Serres ( el, Περιφερειακή ενότητα Σερρών) is one of the

regional units of Greece 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 municipa ...

, in the

geographic region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

of Macedonia. It is part of the

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

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 ...

. Its capital is the city of

Serres Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...

. The total population reaches just over 175,000.

Geography

The mountains are Orvelos to the north,

Menoikio Menoikio ( gr, Μενοίκιο, also known to the local populations as "Bozdakas" and "Bozdas", Greek corruptions of the Turkish name "Boz Dag", which was applied to the mountain by the Turks in Ottoman time, bg, Змийница, ''Zmiynitsa' ...

to the east,

Pangaio Pangaio ( el, Παγγαίο) is a municipality in the Kavala regional unit, Greece, named after the Pangaion hills. The seat of the municipality is in Eleftheroupoli. Municipality The municipality Pangaio was formed at the 2011 local government r ...

to the southeast, Kerdylio to the southwest,

Vertiskos Vertiskos ( el, Βερτίσκος), known before 1927 as Berovo (Μπέροβο), is a village a community and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality ...

to the west, parts of Krousi to the west and portions of the

Kerkini Kerkini ( el, Κερκίνη) is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal unit. It is named after ancient K ...

lies to the northwest. The regional unit borders on

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 Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

to the southwest,

Kilkis Kilkis ( el, Κιλκίς) is a city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2011 there were 22,914 people living in the city proper, 28,745 people living in the municipal unit, and 51,926 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city o ...

to the west,

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

with the

Novo Selo Municipality Novo Selo ( mk, , Turkish ''Yeniköy'', Greek Neochòrion, Νεοχώριον) is a municipality in eastern North Macedonia. '' Novo Selo'' is also the name of the village where the municipal seat is found. ''Novo Selo'' means "New Village" i ...

to the northwest, the Blagoevgrad Province of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

to the north,

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

to the northeast and

Kavala Kavala ( el, Καβάλα, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the Egnat ...

to the east. The

Strymonian Gulf The Strymonian or Strymonic Gulf (), also known as the Orfano Gulf (), is a branch of the Thracian Sea—itself part of the Aegean Sea—lying east of the Chalcidice peninsula and south of the Serres regional unit. It was formerly known as the Gul ...

lies to the south along with the Strymonas delta.

Lake Kerkini Lake Kerkini ( gr, Λίμνη Κερκίνη - Limni Kerkini) is an artificial reservoir in Central Macedonia, Greece that was created in 1932, and then redeveloped in 1980, on the site of what was previously an extremely extensive marshland. L ...

was a lake located in the southern portion which is now drained. 41% of the regional unit are arable and most of the lands are near the Strymonas river which flows from Bulgaria and empties into the

. Another river is the

Angitis The Angitis ( el, Αγγίτης), also known as Angista ( bg, Драматица; ''Dramatitsa''), is a river in Northern Greece. It is long. It is an important tributary of the Strymonas. Its source is in the Falakro mountains, in the regi ...

in the eastern part of the regional unit, with the ravine and caves near

Alistrati Alistrati (Greek language, Greek: Αλιστράτη) is a small town in Serres, situated at the borders of the Drama, Greece, regional unit of Drama and Serres (regional unit), regional unit of Serres, in the Macedonia (region), Macedonia region ...

. The regional unit has many archaeological and historical features including

Amphipolis Amphipolis ( ell, Αμφίπολη, translit=Amfipoli; grc, Ἀμφίπολις, translit=Amphipolis) is a municipality in the Serres (regional unit), Serres regional unit, Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is ...

, several monasteries, and Metaxa near the border with Bulgaria. The regional unit is also a tourist attraction including Lailia, rich in forests, a skiing resort in the central portion, lake Kerkini which is a reservoir supplying water to the farmlands. Fishing is common within Ano Poroia especially during the summer months and famous Alistrati's caves and the nearby Aggitis ravine. The southern part around the Strymonas valley has a Mediterranean climate, the rest is predominantly continental with cold winters in higher elevations.

History

In modern times, Serres, like the rest of Macedonia was contested territory between

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 with ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. After its liberation from the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

by the

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...

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 ...

, Serres became a part of Greece at the end of the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

. During the

National Schism The National Schism ( el, Εθνικός Διχασμός, Ethnikós Dichasmós), also sometimes called The Great Division, was a series of disagreements between Constantine I of Greece, King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizel ...

, it was occupied by Bulgaria again only to form part of Greece at the end of the war. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Bulgaria occupied Serres and launched a campaign of

Bulgarisation Bulgarisation ( bg, българизация), also known as Bulgarianisation ( bg, побългаряване) is the spread of Bulgarian culture beyond the Bulgarian ethnic space. History A number of government policies are considered to be exa ...

. It was liberated in 1944. A substantial portion of the population of the regional unit are descendants of refugees which came from Eastern

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

which is now Northwestern Turkey,

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

and from

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

during the Greco-Turkish War. Kerk 04

Administration

The regional unit Serres is subdivided into 7 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): *

Amfipoli Amphipolis ( ell, Αμφίπολη, translit=Amfipoli; grc, Ἀμφίπολις, translit=Amphipolis) is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is Rodolivos. It was an important ancient G ...

(2) *

Emmanouil Pappas Emmanouel Pappas ( el, Εμμανουήλ Παππάς; 1772–1821) was a prominent member of Filiki Eteria and leader of the Greek War of Independence in Macedonia. Biography Pappas was born in Dovista (Δοβίστα), Serres regional uni ...

(4) * Irakleia (5) *

Nea Zichni Nea Zichni ( el, Νέα Ζίχνη) is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, of Central Macedonia region, Greece. Population 12,397 (2011). Nea Zichni is also the name of the administrative seat of the municipality, population 2,530 (2011). ...

(6) *

(1) *

Sintiki Sintiki ( el, Σιντική) is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Sidirokastro. The municipality has an area of 1,103.431 km2. Municipality The municipality was forme ...

(7) * Visaltia (3)

Prefecture

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the Serres regional unit was created out of the former Serres Prefecture ( el, Νομός Σερρών). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.

Provinces

Before the abolishment of the

provinces of Greece The provinces of Greece ( el, επαρχία, "eparchy") were sub-divisions of some the country's prefectures of Greece, prefectures. From 1887, the provinces were abolished as actual administrative units, but were retained for some state servi ...

in 2006, the Serres prefecture was subdivided into the following provinces:

Transport

The main roads of Serres regional unit are: * Motorway 2 (Igoumenitsa - Thessaloniki - Amfipoli - Alexandroupoli) * Motorway 25 (Thessaloniki - Serres - Sidirokastro - Bulgaria) *

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 Albanian ...

(Florina - Thessaloniki - Amfipoli - Alexandroupoli) *

Greek National Road 12 National Road 12 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 12, abbreviated as EO12) is a single carriageway road in northern Greece. It connects Thessaloniki with Kavala, passing through Serres and Drama. It also serves traffic heading towards the north, to t ...

(Thessaloniki - Serres - Drama - Kavala) * Greek National Road 59 (Amfipoli - Nea Zichni) * Greek National Road 63 (Serres - Sidirokastro - Bulgaria) * Greek National Road 65 (Thessaloniki - Kilkis - Sidirokastro) The

Thessaloniki–Alexandroupoli railway The Thessaloniki–Alexandroupoli railway is an about 440 km long railway in northern Greece connecting the Central Macedonian city of Thessaloniki with Alexandroupoli in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, via Serres. There is a connection towards ...

passes through Serres and Sidirokastro.

Persons

Constantine Karamanlis Konstantinos G. Karamanlis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Καραμανλής, ; 8 March 1907 – 23 April 1998), commonly anglicised to Constantine Karamanlis or just Caramanlis, was a four-time prime minister and twice as the president of ...

(8 March 1907 in Proti - 23 April 1998), a former

Greek prime minister The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρωθυπουργός της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Prothypourgós tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece ( el, Πρωθυ� ...

and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Emmanouel Pappas Emmanouel Pappas ( el, Εμμανουήλ Παππάς; 1772–1821) was a prominent member of Filiki Eteria and leader of the Greek War of Independence in Macedonia. Biography Pappas was born in Dovista (Δοβίστα), Serres regional uni ...

, hero of the Greek Independence Struggle *

Glykeria Glykeria (born Glykeria Kotsoula, el, Γλυκερία; born 16 November 1953 in Agio Pnevma, Serres) is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, while also gaining fame in Israel, France, Turkey, Spain, and England. Her career has spanned o ...

, famous Greek singer (of Asia Minor Hellenic ancestry) *

Ioannis Melissanidis Ioannis Melissanidis ( el, Ιωάννης Μελισσανίδης; born 27 March 1977) is a retired Greek artistic gymnast and the 1996 Olympic champion on the floor exercise. He was also the first Greek gymnast ever to medal at the World Champ ...

, a Greek gymnast athlete * Nansy Stergiopoulou, of the all girl band Hi-5, family originally from Serres.

Sporting teams

The Panserraikos F.C. association football club, based in Serres, plays in the Football League 2.

References

External links

Serres Prefecture Official WebsiteSerres General Hospital Official Website Alistrati's caveAn up-to-date portal with information regarding the Serres Prefecture
{{Authority control Prefectures of Greece 1915 establishments in Greece Regional units of Central Macedonia