Dubbed as Greece’s ‚Gate to the West‘, Patras is a commercial hub, while its busy port is a nodal point for trade and communication with Italy and the rest of Western Europe.

Patras is Greece’s third-largest city and the regional capital of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, 215 km (134 mi) west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras.

As of the 2011 census, the city of Patras has a population of 167,446 and the municipal unit has 170,896 inhabitants; the municipality has 213,984 inhabitants. The population of its functional urban area was 217,555 in 2011. The core settlement has a history spanning four millennia. In the Roman period, it had become a cosmopolitan center of the eastern Mediterranean whilst, according to the Christian tradition, it was also the place of Saint Andrew’s martyrdom.

Main sights

Patras and its region is home to various Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Monuments, including the Roman Odeon, the Fortress of Rio and the Fortress (castle) of Patras. More specifically, the main sights of the city are:

• The Patras Archaeological Museum focuses on the exhibition of various archaeological finds, from the Mycenaean to the Late Roman era, discovered in Patras and the wider Achaea region. The museum is housed in a modern and special architectural building designed by the architect Theophanis Bobotis.
• The Mycenaean cemetery of Voudeni (Skioessa), 8 km (5.0 mi) from the center of Patras, is one of the most important sites of the Mycenaean world, showing active use for nearly five hundred years (1500–1000 BC). The site itself appears to have been inhabited from the Bronze Age until middle Roman times (1800 BC–AD 400).
• The Roman Odeon, the most significant ancient monument, is in the upper town and was built around 160 AD, in the reign of either Antoninus Pius or Marcus Aurelius. It has been restored and partially reconstructed, and is used as an open-air theatre for performances and concerts in the summer.
• The Roman Amphitheatre, near the Roman Odeon, in Ifestou street, dating from the 1st century AD, at a period of the biggest development of Roman Patras. Its area has been only partially excavated.
• The Roman aqueduct that led from the springs of Romanos to the acropolis. The aqueduct measured 6.5 km (4.04 mi) from the water cistern to the castle. For the greater part of this distance, the water passed through an underground channel, passing over valleys and gorges on carefully constructed archways, parts of which still stand, in the area of Aroi.
• Other Roman monuments include the ruins of the Roman stadium, remains of the Roman wall and a preserved bridge over the river Kallinaos.
• The medieval Patras Castle, in the ancient acropolis overlooking the city, was initially built in the 6th century AD by the Byzantine emperor Justinian, having many additions from the period of the Frankish and Venetian rule of the city, up to as far as the time of the Despotate of Morea and later the Ottoman Empire. Its current outline dates back to the second Venetian rule of the town (1687–1715). Today, its interior is used as a public garden.
• The church of Saint Andrew of Patras was founded in 1908 by King George I and was inaugurated in 1974. It is dedicated to Saint Andrew, the patron of the city. It is the second-largest temple of Byzantine style in the Balkans (after the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade). The central cupola is 46 m (151 ft) tall and is the base for a 5 m (16 ft) gold-plated cross and twelve smaller ones, symbolising Christ and the twelve apostles. A congregation of at least 5,000 can attend a sermon within the church.
• The municipal Theatre Apollon, built in 1872 designed by architect Ernst Ziller. The building is characteristic of the 19th-century neoclassical style and is in the central square of the city.
• The Achaia Clauss wine industry and tasting center, which is on the outskirts in Petroto village. It was founded in 1861 by the Bavarian Gustav Clauss and is most famous for its Mavrodaphne.This place also houses the oldest wine of Greece, the old mavrodaphne of 1873.
• Residence of Kostis Palamas, a preserved neoclassical building on 241 Corinthou Street in the city center, where Kostis Palamas and the Italian painter Matilde Serao were born. It is a stunning aesthetic building and the creation of the museum there fulfilled the great vision of businessman Athanasios Stefanopoulos, who bought the collapsing building on Corinthou Street to create the Cultural Center Kostis Palamas.
• The Ottoman baths (16th century), still retain their initial use, and are one of the oldest Ottoman baths surviving in Europe.
• The Patras Lighthouse, a reconstructed „Faros“ (Lighthouse), a landmark of the city.
• The Agiou Nikolaou Stairs, Gerokostopoulou Stairs, Patreos Stairs and Trion Navarchon Stairs, outdoor grand staircases all over the centre of the city dividing the upper town from downtown.

Parks and squares

• Georgiou I Square, the central square and the heart of the city. It was named after King George I. The square’s fountains were installed in 1875 at a cost of 70,000 drachmas each, a huge amount for the finances of Greece and Patra at the time. It was and continues to be the center of political and cultural life in the city, hosting all significant activities, political gatherings, rallies, cultural events and, most importantly for some, its carnival.
• Ethnikis Antistaseos (Olgas Square), is known by the name of Queen Olga, wife of King George I, and was planted with trees bearing the name the Queen’s garden. Today the square is officially known as Ethnikis Antistaseos, but its old name (Olgas Square) is the one in most regular use.
• Kapodistria Square in the district of Markato.
• Trion Symmachon Square bears the name of the three Allied Powers who fought in the Battle of Navarino; Britain, France and Russia. The square features a flower clock and links the Agiou Nikolaou pedestrian way with the seaside front and the dock of Agios Nikolaos.
• Psilalonia Square (Ψηλαλώνια or formally Πλατεία Υψηλών Αλωνίων) is one of Patras’s most popular squares. It is 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from downtown Patras, next to the city’s main north-south street, Gounari Street. It features a fountain, many sidewalks, palm trees and playgrounds. A bronze statue of Germanos of Patras stands on the northern end, while a memorial plaque to people executed during the Axis occupation of Greece stands on the south-western corner. It is surrounded by several shops, restaurants and cafes and a number of modernist buildings. It was completed in the mid-to-late 19th century, when trees were added, along with neoclassical buildings. After World War II and the Greek Civil War, however, and through the 1960s and 1970s, most neoclassical buildings were replaced by eight-storey residential buildings. In the west end, a 15-metre-tall (49 ft) cliff overlooks the pedestrian Trion Navarchon Street, and offers a wide vista across the western Gulf of Patras, including the mountains of Aitoloakarnania.
• Saint George Square (Πλατεία Αγίου Γεωργίου). There is the monument to the fighters of 1821 on which is engraved the „declaration of the revolutionaries of Patras to the states of Europe“ (22/3/1821).
• The Spinney of Patras (Δασύλλιο), is in a pine-tree-covered hill, which is dubbed „the Gulf of Patras‘ veranda“ because of the panoramic view it offers. The spinney is ideal for recreational walks and jogging, with its specially formed paths and the shade offered by the tall trees.

Culture

Apollon Theatre, designed by Ernst Ziller.Patras Carnival; the float of the „King of the Carnival“.Gerokostopoulou street during the Patras Carnival.Inside the municipal library.

The cultural activity of Patras includes the Patras International Festival (with various artistic activities, mainly in the fields of theatre and music), the Patras Carnival and the Poetry Symposium.

The city hosts many museums, including the Patras Archaeological Museum the History and Ethnology Museum, the Folk Art Museum, the Press Museum and the Technology Museum, the latter in the campus of Patras University.

Other cultural institutes are: the Visual Arts Workshop, the icon painting school, the Carnival Float Workshop, the Municipal Library, the Municipal Gallery, along with many private art galleries. The architectural heritage of the city is dominated by neo-classicism, but also includes structures from other periods. Patras is also a pilot city of the Council of Europe and EU Intercultural cities programme.

Cuisine

Local specialities include:

• Bourjeto (similar to the Corfiot Bourdeto)
• Tilichtária Patrina, pork meat dish
• Galatopita
• Tiganites (type of pancakes)
• Patrina loukoumia
• Rodozachari
• Mavrodafni wine
• Tentura drink

Theatrical tradition and music

The Patras Municipal and Regional Theatre was founded in June 1988, having as its main stage the city’s landmark, the Apollon Theatre. Throughout its existence it has mounted critically acclaimed performances ranging from ancient dramaturgy and modern Greek, to international repertoire. The theatre cooperates with other theatrical groups, such as the Viomichaniki (Industrial) group and the Michani Technis (Art Machine).

The Roman Odeon hosts ancient dramas in the summer, while the Pantheon theater, the Art Factory, the Lithographeion and the Agora theatres provide additional venues. The International Festival of Patras takes place every summer, with a program consisting mostly of plays—both ancient drama and modern theatre—as well as various musical events.

Patras has also a very strong indie rock scene with critically acclaimed bands such as Raining Pleasure, Abbie Gale, Serpentine, Doch an Doris and others.

In addition, there are several conservatoires and music schools, including one devoted exclusively to Byzantine music, several orchestras and choirs. There are also a number of dance schools, and there are plans to set up a dance theatre within the context of the Patras Municipal and Regional Theatre. The latter hosts a full-time professional theatre group, while there are several amateur groups performing in the city.

Carnival

The Patras Carnival (Patrino Karnavali) is the largest event of its kind in Greece and one of the biggest in Europe, with a heritage reaching back 160 years. The events begin in January and last until Clean Monday.

Economy

The economy of the city largely depends on its service sector. Its main economic activities include retailing, logistics, financial and public sector services.

The area still retains some of its traditional winemaking and foodstuff industries as well as a small agricultural sector. Major businesses in Patras include:

Services sector

Most Greek banks have their regional headquarters for Western Greece in Patras.

In 2010, the new Infocenter of Patras was established, inside the neoclassical building of the former market „Agora Argyri“, in Ayiou Andreou street. The building includes a conference hall, along with multi-purpose and exhibitional spaces. The regional unit of Achaea has about 4,800 hotels rooms and in 2006, 286,000 tourists, mainly from Greece, stayed in the area for a total of 634,000 days.

Manufacturing sector

Patras still has a large manufacturing base for a variety of industries.

Titan Cement Company operates a large cement factory, with a private port, in Psathopyrgos, a suburb of Patras.

Patras hosts several timber manufacturing companies, and a wood distribution center of Shelman. The largest local company is Abex. The paper sector is also active including a paper factory belonging to Georgia-Pacific (Delica) and two important Greek companies, Elite and El-pack, headquartered in the city.

Patras has several packing and industrial equipment companies. The most important of them are the local Antzoulatos and the multinational Frigoglass, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola, headquartered in the suburbs of Patras. Ideal Bikes is the leading bike producer in Greece, with large export activities.

The once omnipresent textile industry of the city is now almost defunct after the shut-down of the huge factory of Peiraiki-Patraiki (Πειραϊκή-Πατραϊκή), followed by numerous smaller textile industries. This had an important impact on the city’s economy and resulted in high levels of unemployment in the 1990s. The remains of the facilities still cover hundreds of acres in the south side of the city.

Patras companies also focus in dress production, the most important among them being DUR.

Food

Some of the largest industries in the city belong to the soft drinks and drinks sector. There are factories from Coca-Cola HBC and Athenian Brewery established in area, along with the facilities of the largest local company in soft-drinks production, Loux (ΛΟΥΞ). The city is also home to many leading Greek wineries and distilleries, among them the venerable Achaia Clauss and Parparoussi located in Rio. In the food sector, Friesland Foods, through the local subsidiary NoyNoy, operates a new yogurt factory in the city’s industrial area. Patras is also home to important fish-farming companies (Andromeda, Nireus).^[38][39] ECOFEED operates in the industrial zone of Patras, the largest fish-feeds factory in the Mediterranean. The city hosts the second-largest flour-mills in Greece, Kepenou-Mills.

Energy sector

Acciona has completed the largest wind park in Greece, on the Panachaiko mountain, overlooking the city of Patras. The Public Electric Company, operates a small hydroelectric plant on river Glafkos.

IT sector

Intracom (Greece’s largest multinational provider of telecommunications products) facilities in Patras house the offices of Telecommunications Software Development, Terminal Equipment Design, Development Programmes, and Support Services divisions. Expansion plans have recently been completed. INTRASOFT, another core company of INTRACOM holdings group, has recently (2018) began operations in Patras and it is expected to expand its activities in 2019. The Corallia Innovation Hub, Innohub hosts many companies focusing on Microelectronics. Among them one of the largest is the multinational software company Citrix Systems which operates a R&D centre with more than 100 computer scientists and engineers. Another company that maintains an R&D center in Patras is Dialog Semiconductor, a UK-based manufacturer of semiconductor-based system solutions. Another large Greek IT company, Unisystems announced recently (October 2018) the signing of a cooperation agreement with the Patras-based IT company Knowledge SA, that lays the foundation for the establishment of a Remote Development Center in Patras.