabited during the Hellenistic period (323-30BC). In ancient times, the area was called Bottiaea. In the vicinity of the city ancient towns of
Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...
and Kyrros and medieval metropolitan centre of Giannitsa were presented.


Ottoman

Though there was probably a pre-existing Byzantine castle in the vicinity, the importance of the city of Giannitsa begins with its foundation by Gazi Evrenos in around 1383 – 1387. Giannitsa became the base of the ghazi followers of Evrenos who took Macedonia and later Albania. The city was an important Ottoman cultural center and sacred area in the 15th and 16th centuries. Starting in the mid-15th century, Giannitsa became a center of literature and the arts. Under Ahmet Bey, a descendant of Gazi Evrenos, many mosques, schools, workhouses and charitable projects were founded. In the early 20th century, Giannitsa was a battleground between Bulgarian and Greek partisans in the
Macedonian struggle The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...
.
Penelope Delta Penelope Delta (; 1874, Alexandria, Khedivate of Egypt – 2 May 1941, Athens, Greece) was a Greek author. She is widely celebrated for her contributions to the field of children's literature. Her historical novels have been widely read and ha ...
's novel ''Secrets of the Swamp'' (referring to the shores of Giannitsa Lake) is a romanticised account of this from the Greek point of view.


Balkan wars

Giannitsa "retained its emphatically Turkish character up to 1912" and members of the Evrenos family lived in the city in a large palace in the center of town until then. In the
First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
, the
Battle of Giannitsa The Battle of Yenidje, also transliterated as Yenice ( el, Μάχη των Γιαννιτσών, Battle of Giannitsa), was a major battle between Greek forces under Crown Prince Constantine and Ottoman forces under General Hasan Tahsin Pasha ...
(20 October 1912) was one of the most important battles the
Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...
fought.


German occupation

The German army invaded Giannitsa on April 11, 1941 . On April 20, 1941, some Austrian forces arrived. The municipal registry of Giannitsa confirms four random killings in various parts of the city. On 16 September 1943, the Municipality of Giannitsa, headed by the Mayor, Thomas Magriotis and the help of local soccer teams organized a demonstration in the city and indulge in German commandant a text against the intention of the Germans to surrender
Central Macedonia Central Macedonia ( el, Κεντρική Μακεδονία, Kentrikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia. With a populat ...
to the Bulgarians. According to oral testimony on November 13, 1943, the Germans arrested around 50 people, whom they transferred to the camp of Pavlos Melas at
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
and they killed thirteen. At the same time, the Germans invaded for the first time the village Eleftherohori away from the city, steal and destroy. In this attack there were no casualties. On 23 March 1944, the village was burned, and the place deserted. Eleftherohori lost 19 lives. On 5 August 1944, the Austrian soldier Otmar Dorne left the German occupation army and joined the 30th Constitution of the E.L.A.S, based in Mount Paiko. The defection of Dorne, and the presence of the Wehrmacht sergeant
Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
, led to mass reprisals on 14 September 1944 in Giannitsa: about 120 residents of Giannitsa were executed by forces of the Jagdkommando Schubert with the collaboration of Greek units under the command of G. Poulos. Among those executed was the Mayor, Thomas Mangriotis. The Swedish ambassador Timberg indicated that one third of the city was destroyed by fire. The citizens left the city. Emile Wenger visited Giannitsa few days after the mass execution, as a representative of the
International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
and wrote "Giannitsa is already a dead city". On 20 September 1944, a citizens' committee sent a message to the National Government stating the facts and asking for weapons. The Germans left Giannitsa on November 3, 1944. During this period in the city is formed Bulgarian action committee and later Central Bulgarian-macedonian committee, headed by the local citizen Georgi Kayafov. Also a Thessaloniki bulgarian club branch was formed by locals Georgi Yankulov, Perikle Gyupchinov, Hristo Panayotov and Georgi Kayafov.


Landmarks


Monuments

Giannitsa was an important center in the Ottoman period, and several important monuments survive, such as the ''Tombs of Gazi Evrenos'' (built in 1417) and ''Gazi Ahmed Bey'', the ''Kaifoun Baths,'' the ''Great Mosque'', the ''Army Mosque'', the ''
hammam A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the Islamic culture, culture of the Muslim world and ...
of Evrenos'', and the ''Clock Tower'', built from 1667 to 1668 by the Ottomans. (The choice of location was made with military criteria because they wanted to control the commercial activity that took place across the city and throughout central Macedonia.) These monuments have been declared historical monuments by the Greek Archaeological Service.Vasilis Demetriades, "The Tomb of Ghāzī Evrenos Bey at Yenitsa and Its Inscription", ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies'' (University of London) 39 (1976), 2: 328–332; Eleni Kanetaki, "The Still Existing Ottoman ''Hamams'' in the Greek Territory", ''Middle East Technical University Journal of the Faculty of Architecture'' 21 (2005), 1-2: 81–110, citing M. Kiel, "Yenice-i Vardar. A forgotten Turkish cultural center in Macedonia of the 15th and 16th century", ''Studia Byzantina et Neohellenica Neerlandica'' 3 (1971): 300–329. Points of interest include also the Cathedral Church of Giannitsa (achieved in 1860), the Neoclassical Multicenter, the Filippeio tourist center, the Macedonian tombs, and the prehistoric settlement of Archontiko.


Museums

* The '' Folklore Museum of Giannitsa'' (opened in October 1977) by the "Philippos" History and Folklore Association to promote local history and traditions. * The ''Military museum of Giannitsa'' (opened 24 February 2012), displays photographs, texts, weapons, uniforms, medals and other materials, with a particular emphasis on the Battle of the Swamp and the Balkan Wars 1912–1913.


Statues

* ''Black Statue - The Memorial of Giannitsà'', erected at the eastern entrance to the town in 1926 in honor and remembrance of the battle of Giannitsà (Sculptor: Gregory Zevgolis). * ''Mass Grave'', a list of the residents who were executed at the 1st Primary School on 14 September 1944 by German troops. * ''
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
'', near the Cultural Center, unveiled on 20 October 2009, the anniversary of the liberation of the city and the Day of the
Macedonian Struggle The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...
. * ''
Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king ('' basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...
'', located in the park of the "Filippio" tourist center. Near the statue, there is a relief depicting the Macedonian phalanx. *A bust of the Makedonomachos Gonos Yiotas in Gonou Yiota Square.


Aravissos

About northwest of the city is the spring of Aravissos, which produces drinking water. The surrounding grove and creek include a popular park.


Economy

Giannitsa is predominantly a rural area. The draining of the Lake Giannitsà left fertile soil for agriculture, leading to population growth in the region.


Entertainment

The focus of the social life of the city is at the central pedestrian street, where people gather to eat and drink or to take a walk. Giannitsa was one of the first cities that founded Open Theatre (3000 seats) and became an institution for cultural events and big names in theater and music, every year, the last month of summer giving a culture festival character . Also various theatrical and musical events take place in a closed theater located internally of the Cultural Centre which has a modern architecture. In the first days of September there is a big market for about a week. The DI. K. E. P. A. P. (ΔΗ. Κ. Ε. Π. Α. Π) is a charitable non-profit cultural organization founded in 1996 that develops music, visual arts, dance, film and other arts.


Loudias river

Seven kilometers () south of the center is the Loudias River, which has a sailing center. The Nautical Club of Giannitsa (NOG) teaches canoeing, kayaking, and rowing.


Districts

* Center * St. George * Ayía Paraskeví * Sfageia * Sinoikismos * Mitropoli * St. Konstantinos * Tsali (Nea Trapezounta) * Filippeio * Kapsali * Palaia agora


Local Media


Newspapers

* ''O Logos tis Pellas'' (weekly;
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''Ο λόγος της Πέλλας'') * ''Giannitsa'' (daily;
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''Γιαννιτσά'')


TV station

* ''Pella TV'' (
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''Πέλλα τηλεόραση'')


Online Newspapers

* ''Pella24'' * ''Pellanet'' * ''Giannitsa City news'' * ''Logos Pellas''


Sports

The most popular team is the Anagennisi Giannitsa football team which plays at the Municipal Stadium. There is a
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...
track northwest of the city, in the foothills of Mount Paiko, where local, Greek, and European races are run. At the river Loudias, there are rowing races in which the Nautical Club participates.


Twin towns and sister cities

Giannitsa is twinned with three cities: *
Larnaca Larnaca ( el, Λάρνακα ; tr, Larnaka) is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a metro population of ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
, since 2003 *
Crotone Crotone (, ; nap, label= Crotonese, Cutrone or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( grc, Κρότων or ; la, Crotona) in Magna Graecia, it was known as Cotrone from the Middle Ages unti ...
, Italy, since 2010 *
New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the D ...
,
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
, United States, since 2010


Notable people

* Gazi Evrenos (died 1417), founder of the Ottoman city, whose mausoleum is in the center of town * K̲h̲ayālī (died 1556), Ottoman poet * Āgehī (died 1577), Ottoman poet and historian * Georgios Gonos Giotas (1880–1911), revolutionary in the
Macedonian Struggle The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...
*
Ahmet Derviş Ahmet Derviş also known as Derviş Bey or Derviş Pasha (1881, Yenidje-Vardar (Giannitsa), Salonica Vilayet – January 17, 1932, Istanbul) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army. See also *List of high-ranking ...
(1883–1932), military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies * Melina Aslanidou (born 1974), singer born in Germany, but raised in Giannitsa *
Elisavet Mystakidou Elisavet "Elli" Mystakidou ( el, Ελλη Μυστακίδου; born 14 August 1977 in Giannitsa) is a Greek taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medalist. She participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens where she earned a silver medal in ...
(born 1977), Greek Olympic silver medalist in taekwondo * Dimitris Pelkas (born 1993), soccer player playing as an
attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for
PAOK FC P.A.O.K. FC ( el, ΠΑΕ ΠΑΟΚ, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινουπολιτών, '' Panthessaloníkios Athlitikós Ómilos Konstadinoupolitón'', "Pan-Thessalonian Sports club, Athlet ...
*
Andreas Varsakopoulos Andreas Jacques Varsakopoulos ( gr, Ανδρέας Βαρσακόπουλος, born 14 August 1990) is a Greek- American who lives and performs in South Korea as a television, radio personality and English lecturer. He was born to a Greek father an ...
(born 1990),
Television personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
,
personal trainer A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...
, Lecturer currently living in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...


References


External links


Δήμος Πέλλας
official site of the municipality of Pella
Google Earth view of Giannitsa and the drained lakebed
{{Authority control Populated places in Pella (regional unit) Macedonia under the Ottoman Empire 1372 establishments in Europe