Veria

Journey to the centuries-old culture of Macedonia, Rome and Byzantium

Veria is the capital of Imathia, a regional unit in the Central Macedonia. It’s situated in the centre of northern Greece and surrounded with grand mountain ranges of Pierian, Olympus and Vermion. One of the longest Greek rivers carries its waters here from the mountain peaks to the Aegean Sea. Eges (now Vergina), the sacred city of the Macedonians and one of the main Greek archaeological reserves, is only a few kilometres from Veria. Naussa, one more major city of Imathia, is famous for its winemaking traditions and ski resorts. Thanks to pleasant climate the basis of its economy is agriculture. Kiwis, peaches and pears from Imathia are possible to find on the store shelves throughout Greece and far beyond its borders. If you have ever bought canned peaches, it’s very likely that they had been grown up in this region. It’s very easy to visit Veria especially if you are from any of the EU countries and if you prefer travelling by bus or by car – “Egnatia Odos” (E90), one of the central European highways passes through this area. 

History

Unfortunately the exact date of Veria foundation is unknown, but scientists are sure that it happened not later than the VIII century BC. Moreover they still haven’t reached common ground about the origin of the city’s name. Veria together with Pella became the capital of a so called “the Third Macedonia” after the collapse of the Macedonian Empire. That period was the time of its glory. Famous sport games “Alexandreia” (in honor of Alexander III of Macedon) took place in Veria during that time. Moreover the city gained the right to strike its own coins. 

During the Roman Empire, in 1 century AD, a large Judaic community existed on the territory of Veria. It is known that the Apostle Paul preached in the city synagogue at that period of time and lots of years later he expounded about its citizens greatly. 

During the Byzantine Empire, Veria continued to prosper, but numerous nomad raids (the Pincenates, the Bulgarians, the Normans and others) were the beginning of its blight. 1434-1912 is the period when Veria was under the power of the Ottoman Turks and known as Ottoman era. 

Veria of modern times

At the present day, Veria is one of the biggest Greek cities. It attracts a legion of tourists and pilgrims from every corner of the world. They aspire to see not only the Apostle Paul “tribune” but plenty of Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches as well. A magnificent Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine Museum, the Folklore Museum of Veroia and other sites also attract much attention of foreign tourists. 

Today Veria is a picturesque city with highly-developed economic, social and cultural life. The city is well-known for its long-living sport traditions, especially winter sport traditions. A world-famous ski resort Celi is located 24km of Veria. It was the first ski resort, where the first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1934.