The largest cities in Greece: an overview, features and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Greece is a state with a rich history. Since ancient times, Hellas has been developing, giving people works of art, the best scientists and thinkers. Currently, this country attracts a large number of tourists. Read the article about the largest visited cities located in Greece.

Administrative divisions

Greece is a state with an interesting administrative division. As such, there are no official borders between settlements on its territory. The concept of "city" is rather vague in relation to this country. The status of the place where people live depends on the population.

There are many cities in Greece, but only a small part of them can be called large. This category includes such settlements as Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion, and Piraeus. Of course, these are not all major cities in Greece. The capital of the state - Athens - is one of the most famous cities.

Athens

The capital of Greece is simply stunning in its beauty. Athens is covered in mythsand legends familiar to everyone from school literature. The city is located on a plain called Attica, and its coast is constantly washed by the waters of the Saronic Gulf.

Within it there is a huge number of world-famous monuments. So, the ruins of ancient sanctuaries and temples have been preserved here. Tourists and residents have the opportunity to enjoy works of art by visiting museums, becoming participants in excursions and festivals.

The largest city of Attica in Greece attracts travelers not only with its sights. It is also considered one of the warmest in the country. A person who has visited Athens at least once will never be able to forget the sunny city, each stone of which breathes antiquity.

Thessaloniki

This city, like St. Petersburg in Russia, can be called the cultural capital of Greece. Its history is measured in three thousand years. Therefore, the influence of such empires as the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman is felt in it. It is believed that the first inhabitants were Neanderthals. This is evidenced by the results of numerous excavations.

Major cities in Greece attract tourists primarily with their sights. The central point of Thessaloniki, like its surroundings, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In Thessaloniki, you can recharge with positive energy and have a good time. For example, a lot of festivals and other events take place here. People can participate if they want to, of course.

Heraklion

Creteknown throughout the world. The capital is a city called Heraklion. Not only the airport is located here, but also the sea gates of the island. This settlement is considered the fifth largest among all cities in Greece.

People who come here can find things to do. The archaeological museum is very popular among tourists. It presents collections of exhibits of the Minoan culture, as well as frescoes discovered during excavations of ancient palaces. In general, the city of Heraklion is a place where you can get acquainted with ancient history in the best way, and if you're lucky, touch it.

Piraeus

The capital and major cities of Greece attract tourists. There are special cruise liners that are an excellent means of transportation by sea. So, Piraeus is a port city, which is located a few kilometers from Athens.

Here you can become a member of a sea voyage and get to other populated places that have the largest number of attractions. Yes, and within the city you can find entertainment: take part in an event, visit a museum or just take a walk.

Patras

The major cities of Greece are places where not only connoisseurs of beauty gather, but also the people who create it. Therefore, Patras became a haven for artists. Favorite scenes - houses scattered along the coast, emerald gardens, golden sand and crystal blue sea.

Patras is not only a city rich in history, but also a major port. Its foundation is datedVI century BC, so that on its territory there were a lot of attractions. Visiting the Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called, the bridge called Rio Antirio, seeing the Upper Patras, anyone will feel the atmosphere of this city.

Ancient Greece

The ancient civilization was called "Ancient Greece" thanks to the Romans. The name given to it by the Greeks themselves is Hellas. This state became the cradle of European civilization. Many scientists, philosophers, architects and sculptors were born and worked in those days. It was their labors that gave rise to the work of their followers. Hellas is surrounded by a large number of myths and legends. Until now, people are studying what gods the ancient Greeks worshiped, what they believed in.

Currently, Greece is one of the most popular tourism destinations. Many monuments of ancient culture have been preserved here, so people come here from all over the world to touch the history.

Cities of Ancient Greece

There are a large number of settlements that appeared a very, very long time ago. However, in Greece there are major cities that have survived from ancient times. These include Miletus, Corinth, Thebes, Olympia. These settlements played the role of ports, political and cultural centers of the state.

The major cities of Ancient Greece are now, for the most part, turned into ruins. However, some of them are still flourishing, such as Athens, which was described a little earlier.

Corinth

The largest city of ancient Greece, of course, Athens. However, there were other significant places that could compete with the capital of the state in their importance. For example, Corinth. This city-state was economically strong. The deliveries of black-figure ceramics to all the cities of Greece were carried out from here, and the export volumes were impressive for that era.

The Acropolis of this city became the place where the main temple dedicated to Aphrodite was located. It is interesting that prostitutes gathered here, which is why people constantly crowded near the temple. There was a belief that the long hair of the priestesses had miraculous properties.

Major cities of Greece are known for the fact that various competitions were constantly held in them. So, the Isthmian games in honor of Poseidon were held in Corinth. The participants competed not only in gymnastics and equestrian sports, but also demonstrated their poetic and musical gifts.