Pella (municipality)

Pella
Πέλλα
Fountain in the centre of Pella
Pella
Location within the region
Coordinates: 40°48′N 22°31′E / 40.800°N 22.517°E / 40.800; 22.517Coordinates: 40°48′N 22°31′E / 40.800°N 22.517°E / 40.800; 22.517
Country Greece
Administrative region Central Macedonia
Regional unit Pella
Government
 • Mayor Grigoris Stamkos
Area
 • Municipality 669.2 km2 (258.4 sq mi)
 • Municipal unit 113.8 km2 (43.9 sq mi)
Elevation 36 m (118 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Municipality 63,122
 • Municipality density 94/km2 (240/sq mi)
 • Municipal unit 6,798
 • Municipal unit density 60/km2 (150/sq mi)
Community[1]
 • Population 2,398 (2011)
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code 580 05
Area code(s) 23820
Vehicle registration ΕΕ
Website www.giannitsa.gr

Pella (Greek: Πέλλα) is a village and a municipality in the Pella regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. It is located on the site of ancient Pella, the capital of the Kingdom of Macedonia and birthplace of Alexander The Great. The capital of the municipality is Giannitsa, the largest town of the regional unit.[2] On the site of the ancient city of Pella is the Archaeological Museum of Pella.

Municipality of Pella/ Giannitsa

History

A bust of Euripides.
Statue of Alexander the Great riding Bucephalus and carrying a winged statue of Nike (Alexander the Great Square).

Ancient Pella was a vast city. However, the city was ravaged by the Romans during the 1st Century BC and lost its significance. By the 19th century, Agii Apostoli occupied a site near the upper city, and the lower city extended down to the wetlands of Mavroneri.[3]

Name

During the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, the town was known in Greek as Άγιοι Απόστολοι (Agii Apostoli) 'Holy Apostles' and in Ottoman Turkish as Allah Kilise 'God's Church'.[3] The name Pella was revived in 1926.[4]

Municipality

The municipality Pella was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:[2]

The municipality has an area of 669.220 km2, the municipal unit 113.819 km2.[5] The municipality has a population of 63,122 (2011 census). The capital of the municipality of Pella is Giannitsa (population 29,789 at the 2011 census). Other towns are Krya Vrysi (pop. 6,535), Mylotopos (pop. 2,605), Pella (pop. 2,450), Galatades (pop. 2,339), Karyotissa (pop. 1,999), Aravissos (pop. 1,800), Ampeleíai (pop. 1,095), Melíssion (983), Pentaplátanon (956), and Paralímni (816).

Famous people

  • Alexander the Great (356–323BC) King of Macedon who created the biggest Greek empire that ever existed.
  • Philip II of Macedon Father of Alexander the great and king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC.
  • Krste Misirkov (1874–1926), philologist and publicist.

References

  1. 1 2 "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
  2. 1 2 Kallikratis law Greece Ministry of Interior (in Greek)
  3. 1 2 Grande Encyclopedie, s.v. Pella
  4. ↑ "Agioi Apostoloi -- Pella". Pandektis: Name Changes of Settlements in Greece, compiled by the Institute for Neohellenic Research
  5. ↑ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.