PATRAS

PATRAS The city where fun,history and culture create a wonderful destination for all ages and all tastes!

Patras is Greece's third-largest cityand the regional capital of Western Greece, 215 km west of Athens. It is an important urban center with apopulation of 180,000 inhabitants .

Agiou Nikolaou steps Walk along the most famous pedestrian street of the the city,Agiou Nikolaou street, which starts from the Upper Town and ends at the pier of Agios Nikolaos.The 192 steps of the street (from the last one you can even look down on the city from above) constitute the "border" of the modern center with the Old Town, which is built around the Castle.

The old (Upper) city Stroll around its cobbled streets to admire the reveal grand colourful neo-classic mansions, reminders of the city’s glorious past

The old castle It was built in the second half of the 6th century A.D,on a low hill ,800m. from the coast of Patraikos gulf. Its walls enclose 22 sq.m. It consists of a triangular external compound enhanced with towers and ramparts.Nowadays, cultural events are hosted every summer in the removable theater (640 seats) of the inner courtyard.

The Spinney The Spinney is a pine-tree-covered hill, with a breathtaking view of the city, the port and the Patras Gulf.Its specially formed paths and the shade offered by the tall trees make it an ideal place for leisurely walks, or jogging

Patras Roman Odeum has an elongated shape with two slings and the orchestra is surrounded by a parapet . It’s 200 meters long and 90 meters wide and its eastern side is built on a natural slope of the ground .The surrounding space is an archaeological area with mosaics, sarcophagi and other ancient findings .

The Holy Church of Agios Andreas,is the largest Orthodox church in Greece and one of the largest in the Balkans. The temple,dedicated to the first apostle of Christ -Agios Andreas, covers 2,600m2 .On the central dome there is a gilded cross 5 meters long, and on the remaining domes there are 12 smaller crosses,symbolizing Jesus and his Apostles. The interior of the church is decorated with Byzantine- style frescoes and mosaics . Relics of the Apostle Andrew found in the temple (the little finger, part of the upper part of the Apostle's skull, and small parts of the cross on which he was martyred) are all placed in a special reliquary.

The central square of Patras,Vasileos Georgiou I Square,an area of around 8.1 acres.,was created in 1829,developing the new city next to the old one with vertical and horizontal streets, sidewalks and new large squares. In 1875, the two characteristic fountains with lions that still exist today were installed, which were ordered in Italy. In 1878, it acquired lighting with straight lamp-posts made of cast iron in Paris and which operated with gas;in fact, today two of them have been converted and operatewith electricity. It is the center of carnival events and is the site of political rallies, concerts and other events.

The “Apollon “Theater is the mostimpressive architectural ornament of the city of Patras.It’s a miniature of the Scala of Milan,built in 1872according to the plans of the great German architect Ernesto Ziller . Its interior includes the square with 108 seats and 30 galleries on two floors. Its stage is 13.5 meters wide and 7.5 meters deep. The first performance at the Apollo Theater was on October 10, 1872. Today, the “ Apollon” Theater hosts regular performances from the Municipal Regional Theater of Patras.

Ypsilá Alonia Square It is one of thelargest squares in Greece,near the city center. The statue of Old Patras Germanos, one of the leading hierarchs of the Greek Revolution of 1821 ,stands in a prominent position on the west side of the square.

The sundial The sundial with its marble base and its metal construction that functions as a protractor, was placed in the Ypsila Alonia square in1953. You can measure time with it; if you look at the side in front of you, you will see the deviation of the time by hour and month of the year.

The Flower clock The flower clock has been inextricably linked to the square formore than half a century. It shows the normal time to passers- by in the square being beautified with blooming begonias that make up,together with the boxwoods, one of the most interesting flower beds in the city.

Kostis Palamas’ house Several spots around Patras honour the famous Greek poet Kostis Palamas. His house is the most interesting one. It is the house where Palamas was born. The most famous statue of him stands at Ypsilá Alónia Square.

The Archaeological Museum of Patras focuses on the exhibition of various archaeological finds,from the Mycenaean to the Late Roman era.It occupies an area of 28,000m², with the interior spaces reaching 8,000m². The surrounding area of the museum includes a 500m² swimming pool , a metal dome and lots of greenery.The museum has four thematic sections, a TAP exhibition and shop, an educational program room, a multimedia and virtual tour room,public service area and a small theater with a capacity of 140 seats.

Hammam Baths The Hammam Baths of Patras has been built in 1400 AD,and it has been operating continuously since 1934 until today. There are clay pipes that pass through the walls of the two small warm rooms and spread their heat on the walls,the marble terraces and the floor. Today,the material used to heat the hammam is olive oil.

Museum of Folk Art The Museum of Folk Art was founded in 1977 by the Cultural Center of Patras in order to host objects and activities from the modern Greek folk culture,such as means of transport, bread and wine making, weaving, etc.

North Port (Old Port) of Patras The North Port of the city was organized in its eastern coastal area and extends in an area of a total length of 1, 656 meters. From the Old Port of Patras you can travel to the islands of Ithaca and Kefalonia

South Port ( New Port )of Patras The New Port of Patras is one of the most important commercial center of the Eastern Mediterranean ,having coastal shipping lines with Ancona, Barry ,Brindisi ,Trieste and Venice . It extends in an area with a total length of 1, 293 meters.

The Lighthouse It is the city’s landmark,in order to enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the two ports. The first wooden lighthouse(built in 1858 in the Old Port,but destroyed during a storm in 1865),was replaced with a new stone one in 1878,with a diameter of 4-5 sq.m. and 17m. high and rebuilt in 1999,in the South Park.

South Park The citizens choose it every day for jogging, outdoor sports, cycling on the bike path by the sea or on the mountain bike track. At the same time, it is also an ideal place for large outdoor events.

Marina (Ship yard) of Patras Marina of Patras is an ideal place for a walk, since the view one faces is unique. It can accommodate approximately 450 boats. In this area, however, there is also the Theatraki (Little theater), which in the summer months is also used for concerts.

Elos (Marsh) of Agyia It is a protected coastal wetland,as it is used as a station by migratory birds. There is rich fauna and flora, water turtles and many species of amphibians and a rare species of reptile,the Newt,which breeds in waterholes. Today on the cape and next to the marsh there are sports facilities, as well as a beach.

The Mycenaean cemetery of Voudenis The Mycenaean cemetery of Voudenis at an altitude of 220m. 7 kilometers north-east of Patras. It includes 78 carved chamberedtombs and the ruins of a prehistoric settlement , ancient Messatida. Many of the findings, such as vases, clay figurines, bronze urns, tools, weapons and jewelry, have been transported and are on display in the Archaeological Museum of Patras

The Holy Monastery of Gerokomeio (Nursing Home) is one of the oldest monasteries in Greece. It was founded around the 10th century.Its name is due to the fact that, on the site where the Monastery was founded,there used to be a nursing home thatalso had a Temple.In the Church is kept the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary Gerokomitissa,on an imposing marble throne, and the remarkable artistic icon of the Virgin Mary, which bears the inscription "Mother of God, the True" (the only surviving icon with the name this one), which is a work of the 14th century.

The University of Patras -founded in 1964- is the 4th largest public academic institution of Greece, . It consists of 7 Faculties/ 31 academic Departments, with more than 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and more than 700 teaching staff. The University of Patras is recognized internationally for the quality of its research and teaching.

Glaukos Hydroelectric Power Station It is a power plant near the city of Patras and the first Hydroelectric Plant in Greece. It has been operating since 1927. The history of the hydroelectric plant is kept in the renovated two-story building where the manager and staff used to live and today it functions as a museum.

Rio–Antirrio Bridge ,is one of the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges and longest of the fully suspended type.The 2,380-metre-long bridge connects Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula to Antirrio on mainland Greece by road.It opened on 12 August 2004 (one day before the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics) and was used to transport the Olympic flame.Its width is 28 m —it has two vehicle lanes perdirection, an emergency lane and a pedestrian walkway. Its five-span four pylon cable-stayed portion of length 2,252 m is the world's third longest cable-stayed deck.

Panachaikos Wind Park It consists of two separate wind farms named "Panachaikos I" and "Panachaikos II" and extend for about 20 km from north to south. It’s considered the largest wind farm in Greece, of a total of 57 wind turbines with a total power of 48.5 MW

The Achaia Clauss winery, is located on a green hill 8 km south-east to the centre of the city. It was founded in1861, by the Bavarian Gustavus Clauss Winery. You can admire the stone buildings,the huge oak barrels,with the century-old mavrodafni of 1896 (the harvest of the First Modern Olympic Games), the traditional wine cellar and the unique scenery with the magnificent view.

The Old Slaughterhouses The site of the Old Slaughterhouses is evolving into a versatile cultural space with Carnival and Karagiozis as reference centers. It hosts an exhibition space for carnival constructions, annual educational workshops for students of our city with the subject of Carnival and Karagiozis, cultural activities,concerts and conferences.

Patras Carnival is both the largest and theoldest carnival event in Greece and one of thelargest in the world, regarding the participationof the carnivalesques and its history.It has 193years of history.It is not a singleevent, but a setof events, including dances, spectacular grandparades of floats and crews, hidden treasure hunts,children's carnival,the ritual burning of the carnival king’s float on the pier of Agios Nikolaos Street .

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