| Prefecture of Serres |
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Prefecture of Serres The territory of Serres prefecture is part of the eastern Macedonian geographical region. It borders with Bulgaria and Republic Macedonia to the north, the territory Drama to the east, Kavala to the south-east, Thessaloniki and Kiklis to the west. Serres prefecture has around 193.000 inhabitants. A substantial portion of the population of the prefecture is descendants of refugees which came from Eastern Thrace which is now Northwestern Turkey, Asia Minor and from Pontus during the Greco-Turkish War. The capital of Seres is modern a city, nevertheless, it is a interesting place full of archeological sightseeing’s- churches and monasteries, traditional villages, museums, nature landmarks as well as the ski resort Vrontous.
Region Characteristics Serres prefecture is one of the 13 prefectures in Macedonia- the biggest province in Greece in terms of area and economical indexes. The prefecture borders with the Strimonikos bay to the south, with Bulgaria to the north. It also borders with the prefectures of Drama and Kavala to the east and the prefectures of Thessaloniki and Kilkis to the west. It is one of the flattest prefectures in Greece, considering that 48% of its total stretching is described as semi-flat mountainous, and is surrounded by the mountains of Kerkini, Vertiskos, Kerdylia in the West and Orvilos- Menikio, Paggeo in the the east. The Strymon river, starting in Bulgaria and ending into the Strymonikos bay (Orphanos bay as it was called in the past), flows north- south through the prefecture. Its main tributary is Aggitis, in the Eastern part of the Prefecture. The total population of the prefecture, according to the 1981 census, was 196,247 people, 2% of the population of Greece.
The prefecture has 5 municipalities and 157 villages. The population is divided into urban(23.6%), semi-urban(19,4%) and agricultural(57%). The total size of the prefecture comes up to 3,790 square Km, which is 3% of the country's total size. 41% of the prefecture's total size is agricultural, something that determines the main occupation of the prefecture's inhabitants. Municipalities
Communities
Climate The areas that mainly get Mediterranean climate are at the southern portion by the Strymonas valley. Its climate is mainly continental with cold winters in higher elevations. Tourism Serres, territory rich in amazing nature, unique archeological places and breath taking historical monuments, is the perfect place for your vocation, especially during the winter season. From tourist point of view, Serres is highly developed prefecture attracting many visitors, which is due to the important cultural events which have been happening throughout the year, although there are many other temptations. Walking through Serres, you will pass by a number of beautiful villages. Agia Eleni is a village famous for its interesting custom- fire dancing (dancing over growing embers), Alistrati is abundant in magnificent caves and impressive canon just as it is in Amfipoli, which is situated on the archeological part of the ancient city Amfipoli. Besides, the tobacco village Gazaros, the village Kerkini near to the lake Monoklissia famous for its customs, the tourist resort Nea Kerdilia, the agricultural village Neos Skopos, the region Nigrita and the beautiful city Sidirokastro are places which has to be visited. Visitors may also have enjoyable moments at St. John, a suburb of the municipality of Serres; in the valley of St. Anargiri, where you can find anything in order to have a good time; in the forest and ski centre of Lailias; at Lake Kerkini with its irrigation dam, the hydrobiosphere and plenty of fresh fish; in Ano Poroia with cool mountainous climate during the summer and fresh trout; in Alistrati where you can admire the beautiful cave, one of the best in Europe. There are several interesting archeological and historical places that people can visit such as city Serres, the region Amfipoli, Metoha of the St. Johan the Baptist and the Ikosifinisa monastery with rare murals. Moreover, the fortress Metaxa along the Greek-Bulgarian border in the Belasitsa Mountain (well known as the "Fortress Rupel"). Culture The prefecture is profuse in cultural activities because of its many cultural clubs. Some of the best-known customs are the "Anastenaria" in St. Eleni and "Gynaeocracy" in Monoklissia, Nea Petra and Ano Kamila. There is also the kite flying festival on the day after the last day of Carnival, which takes place in Mesorrahi, a village near Nea Zihni. Last but not least, there is the Gerakina's celebration every year during Easter in Nigrita. Gerakina who is well-known all over Greece originates from Nigrita and her song is a panhellenic anthem of the Muse. Kalogeros (The Monk) is another Thracian custom which takes place in the village of St Eleni. This festivity is presented by Anastenarides, too. But this time, there are also mimes who create the troupe: the King, the Prince, the Halter maker, the Monk, the Bride, the decrepit woman with the premature baby, the Gipsies with the bear and the Guards (Kouroutzides). After the troupe has visited all the village, the inhabitants gather in the square, where two important events take place: the preparation of a symbolic field for the sowing and the scene of the Monk's death and resurrection. When the Monk's resurrection is announced, the troupe starts dancing in a circle, round the symbolic field, with the King as the leader of the dance. After the end of the dance an Anastenaris gives his blessing to the people who start leaving. This Thracian religious festival, also includes elements of the ancient Dionyssian Rituals. Agriculture and Industry The main characteristic of the nature in the prefecture Seres is a fertile plain, which is surrounded by wood mountain chains. 68 streams flow in this plain. As a result, this area is one of the big agricultural Greek regions and plays a key role in the country agriculture. 615 Km2 out of 1,630 Km2 are irrigated. There has been a land-redistribution in 310 Km2 with the use of modern irrigation methods. This important place that the prefecture Serres has is not only due to the large agricultural fertile land but also due to the water areas. They encompass 170, 000 km² of the total Greece area and this is a great advantage in producing quality agricultural products such as tobacco, cotton, rice, sugar-beet etc. The ability of the local people to adjust quickly in improving the agricultural conditions plays a crucial role as well. The products in the prefectures are primary crops, tobacco, rice, cotton, sugar-beet, barley fruits, small amount of citrus fruits, olive oil and wine. The prefecture is also one of the top cattle breeding areas in the country. It produces large quantities of beef, pork, lamb and chicken, eggs and dairy products of excellent quality. There is a milk pasteurisation industry, sugar industry, five tomato-puree and tomato product industries as well. Cheese industries, distilleries, halvah industries, cotton gins, wood, sweets and cattle feed processing plants. There are also factories producing boilers, exhaust pipes, clothes located in the industrial area, west of Serres. |
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