PROFILE OF THE PREFECTURE Natural and Demographic Characteristics The prefecture of Larisa is located in the region of Thessaly, in the Central Greece. Its territory includes the east part of the Thessalian Plain, which is the biggest plain and the agricultural heart of Greece. City of Larisa, the capital of the prefecture, is the fifth biggest city of Greece counting 150,000 inhabitants. Half of the mythical mountain of the twelve Gods, Olympus, is located within the prefecture’s boundaries. The prefecture has also a long coastline to the Aegean Sea, full of beautiful beaches. The area of the prefecture comes up to 5.390 km² from which 47.1% is lowland, 27.5% mountainous territory and 25.4% semi-mountainous territory. 45% of the land is covered by agricultural cultivations, 40% by pastures, 10% by forests and 5% by other land uses (including urban land). The total population of the prefecture is 279.305 inhabitants according to the census of 2001 (3.2% increase from 1991). Legal immigrants are about 5% of the total population. The vast majority are of Albanian nationality (something close to 90%). High numbers of illegal immigrants and immigrants-seasonal agricultural workers are estimated to be living in the area. Larisa itself used to be a massive immigrants exporter, mostly during the '60s. Social and Economic Characteristics 30.7% of the economically active population works in the primary sector, 21.1% in the secondary and 43.3% in the tertiary. As far as legal immigrants are concerned, almost half of them (47.9%) work in agriculture and 18.2% in the constructions. The last twenty-five years, primary and secondary sectors are declining, in favour of the tertiary. The primary sector is characterised by the domination of cultivations, the short period of fallow and the low contribution of forestry and fishing sectors. The basic problems are: the lack of sufficient quantities of water for irrigation, the small size of the lots, the fact that animal and vegetal production are not complementary to each other, the low educational level of the farmers and the organisational failures in the circuit production – procession – trade and the insufficient infrastructure. Processing of agricultural products constitutes an important part of the secondary sector’s activity. Other developed industries are: timber processing, textile, clothing, food, paper, machinery repairs. In the tertiary sector, commerce has an important role. The main exports are agricultural products and textiles. There are also very important tourist services, with Larisa being a mainly domestic destination. City of Larisa is an important administrative centre, being not only the seat of the prefecture, but also of the Region of Thessaly. A lot of military services are located in the prefecture’s territory. Cultural and Historical Characteristics Larisa’s territory has been inhabited since the tenth millennium before Christ and it is full of prehistoric sites. According to significant researchers, the “Neolithic Revolution” took place here. It also seems that it bloomed during the Bronze Age. Glorious Achilles, the basic hero of Homer’s Iliad, is claimed to have his kingdom somewhere in this area. Larisa’s territory was later on, just like the rest of Thessaly, a part of Byzantine Empire. It was invaded successively by the Bulgarians (10th century) and the Normans (11th). In the 13th century it was annexed in the Despotaton (seigniory) of Epirus, to be finally conquered by the Ottomans. Larisa and the whole Thessaly were liberated and attached to the newborn Greek state at 1881. Larisa has a long Christian tradition, with its Diocese existing since 324 A.C. As a result of this rich history, there are plenty of archaeological and historical sites. The most important of them are: The acropolis on St. Achilles’ hill. It was firstly inhabited on the 7th century B.C. and it was the acropolis of Larisa during the Classical Era. In the first years of the Eastern Roman Empire, a fortress was built here by the Byzantines, the ruins of which one can visit today. The grave of Hippocrates, father of the medical science. Two ancient theatres constructed in the 3rd century B.C. The Archaeological Museum of Larisa, hosted in the building of a 19th century’s mosque, containing prehistoric, archaeological and Byzantine findings. Tens of Byzantine monasteries dating from 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, as well as monasteries built under the Ottoman occupation dating from 17th and 18th centuries, which are dispersed all over the area. The Folkloric Historical Museum presenting the pre-industrial life in the area. The municipal gallery Some smaller archeological and ecclesiastical collections and historical archives located in the villages The museum of the battle of Saradaporos that was held against the Turks in 1912 during the Balkan Wars, located in the homonym village. The Cultural Organism of the Municipality of Larisa organises every year plenty of theatre performances, literature and poetry evenings, film projections, painting and photography expositions. The municipal puppet show ‘Tiritoba’ has undertaken successful performances all over Greece and even abroad. The yearly Mediterranean Festival of Young Film-makers has been established as a national and international event. There is also a yearly Chorus Festival organised by the local musical club. In the prefecture there are about 12 theatre groups and many cultural associations. Development Activities Contact: Tel. +30 2410 597.552 +30 2410 597.448 Contact us * ΑΡΧΗ