a presentation of our city Patras for eTwinning project:Mystery fun Math stories

1. PATRAS

2. PATRAS
Patras is Greece's third-largest city and the regional capital of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese,
215 km (134 mi) west of Athens. The city is built at the foothills of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of
Patras. Patras has a population of 213,984 (in 2011). The core settlement has a history spanning four millennia; in
the Roman period it had become a cosmopolitan center of the eastern Mediterranean whilst, according to Christian
tradition, it was also the place of Saint Andrew's martyrdom. According to the results of 2011 census, the
metropolitan area has a population of 260,308 and extends over an area of 738.87 km2. Dubbed as Greece's Gate
to the West, Patras is a commercial hub, while its busy port is a nodal point for trade and communication with Italy
and the rest of Western Europe.

3. The city has two public universities and one Technological Institute, hosting a large student population and
rendering Patras an important scientific centre with a field of excellence in technological education. The Rio-Antirio
bridge connects Patras' easternmost suburb of Rio to the town of Antirrio, connecting the Peloponnese peninsula
with mainland Greece. Every year, in February, the city hosts one of Europe's largest carnivals: notable features of
the Patras Carnival include its mammoth satirical floats and balls and parades, enjoyed by hundreds of thousands
of visitors in a Mediterranean climate. Patras is also famous for supporting an indigenous cultural scene active
mainly in the performing arts and modern urban literature. It was European Capital of Culture in 2006.

4. ANTIQUITY
The first traces of settlement in Patras date to as early as the third millennium BC, in the area of modern Aroe.
Patras flourished for the first time in the Post-Helladic or Mycenean period (1580–11). Ancient Patras was formed
by the unification of three Mycenaean villages in modern Aroe; namely Antheia (from mythological Antheia) and
Mesatis. Mythology has it that after the Dorian invasion, a group of Achaeans from Laconia led by the eponymous
Patreus established a colony. In antiquity Patras remained a farming city. It was in Roman times that it became an
important port.
After 280 BC and prior to the Roman occupation of Greece, Patras played a significant role in the foundation of
the second "Achaean League" (Achaiki Sympoliteia), along with the cities of Dyme, Triteia and Pharai. Later on,
and following the Roman occupation of Greece in 146 BC, Patras played a key role, and Augustus refounded the
city as a Roman colony in the area. In addition, Patras has been a Christian centre since the early days of
Christianity, and it is the city where Saint Andrew was crucified.

5. MODERN ERA
In the early 20th century, Patras developed fast and became the first Greek city to introduce public
streetlights and electrified tramways. The war effort necessitated by the first World War hampered the
city's development and also created uncontrollable urban sprawl after the influx of displaced persons
from Asia Minor after the 1922 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. In the Second World
War the city was a major target of Italian air raids. In the Axis occupation period, a German military
command was established and German and Italian troops stationed in the city. After the liberation in
October 1944, the city grew fast to recover but in later years was increasingly overshadowed by the
urban pole of Athens.

6. MAIN SIGHTS
• The Roman Odeon, the most significant ancient monument, is in the upper town and was built around
160 AD, in the reign of either Antoninus Pius or Marcus Aurelius. It has been restored and partially
reconstructed, and is used as an open-air theatre for performances and concerts in the summer.
• The medieval Patras Castle, in the ancient acropolis overlooking the city, was initially built in the 6th
century AD by the Byzantine emperor Justinian.
• The church of Saint Andrew of Patras was founded in 1908 by King George I and was inaugurated in
1974. It is dedicated to Saint Andrew, the patron of the city. It is the second-largest temple of Byzantine
style in the Balkans (after the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade). The central cupola is 46 m (151 ft)
tall and is the base for a 5-metre (16 ft) gold-plated cross and twelve smaller ones, symbolising Christ
and the twelve apostles. A congregation of at least 5,000 can attend a sermon within the church.

7. MAIN SIGHTS
• The municipal Theatre Apollon, built in 1872 to plans by the German architect Ernst Ziller. The building
is characteristic of the 19th-century neoclassical style and is in the central square of the city.
• The Achaia Clauss wine industry and tasting center, which is on the outskirts in Petroto village. It was
founded in 1861 by the Bavarian Gustav Clauss and is most famous for its Mavrodaphne.
• The Patras Archaeological Museum exhibits the history of Patras from the prehistoric era to the late
Roman period.
• The Patras Lighthouse, a reconstructed "Faros" (Lighthouse), which is the symbol of the city.

8. ST ANDREW CATHEDRAL-THE ROMAN ODEON
AND THE CASTLE OF PATRAS

9. REFERENCES
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patras