Everything about Edessa Greece totally explained
» For the city of Mesopotamia, see Edessa, Mesopotamia
Edessa (
Slavic dialects of Greece: Voden) is an ancient town of 25,000 inhabitants in
Central part of
Macedonia, in
Greece, and the capital of the
Pella prefecture and is also the provincial capital of the province of the same name.
Edessa is also the home of the
Marketing and
Administration Department of the
University of Macedonia.
Name
The name "Edessa" was ascribed an
Illyrian origin by
Ulrich Wilcken, in his biography of
Alexander the Great (noted by Walter Bauer 1934; 1971; ch. 1), the "town of the waters", due to its copious water resources and its tourist attraction of the
waterfalls, located in the actual town center. The
Ancient Greek name "Edessa" (Ἔδεσσα) was commemorated by
Seleucus I Nicator in refounding an ancient city in northern Mesopotamia: see
Edessa, Mesopotamia. An alternative Greek name for the city is "
Vodená/Βοδενά", stemming from the
Slavic name of the city "
Voden/Воден" (derived from
voda/вода, water). In
Turkish, the city can be known as either "
Edessa", "
Vodine" or "
Vodina", and in
Aromanian the city can be known as either "
Edessa", "
Vudena" or "
Vodina".
History
Archaeological remains have been discovered on the site of ancient Edessa, just below the modern city. The walls and the
agora have been unearthed so far. A colonnade with inscription in Greek dates from
Roman times. The city achieved certain prominence in the first centuries AD, being located in the
Via Egnatia. From 27 BC to 249 AD it had its own mint. St. Vassa and her three children were put to death in the 3rd Century AD.
Very little is known about the fate of the city after 500 AD. Its bishop Issidoros participated in the
Ecumenical Council of 692. After the slavic settlements of the 6th-8th century, the name of "Edessa" disappears and what remains of the city (a fortress in the acropolis of the ancient city) is renamed "Vodena". It is known as such to the 11th century Byzantine historian
John Skylitzes. It is mentioned as both Edessa and Vodena by emperor-historian
John VI Kantakouzenos who laid siege to the city in the 1340s. Conquered by the Serbs of
Stephen Dusan at that time, it fell to the Ottomans along with the rest of Macedonia around 1390.
After more than 500 years of Ottoman rule, Edessa was liberated by the Greek Army on 18 October 1912. At that time, it was already well on its way to becoming a major industrial center in Macedonia. Four large textile factories were in operation by 1914, employing the abundant waterfalls as a source of energy. In addition, a large segment of the population specialised in silk production, allowing Edessa to enjoy a high standard of living in the interwar period (1922-1940). The region of Edessa was also home to a large Muslim Slav population, however they were transferred along with the Turks to
Turkey in 1924. In exchange, Greek-speaking Christian refugees from
Asia Minor were settled in the region.
The town suffered during the last days of German occupation in 1944. As a retaliation for the shooting of one soldier by resistance fighters, the Nazis put Edessa to fire. Half of the city, including the Cathedral and the First Primary School, were destroyed and thousands of people were left homeless.
In the postwar period Edessa gradually lost its competitive advantage in industry and declined economically and in population. In the beginning of the 21st century, it's a city based on services (mostly linked to its function as capital of the Pella Prefecture) and tourism.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| (Statistics, 1913-2001) |
| Year |
Population |
Change |
Density |
Municipal population |
Change |
Density |
| 1913 |
8,846 |
- |
227/km² |
- |
- |
- |
| 1920 |
9,441 |
+595 |
243/km² |
- |
- |
- |
| 1928 |
13,115 |
+3,674 |
337/km² |
- |
- |
- |
| 1940 |
12,000 |
- |
/km² |
- |
- |
- |
| 1951 |
14,940 |
- |
384/km² |
- |
- |
- |
| 1961 |
15,534 |
+594 |
399/km² |
- |
- |
- |
| 1971 |
13,967 |
-1,567 |
359/km² |
- |
- |
- |
| 1981 |
16,642 |
+2,675 |
428/km² |
- |
- |
- |
| 1991 |
17,659 |
+1,017 |
454/km² |
25,051 |
- |
78/km² |
| 2001 |
18,253 |
+594 |
469/km² |
25,619 |
+568 |
80/km² |
Communications
Notable people
Marietta Chrousala (1983) fashion model and television presenterFurther Information
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