Zagora, Greece

For the region of Zagoria, Greece, see Zagori
Zagora
Ζαγορά
Zagora

Coordinates: 39°27′N 23°6′E / 39.450°N 23.100°E / 39.450; 23.100Coordinates: 39°27′N 23°6′E / 39.450°N 23.100°E / 39.450; 23.100
Country Greece
Administrative region Thessaly
Regional unit Magnesia
Municipality Zagora-Mouresi
Elevation 458 m (1,503 ft)
Population (2001)[1]
  Municipal unit 3,829
Community
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 370 01
Area code(s) 24260
Vehicle registration ΒΟ

Zagora (Greek: Ζαγορά) is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zagora-Mouresi, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.[2] The biggest village of Mt. Pelion, it was at its commercial and cultural peak in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.

Location

Zagora is located north of Volos and west of Chorefto and is connected to the former by GR-34.

History

During the Byzantine Empire, Zagora, through its harbor, Chorefto, developed significant trading activity and was ruled as a merchant republic, with direct ties to Venice. Zagorian sailors, merchants, missionaries and explorers have travelled as far as China and South America.

Sights of interest

The library of Zagora, which includes thousands of rare books, is known for holding the original manuscript of "A few seconds" by Fanis Loverdos. Famous scholars, like Dr Dragogiannis, have studied the rare volumes of the library to great extent. The school of Rigas Feraios or Hellenic Museum as it is known, is the oldest school on Pelion. The Patriarch of Constantinople Kallinikos Lapatis and the herald of the Greek Revolution Rigas Feraios were students there.

Education and commercial activity

Zagora has a primary and a secondary school, five churches, six coffee houses,two bakeries, two banks, a post office, and seven squares.

Historical population

Year Town population Municipality population
1981 2,841 -
1991 2,410 3,922
2001 2,389 3,829

Notable people

References

  1. De Facto Population of Greece Population and Housing Census of March 18th, 2001 (PDF 39 MB). National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003.
  2. Kallikratis law Greece Ministry of Interior (Greek)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.