Larisa (regional unit)

Larisa Regional Unit Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Λάρισας (Λάρισα)
Basic data
State :	Greece
Region :	Thessaly
Area :	5,381 km²
Residents :	284,325 (2011)
Population density :	52.8 inhabitants / km²
NUTS 3 code no. :	EL612
Structure:	7 municipalities

The regional district Larisa ( Greek Periferiaki Enotita Larisas ) is the largest of the five regional districts of the Greek region of Thessaly . Its main town Larisa is also the capital of the region. Larisa was established as a prefecture after the annexation of Thessaly to Greece in 1882 and existed until the administrative reform in 2010 , when the area lost its competences to the region of Thessaly and the now seven municipalities. The regional district of Larisa sends 19 members to the regional council of Thessaly, but has no political significance as a regional authority. Larisa includes the municipalities of Agia , Elassona , Farsala , Kileler , Larisa, Tembi and Tyrnavos .

Location and geography

Larisa is located in the northeast of the Thessaly region and takes up almost a third of its total area. To the north and northeast, Larisa borders on Central Macedonia , to the north and northwest on West Macedonia , in the south on Central Greece and in the west on the regional districts of Karditsa and Trikala .

In the northeast, bordering the Aegean coast, there is the highest mountain in Greece, Mount Olympus , with a height of 2917 m. The summit of Mytikas with the specified height is, however, in the area of ​​the Central Macedonia region . Southeast of Mount Olympus, the largest river in Thessaly, the Pinios , crosses from southwest to northeast the narrow Tempe valley , which separates the Olympus massif from that of the Ossa (altitude 1987 m). The Ossa massif forms the boundary of the regional district further south to the east to the Aegean coast. The Ossa massif merges in a south-easterly direction into the Pelion Mountains, which continue from the mainland to the Pelion Peninsula. The latter belongs to the Magnisia regional district.

The northern border of Larisa form four mountain ranges from east to west: Olympus in the northeast and its south-southeast continuation, the Kato Olymbos. To the west of it rises the Titaros massif with a maximum height of 1839 m, which merges into the Pieria mountains in a northeastern direction. Both Titaros and Pieria Mountains form the southern limit of the valley of the Aliakmonas River . The Titaros massif is also the northernmost point of the area. National road 13 from Elassona to Katerini runs over a pass between Titaros and Kato Olymbos and Mount Olympus . Elassona is located west of the Kato Olymbos, southwest of the Olymp and south of the Titaros in a plateau through which the Elassonitis River flows. The Kamvounia rises southwest of the Titaros massif . Between Kamvounia and Titaros via a ball and through the valley of the Sarandaporos the national road 3 of Kozani to Larisa. The Kamvounia forms the north-western corner of the regional district. The village of Krania Elassonas is located on the southern foothills of the Kamvounias. South of the Kamvounia, the national road 26 leads from Elassona via Krania Elassonas and Deskati to Kalambaka .

The northern western limit of Larisa is formed by the Verdikoussa mountain range with a maximum height of 1424 m. The slowly sloping foothills of the Verdikoussa form the western boundary of the Larisa plain. At the intersection between the Verdikoussa foothills and the foothills of the Kato Olymbos at the exit of the Titarisios river from the Verdikoussa massif, the city of Tyrnavos lies in the northwest of Larisa. It is the second largest city in the area. The southern slopes of the Verdikoussa end on the north bank of the Pinios, which flows from the west of Trikala to the east towards Larisa. In the valley of Koutsero, the Pinios enters the area and turns from its originally eastward course to the north and flows around a mountain range in an eastward arc, before entering the Larisa plain. After flowing through the city of Larisa, among other things with the formation of a river island, the Pinios swings north to the southern flank of the Kato Olymbos. After the influx of the Titarisios River at the foot of the Kato Olymbos, the course of the river turns to the northeast and enters the Tempe Valley between Ossa in the south and Kato Olymbos and Olympus in the north. This is also where the north of the Larisa plain ends.

Map of the Larisa regional district based on a NASA satellite image

The southern part of the western border of the regional district is formed by ridges of hills that delimit the Plain of Larissa from the Plain of Karditsa and Palamas. In the south-west of this hill country is the city of Farsala , the urban center in the south of the area. The railway lines Thessaloniki - Athens and Volos - Trikala cross at Stavros to the west of Farsala . The south-western border of Larisa is the mountain Narthakio . The southern border of Larisa is formed in its western part by the northern foothills of the Othris Mountains, the Ori Gouras with a maximum height of 1291 m. The southeastern border runs at a distance from the Bay of Almyros on the Pagasian Gulf to the southeastern end of the Larisa plain. There - north-west of Volos - there is a drained lake between the villages of Stefanovikio and Kanalia, which marks the end of the south-eastern foothills of the Larisa plain and is already largely in the area of ​​Magnisia.

The plane of Larisa, which with the city of Larisa in its center also represents the geographical center of the area, has the shape of an upside-down Ypsilon, with the upside-down end slightly shortened.

history

The prefecture of Larisa was created by the incorporation of Thessaly, which was previously under occupation of the Ottoman Empire , into the then Kingdom of Greece in 1881 . In its original form, it encompassed the entire east of Thessaly and thus also today's regional district Magnisia, which was split off in 1947 and became a separate prefecture with the administrative seat of Volos.

traffic

The main mode of transport in both public and commercial and private transport is road transport. The regional district has a network of well-developed roads:

• The motorway 1 ( European route 75 ; Thessaloniki– Katerini –Larisa– Lamia –Athen) leads from the north from Thessaloniki and Katerini via the Tempe valley past Olympus to Lamia, Volos and Athens. Motorway 1 reaches the Larisa regional district after the village of Platamonas at the sea-side entrance of the Tempe Valley. Following the previous course, it swings along the Aegean coast to the southwest and leads through the Tempe Valley as a two-lane country road to its southwestern end at Evangelismos. From Evangelismos, the motorway has been developed in the entire area of ​​the regional district with two directional lanes, each with at least two lanes and one hard shoulder. Motorway 1 swings south after Evangelismos and passes it east of the city of Larisa. At Nikea, Autobahn 1 changes its course in a south-easterly direction and at Mega Monastiri leaves the regional district in the direction of Velestino and Volos. It is by far the most important road link.
• The national road 1 (Thessaloniki – Katerini – Larisa – Lamia – Athens) has been almost completely replaced by the motorway 1 in Larisa, with the exception of the sections that, in contrast to the motorway, lead through towns and cities (here especially Larisa).
• The national road 3 ( European route 65 ; Florina –Kozani – Larisa – Farsala – Lamia) comes from the north-west after crossing the Polyfytos lake (Aliakmonas reservoir) and passing through the village of Servia in the Kozani regional district in the Larisas area. Coming from Servia, it passes the top of the pass between the Titaros Mountains to the east and the Kamvounia massif to the west along the Sarandaporos River and enters the regional district north of the village of Sarandaporo. After descending from the Titaros massif, it reaches the plateau of Elassona including the city of the same name and continues in a south-south-east direction via Tsaritsani to Larisa. Larisa is left in a southerly direction, whereby the national road 3 changes its direction from Zapio to the south-southwest and reaches Farsala. From Farsala, the national road swings in a west-south-west direction past the northern flank of Mount Narthakio to Neo Monastiri in Fthiotida and then runs south towards Lamia over the western foothills of the Othris.
• The national road 6 ( European route 92 ; Igoumenitsa - Ioannina - Kalambaka - Trikala - Larisa - Volos) reaches the Larisa regional district from Trikala in a westerly direction at Koutsero and the Koutsero bottleneck of the Pinios River in the west, which it is on the Trikala - Larisa route accompanied. From Koutsero the national road 6 continues in an easterly direction to Larisa, crosses the city and leaves it in a southeasterly direction via Platykambos to Stefanovikio and then Volos. It runs parallel to the Larisa – Volos railway line.
• The national road 13 (Katerini – Elassona) leads from Katerini in Pieria to the southwest in the direction of Elassona in the north of the regional district by means of an arched course between the mountain massifs of Olympus in the east and Titaros and Ori Pieria in the west. In combination with the national road 3 it represents an alternative route to Katerini and Thessaloniki, but due to the mountainous route and the state of development as a country road, it is not an equivalent road connection to the motorway 1.
• The national road 26 (Elassona – Deskati – Kalambaka) comes from the west (Kalambaka) between Deskati and Krania Elassonas south of the Kamvounia massif. It ends near Elassona.
• The national road 30 ( Arta- Trikala- Karditsa- Farsala-Volos) runs in the south from west (Sofades, Karditsa) to east (Nea Anichialos, Volos). She happens to be in Farsala.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)