Larissa is a city of Thessaly, seat of the municipality of Larissa and capital of the Regional Unit of Larissa. It is also the seat of the Region of Thessaly as well as the Decentralized Administration of Thessaly - Central Greece. According to the 2011 census, it has 144,651 permanent residents, occupies an area of approximately 88 sq.km. and has an average gravitational altitude of 70 meters. It is an important shopping center and communication and transport hub, while the area is famous for its agricultural production as it is located in the Thessalian Plain.
Origin and etymology of the name
The name of Larissa is
pre-Greek of Pelasgian origin and was very widespread in Greece and
means a strongly fortified hill or citadel, this name was also given
to the citadel of Argos. Also according to mythology the city of
Larissa was built in the Pelasgian period by the hero Larissos, son
of Pelasgos.
According to the ancient legend, the nymph
Larissa, playing with her ball next to Pinios, slipped and drowned
in its waters and the city took its name from it. Larissa, according
to mythology, was the wife of Poseidon and the mother of Achaeus,
Fthias and Pelasgos or according to another version, she was the
daughter of Pelasgos.
Far from the legends and traditions
about the beautiful nymph, the experts in their attempt to interpret
the name of the city consider that it came from somewhere else and
was given in praise, since the low hill of the Fortress does not
match the meaning of the word Larissa. , that is, of this stone
citadel or fortress.
Geography
The city of Larissa is
built in a Mediterranean position on both banks of the river Pinios
and is located in the center of the eastern part of the Thessalian
plain, which occupies almost entirely the Prefecture of Larissa,
with a small part located in the Prefecture of Magnesia. The
altitude of the city from sea level is 80 meters. The mountains that
surround the city are the following: from the east the mountains
Ossa (1972 m.) And Mavrovouni (1,054 m.), From the northeast the
mountains Kato Olympus (1,587 m.) And Olympus (2,918 m.), From the
north to the west Mount Melouna and Mount Titan (693 m). Today in
the wider area of Larissa there is no natural lake.
History
Larissa is an ancient city and has been inhabited for almost 4,000
years. Archaeological excavations show that the area of Larissa
was inhabited during the Paleolithic period. The power of the city
until the end of the rule of the Macedonians was held by the
Thessalian Alevades. During the Persian wars, its inhabitants fought
and fought against the other Greeks on the side of foreign invaders.
During the Peloponnesian War they fought on the side of the
Athenians. Larissa had minted a coin and several ancient coins have
been rescued. In Larissa lived and died, at the age of about 90, the
Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, who was buried somewhere between
Gyrtoni, Tyrnavos and Larissa.
Macedonian and Roman period
In the 4th century BC. Larissa, with the help of forces from Central
Greece, fought with the city of Farsalo to maintain its power and
defeated it. However, this war exhausted its soldiers, who could not
defend themselves against the Macedonian invasion under Philip II in
344 BC. The city was subjugated to the Macedonians from 344-196 BC.
During the Hellenistic period, the Larissa horsemen of Alexander the
Great (who had a good reputation at the time) founded Larissa in
Syria and Larissa in Arabia.
In 197 BC. the Romans occupied
the city. During Roman rule, Larissa experienced a brief period of
prosperity. In the 2nd century BC. Eleftheria was founded, a
Panthessalian festival in honor of Eleftherios Zeus, which included
equestrian competitions as well as literary, dance, nude, music
competitions. With the establishment of large Roman land properties
in Thessaly, the institution of the Thessalian public was degraded
and a period of decline followed for Larissa. There was a decrease
in its population and the life of the inhabitants became difficult.
However, Larissa manages to overcome the crisis with the relocation
of populations from the surrounding cities while at the same time
slaves were freed.
Byzantine period
Then the city fell to
Byzantium and in all these centuries it was repeatedly invaded. At
the end of the 6th century there was a great period of unrest and
unrest, during which the cities of Thessaly cease to be mentioned in
the sources. This phenomenon was created by a large part of the
barbaric raids.
Slavic tribes settled in areas of Thessaly
and Macedonia during their invasions, which with the appropriate
policy of the Byzantine emperors were Christianized and integrated
into the local population. In order to face new dangers, an
administrative reorganization of the state took place with Thessaly
now belonging to the Theme of Greece. Larissa was the capital of
Thema for some time, especially during the Bulgarian wars. Thessaly
was threatened by the invasions of the Bulgarians (late 10th
century) under Tsar Samuel, which culminated in the occupation of
Larissa in 982 AD. after a three-year siege. At the same time, the
relics of Agios Achillios were transferred from Larissa to Prespa,
where a church was built in his honor.
After the defeat of the Bulgarians in 966 AD. by General
Nikiforos Ouranos in the battle of Sperchios, followed a period of
peace and reorganization of Byzantium by the emperor Basil II, who
took care of the restoration of the destroyed fortresses of
Thessaly.
During the reign of the emperor Alexios I Komnenos
(1082-1118 AD), the Normans, ruled by Boemundos, looted the area and
besieged Larissa for a long time, but their attacks were
successfully repulsed by Alexios' campaign in 1083 AD.
In the
12th century begins the disintegration of the central organization
of the state and the emergence of small districts with different
names. This system spread to Thessaly, which, having huge plains,
aroused the interest of the powerful of the time.
Ottoman
period
The decline that prevailed in the 14th century facilitated
the consolidation of Ottoman rule with various Greek and foreign
dynasties exploiting economically a large part of the rural
population. Ottoman rule contributed to the decline of the already
declining economy, with the result that a large part of the
population moved to the mountains for greater security, away from
Ottoman rule. In 1881 Thessaly was liberated by the Greek army and
annexed to the Greek state. Until the annexation of Thessaly, the
city was named Yeni Sehir Feneri, in contrast to Yeni Sehir Eyaleti,
which was the name of the wider area, approximately the current
prefecture.
Modern history
In the city of Larissa and in
the neighboring areas, a huge population of refugees from Eastern
Romulia, Asia Minor, Cappadocia and Pontus settled, resulting in the
creation of new neighborhoods in the size of small towns. During
World War II the city suffered great damage from the bombing of
Italian planes in 1941.
Larissa today
Today, Larissa is
one of the largest Greek cities. It has three public hospitals: the
General Hospital, the University Hospital and the Military Hospital.
It hosts many public services. It is the seat of the Decentralized
Administration of Thessaly - Central Greece, the Region of Thessaly,
the Tactical Aviation, the 1st Army, the NATO Headquarters, the
Thessalian Theater, the Departments of Medicine and
Biochemistry-Biotechnology of the University of Thessaly, and the
Department. E.I. Thessaly, the third largest Technological Institute
in Greece. From 2019, after the abolition of TEI all over the
country, new departments and schools are hosted in the building,
laboratory and administrative facilities of the University of
Thessaly. Larissa also occupies the first place among Greek cities
in terms of green coverage per sq.m. urban space. At 1 Karditsis
Street there is one of the largest judicial prisons in the country,
the closed store in Larissa. Its football team, the Athletic Union
of Larissa (AEL), is the only provincial team that has managed to
win a championship and two Greek cups.