View source for Volos

{{Short description|City in Thessaly, Greece}}
{{other uses}}
{{redirect|Bolos|the suburb of ancient Byzantium|Bolos (Thrace)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}} 
{{more citations needed|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox Greek Dimos
| name = Volos
| name_local = Βόλος
|type = municipality
| image_map = 2011 Dimos Volou.png
| image_skyline = VOLOS-GREECE - panoramio (1).jpg
| caption_skyline = View to Volos' promenade and port
| city_flag =
| city_seal = Volos Siegel.png
| periph = [[Thessaly]]
| periphunit = [[Magnesia (regional unit)|Magnesia]]
| pop_municipality = 139,670
| area_municipality = 385.6
| pop_municunit = 123,587
| area_municunit = 108.6
| population_as_of = 2021
| elevation = 15
| coordinates = {{coord|39|22|N|22|56|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code = 38x xx
| area_code = 2421x
| licence = ΒΟx (ended), ΒΒx (current use)
| mayor = Achilleas Beos<ref name=mayor>[https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9105/ Municipality of Volos, Municipal elections – October 2023], Ministry of Interior</ref>
| since =2014
| districts = 18
| website = [http://www.volos-city.gr www.volos-city.gr]
}}

'''Volos''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|v|ɒ|l|ɒ|s}}; {{langx|el|Βόλος}} {{IPA|el|ˈvolos|}}) is a coastal [[port]] [[city]] in [[Thessaly]] situated midway on the Greek mainland, about {{convert|330|km|0|abbr=off}} north of [[Athens]] and {{convert|220|km|0|abbr=off}} south of [[Thessaloniki]]. It is the capital of the [[Magnesia (regional unit)|Magnesia]] regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos is also the only outlet to the sea from Thessaly, the country's largest agricultural region. With a population of 85,803 (2021),<ref name=census21/> the city is an important industrial centre, and its port provides a bridge between Europe and Asia.

Volos is the newest of the Greek port cities, with a large proportion of modern buildings erected following catastrophic earthquakes in 1955. It includes the [[municipality|municipal units]] of Volos, [[Nea Ionia (Magnesia), Greece|Nea Ionia]] and [[Iolkos]], as well as smaller [[suburban]] communities. The economy of the city is based on manufacturing, trade, services and tourism. Home to the [[University of Thessaly]], the city also offers facilities for conferences, exhibitions and major sporting, cultural and scientific events. Volos participated in the [[2004 Olympic Games]], and the city has since played host to other athletic events, such as the [[European Athletic Championships]]. Volos hosted the 7th [[International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics]] from 27 July to 5 August 2013.<ref>http://www.ioaa2013.gr/ 7th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics official website</ref>

== Location ==
Built at the innermost point of the [[Pagasetic Gulf]] and at the foot of Mount Pilio ([[Pelion]], the land of the [[Centaurs]]). The city spreads in the plain on the foothills of Mount Pelion, bordering the town of [[Agria]] to the east and [[Nea Anchialos]] to the southwest. Volos' municipality includes both towns, along with many nearby villages, including [[Makrinitsa]] and [[Portaria]].

Volos is a major commercial port of mainland Greece in the Aegean sea (after Piraeus and Thessaloniki), with connection by ferry and hydrofoil to the nearby [[Sporades]] Islands, which include [[Skiathos]], [[Skopelos]] and [[Alonissos]]. There are also connections to [[Lemnos]], [[Lesbos]], [[Chios]] and [[Skyros]].

==History==

===Antiquity===
{{Further|Ancient Greece|Hellenistic Greece}}
[[File:Volanakis Constantine epistrofi argonauton.jpeg|thumb|240px|''The return of the Argonauts'' by [[Konstantinos Volanakis|Constantine Volanakis]] (1837–1907).]]

Modern Volos is built on the area of the ancient cities of [[Demetrias]], [[Pagasae]] and [[Iolcos]]. Demetrias was established in 293 BC by [[Demetrius Poliorcetes]], King of [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedon]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Helly |first=Bruno |editor-last=Hornblower |editor-first=Simon |encyclopedia= The Oxford Classical Dictionary |title= Demetrias | url= https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001/acref-9780199545568-e-2087 |access-date=11 June 2020 |edition=4th |year=2012 |publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 9780191735257 |doi=10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Iolcus]], or Iolkos, was known in mythology as the homeland of the hero [[Jason]], who boarded the ship [[Argo]] accompanied by the [[Argonauts]] and sailed in quest of the [[Golden Fleece]] to [[Colchis]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Hunter |first=R. |editor-last=Hornblower |editor-first=Simon |encyclopedia= The Oxford Classical Dictionary |title= Jason | url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001/acref-9780199545568-e-3483 |access-date=11 June 2020 |edition=4th |year=2012 |publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 9780191735257 |doi=10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001|url-access=subscription }}</ref> To the west of Volos lie the [[Neolithic]] settlements of [[Dimini]], with a ruined [[acropolis]], walls, and two beehive tombs dating to between 4000 and 1200 BC, and [[Sesklo]], with the remains of the oldest acropolis in Greece (6000 BC). The mound of Kastro/Palaia in western Volos is the site of a [[Bronze Age]] settlement, including a [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] palace complex where a couple of preserved [[Linear B]] tablets have been found.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Dickinson |first=Oliver T. P. K. |editor-last=Hornblower |editor-first=Simon |encyclopedia= The Oxford Classical Dictionary |title= Iolcus (mod. Volos) |chapter=Iolcus | url= https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001/acref-9780199545568-e-3313 |access-date=11 June 2020 |edition=4th |year=2012 |publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 9780191735257 |doi=10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Asderaki-Tzoumerkioti |first1=E. |last2= Rehren |first2=Th. |last3= Skafida |first3=E. |last4= Vaxevanopoulos |first4=M. |last5= Connolly |first5=P. J. |display-authors=3 |date=2017 |title= Kastro Palaia settlement, Volos, Greece: a diachronical technological approach to bronze metalwork |journal= STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages= 179–193 |doi=10.1080/20548923.2018.1427182 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2017STAR....3..179A }}</ref>

===Byzantine era===
{{Further|Byzantine Greece}}
Iolcus is still attested in the early Byzantine period but was eclipsed for most of the [[Middle Ages]] by Demetrias.<ref name="TIB165">{{Tabula Imperii Byzantini | volume = 1 | page = 165}}</ref> The [[Slavs|Slavic]] tribe of the [[Belegezites]] settled in the area during the 7th century.<ref name="TIB56">{{Tabula Imperii Byzantini | volume = 1 | page = 56}}</ref>

Volos first appears again in 1333, as one of the cities captured by the Byzantine general [[John Monomachos]] in Thessaly, under the name "Golos" (Γόλος).<ref name="TIB165"/> The name is of Slavic origin, from ''golo'', ''golъ'', "barren".<ref name="Hatzidakis">{{cite journal | last = Hatzidakis | first = G. N. | title = Γόλος–Βόλος | journal = Ἐπετηρίς Ἐταιρείας Βυζαντινῶν Σπουδῶν | volume = 7 | year = 1930 | pages = 231–233 | language = el | hdl = 11615/19950 }}</ref><ref name="Vasmer">{{cite book | last = Vasmer | first = Max | author-link = Max Vasmer | title = Die Slawen in Griechenland | publisher = Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaften | location = Berlin | year = 1941 | pages=108–109 | url = http://macedonia.kroraina.com/en/mv/mv_3_5.htm#d3 }}</ref>  Another theory derives the name from Slavic ''golosh'', "seat of administration".<ref name="EI2">{{EI2 | last = Savvides | first = A. | title = Ḳuluz | volume = 12 | page = 544 | url = https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_8787}}</ref> Two alternative theories allude to a Greek origin through the words βολή (throw), as fishermen threw their nets into the sea from that area, and βώλος (piece of land) but the Greek scholar G. Hatzidakis considers them to be [[paretymology|paretymologies]] at best.<ref name="Hatzidakis"/> The modern form of the name is first attested in 1540.<ref name="Vasmer"/>

The walls of medieval Golos follow the traces of the fortifications of ancient Iolcus, and many remnants of the ancient city have been found in the medieval citadel.<ref name="TIB166">{{Tabula Imperii Byzantini | volume = 1 | page = 166}}</ref>

Along with the rest of Thessaly, Volos fell under [[Serbian Empire|Serbian]] rule in 1348, governed by [[Gregory Preljub]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Soulis | first=George C. | year=1984 | title=The Serbs and Byzantium during the reign of Emperor Stephen Dušan (1331–1355) and his successors | publisher=[[Dumbarton Oaks]] | isbn=0-88402-137-8 | pages=108–110}}</ref> After Preljub's death Thessaly passed under the brief rule of [[Nikephoros II Orsini]], followed by the Serbian rulers [[Simeon Uroš]] and [[John Uroš]]. After the latter's death in 1373, Thessaly returned under Byzantine rule for twenty years, until its conquest by the [[Ottoman Empire]] under Sultan [[Bayezid I]].<ref>{{Tabula Imperii Byzantini | volume = 1 | pages = 75–76}}</ref>

===Ottoman era===
{{Further|Ottoman Greece}}
[[File:VolanakisVolosHarbour.jpg|thumb|240px|''The port of Volos'' by [[Konstantinos Volanakis|Constantine Volanakis]] (c.1875).]]
Ottoman rule was not yet firm. The first period of Ottoman control lasted from 1393 to 1397, followed by another {{circa|1403}}, but it was not until 1423 that Volos was definitively incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.<ref name="EI2"/> The Ottoman name of the city was {{langx|ota|قلز|Quluz}}.<ref name="EI2"/> The Ottomans strengthened the town's fortifications against a possible [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] attack, and installed not only a garrison, but also Muslim settlers from [[Anatolia]].<ref name="EI2"/> The local Christian population in turn moved to the slopes of Pelion.<ref name="EI2"/> From this time on, Volos became the chief settlement on the Pagasetic Gulf.<ref name="TIB166"/>

The city began to spread outside its walls in the late 16th/early 17th centuries, coinciding with a growth in commerce, helped by the city's famed twice-weekly local fair and the first works at the waterfront harbour.<ref name="EI2"/> The fortress was captured by the Venetians under [[Francesco Morosini]] in 1665, during the [[Cretan War (1645–1669)|Cretan War]], but recovered and refortified by the Ottomans.<ref name="EI2"/>

In May 1821, at the beginning of the [[Greek Revolution]], the Greek rebels of Mount Pelion tried to capture the fortress but failed.<ref name="EI2"/> On 8 April 1827, the Greek fleet, under the command of the British [[philhellene]] [[Frank Abney Hastings]], captured five Ottoman ships in the city's harbour and forced the local garrison to evacuate the fortress.<ref name="EI2"/> The provisional government of Greece claimed Volos as part of Greek national territory, but the [[Treaty of Constantinople (1832)]], which established a Greek independent state, set its northern boundary along a line running south from [[Arta, Greece|Arta]] to Volos.<ref>{{cite book| first=John | last= Comstock| title= History of the Greek Revolution| url=https://archive.org/details/historyofgreekre00coms | location= New York |year= 1829|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofgreekre00coms/page/n14 5]|publisher=W. W. Reed & co.}}</ref> Volos was [[Convention of Constantinople (1881)|incorporated into]] the Greek Kingdom in November 1881 with the rest of Thessaly.<ref name="EI2"/>

===Modern Volos===
[[File:Fotografi av Volos - Hallwylska museet - 103096.tif|thumb|center|1000px|Photo of 1896]]

After its incorporation into the [[Greek Kingdom]], the town had a population of only 4,900, but grew rapidly in the next four decades as merchants, businessmen, craftsmen and sailors gravitated toward it from the surrounding area. In the 1920s a large influx of refugees to the settlement took place, especially from [[Ionia]], but also from [[Pontus (region)|Pontus]], [[Cappadocia]] and Eastern [[Thrace]]. In 1882, [[Andreas Syngros]] established the [[Privileged Bank of Epirothessaly]], which the [[National Bank of Greece]] acquired in 1899 after its founder's death. Volos was occupied by Ottomans on 8 May 1897, during the [[Greco-Turkish War (1897)|Greco Turkish War]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Cathy Gere|title=Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ib1J04aDFB8C&pg=PA99|year=2010|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-28955-7|page=99}}</ref>

The city had a vibrant Jewish community in the early 20th century: from ≈500 in 1896, it rose to ≈2,000 in 1930, before falling drastically to 882 members in 1940, because of emigration to the great cities of Thessaloniki and [[Athens]] or abroad. During the [[Axis occupation of Greece]], the prompt actions of the local rabbi, [[Moshe Pesach]], and the Greek authorities saved about 700 of the local Jewish community from deportation to the Nazi death camps.<ref name="Enc">{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, Volume 3: Seredina-Buda–Z | editor1=Shmuel Spector|editor2=Geoffrey Wigoder | publisher=New York University Press | location = New York| year = 2001 | isbn = 9780814793787 | title = Volos | pages = 1411–1412 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tumlOiOZvSUC&pg=PA1411}}</ref>

After an aerial attack by Italian troops in November 1940 and another by the Germans in 1941, many of the city's inhabitants took refuge in the villages of [[Pelion]]. Abandoning Volos after Italy's capitulation in September 1943, the Italians left storerooms full of food, arms and ammunition. Large quantities of this material was transported with the [[Pelion railway]] to the mountain village [[Milies]] and under the supervision of [[Greek People's Liberation Army|ELAS]] loaded onto [[mule]]s and taken to secure hideaways. When the Germans set off a column to Milies an officer and a soldier were killed by resistance fighters. In reprisal nearly the whole village was burnt down by German occupation troops on 4 October 1943. According to the official report of the municipality the Germans executed 25 men, and three inhabitants died in their houses from the flames.<ref>Helen F. Stamati: Milies: A Village on Mount Pelion, Athens 1989, p. 54–59.</ref>

Volos is also well known for its assortment of mezedes and a clear alcoholic beverage known as ''[[tsipouro]]''.

A street in a sister city, [[Rostov-on-Don]], bears the name ''Улица Греческого Города Волос'' (Street of the Greek City of Volos), weaving through a mix of early 20th-century buildings with characteristic inner yards, tiered balconies and open iron stairs that lend the old Rostov its characteristic Mediterranean look.

In September 2023 the city of Volos was flooded by massive rain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-66721381 |title=Greece: Skiathos and Volos hit by flash floods |website=bbc.com  |date= |access-date=2023-09-06 |quote=The coastal port city of Volos has seen the same mount of water falling in 24 hours that it usually gets for the whole of autumn - according to local experts.}}</ref>

==Administration==
The municipality Volos was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following nine former municipalities, that became municipal units:<ref name=Kallikratis>{{Cite web|url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wGYK2xFpSwMnXdtvSoClrL8-SrPzKAEPjjtIl9LGdkF53UIxsx942CdyqxSQYNuqAGCF0IfB9HI6hq6ZkZV96FIukI0UzcPsWCK0LpLhpa7rhiWB4R5ntTnoWw7U8E1Amg.|title=ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text|language=el|publisher=[[Government Gazette (Greece)|Government Gazette]]}}</ref>
* [[Agria]]
* [[Aisonia]]
* [[Artemida, Magnesia|Artemida]]
* [[Iolcos]]
* [[Makrinitsa]]
* [[Nea Anchialos]]
* [[Nea Ionia, Magnesia|Nea Ionia]]
* [[Portaria]]
* Volos

The municipality has an area of 385.614&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, the municipal unit 108.6&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name=stat01>{{cite web|url=http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf|publisher=National Statistical Service of Greece|title=Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)|language=el}}</ref>

===Province===
The province of Volos ({{langx|el|Επαρχία Βόλου}}) was one of the [[provinces of Greece|provinces]] of the Magnesia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities Volos, [[Rigas Feraios (municipality)|Rigas Feraios]], [[South Pelion]] and [[Zagora-Mouresi]].<ref name=census91>{{cite web|url= http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00086.pdf |title=Detailed census results 1991 }}&nbsp;{{small|(39&nbsp;MB)}} {{in lang|el|fr}}</ref> It was abolished in 2006.

==Geography==
[[File:Volos view from Pelion.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Volos panorama from [[Pelion]] mountain.]]
[[File:Άνω Βόλος 3750.jpg|thumb|200px|Upper part of the town (Ano Volos)]]
[[File:Graph Volos temp metric.gif|thumb|200px|Climate graph of Volos.]]

Volos is the administrative centre of the [[Magnesia (regional unit)|Magnesia]] regional unit. Many of the city domains are separated through natural barricades, such as rivers.

Three main rivers/mountain torrents all rise from mount [[Pelion]] (with its peak at {{convert|1,610|m|ft|abbr=off}}), crossing the city to create a unique urban geography, before ending in the [[Pagasetic Gulf]] flowing west. The [[Anavros]] river, famous for [[Jason]]'s pass, divides the Nea Demetriada district from the rest of the urban area. [[Krafsidonas]] is the major river passing through the city and constitutes the natural lung of the urbanized area of Volos, as well as the boundary between the major municipalities of the metropolitan city, the municipalities of Volos and [[Nea Ionia]]. Xirias (Ξηριάς), is the largest torrent in the metropolitan urban area of Volos and passes through the Nea Ionia municipal area.

===Climate===

Volos experiences a ''Csa'' hot-summer [[Mediterranean climate]], with neither particularly high nor extremely low temperatures throughout the year. Its climate is one of fairly low humidity, favorable for all kinds of activities. Measurable rainfall occurs on average around 89 days per year. Thunderstorms occur sparsely throughout the year, more often during the warmer months. Snow occurs more or less every year on a few occasions, though it usually doesn't cause disruption to daily life. The [[Pelion]] mountain, with its own microclimate, affects the city's weather, acting as a [[rain shadow]] to the north-easterly winds thus limiting the amount of precipitation the city receives in comparison to the eastern side of the mountain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Νομός Μαγνησίας |url=http://diocles.civil.duth.gr/links/home/database/magnisia/index.html |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=diocles.civil.duth.gr}}</ref> Average temperature values, like in most regions, have slightly increased in more recent periods.
{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Volos (1958–1983)
| single line = Yes
| metric first = Yes
| Jan record high C = 23.0
| Feb record high C = 24.7
| Mar record high C = 28.7
| Apr record high C = 34.0
| May record high C = 35.2
| Jun record high C = 37.8
| Jul record high C = 44.2
| Aug record high C = 39.6
| Sep record high C = 36.8
| Oct record high C = 30.4
| Nov record high C = 27.2
| Dec record high C = 24.4
| year record high C = 44.2
| Jan high C = 11.3
| Feb high C = 12.9
| Mar high C = 15.0
| Apr high C = 19.4
| May high C = 24.0
| Jun high C = 28.5
| Jul high C = 31.0
| Aug high C = 30.6
| Sep high C = 27.0
| Oct high C = 21.7
| Nov high C = 17.3
| Dec high C = 13.2
| year high C = 21.0
| Jan mean C = 7.8
| Feb mean C = 9.0
| Mar mean C = 11.3
| Apr mean C = 15.4
| May mean C = 20.1
| Jun mean C = 24.6
| Jul mean C = 27.0
| Aug mean C = 26.6
| Sep mean C = 22.9
| Oct mean C = 17.7
| Nov mean C = 13.3
| Dec mean C = 9.5
| year mean C = 17.4
| Jan low C = 4.5
| Feb low C = 5.4
| Mar low C = 7.3
| Apr low C = 10.5
| May low C = 14.9
| Jun low C = 19.0
| Jul low C = 21.3
| Aug low C = 21.2
| Sep low C = 17.9
| Oct low C = 13.6
| Nov low C = 9.8
| Dec low C = 6.3
| year low C = 12.6
| Jan record low C = -8.2
| Feb record low C = -7.8
| Mar record low C = -3.2
| Apr record low C = 1.8
| May record low C = 6.2
| Jun record low C = 11.6
| Jul record low C = 14.0
| Aug record low C = 14.8
| Sep record low C = 9.2
| Oct record low C = 1.4
| Nov record low C = 0.6
| Dec record low C = -6.0
| year record low C = -8.2
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 58.4
| Feb precipitation mm = 35.4
| Mar precipitation mm = 40.5
| Apr precipitation mm = 27.3
| May precipitation mm = 32.5
| Jun precipitation mm = 22.5
| Jul precipitation mm = 15.1
| Aug precipitation mm = 10.9
| Sep precipitation mm = 45.0
| Oct precipitation mm = 51.8
| Nov precipitation mm = 52.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 47.2
| year precipitation mm = 428.8
| Jan humidity = 72.7
| Feb humidity = 70.0
| Mar humidity = 69.5
| Apr humidity = 65.7
| May humidity = 65.0
| Jun humidity = 61.2
| Jul humidity = 58.1
| Aug humidity = 60.1
| Sep humidity = 65.5
| Oct humidity = 70.4
| Nov humidity = 74.0
| Dec humidity = 73.7
| year humidity = 67.2
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 10.5
| Feb precipitation days = 9.7
| Mar precipitation days = 9.9
| Apr precipitation days = 8.2
| May precipitation days = 6.6
| Jun precipitation days = 5.2
| Jul precipitation days = 2.8
| Aug precipitation days = 2.7
| Sep precipitation days = 5.3
| Oct precipitation days = 8.1
| Nov precipitation days = 10.1
| Dec precipitation days = 10.1
| year precipitation days = 89.2
| Jan sun = 102.7
| Feb sun = 109.8
| Mar sun = 150.5
| Apr sun = 200.8
| May sun = 260.3
| Jun sun = 290.2
| Jul sun = 337.1
| Aug sun = 320.1
| Sep sun = 240.6
| Oct sun = 167.8
| Nov sun = 122.0
| Dec sun = 100.0
| source 1 = Meteovolos<ref name = Meteovolos>{{cite web
| url = http://meteovolos.gr/kvolos.htm
| title = Volos Climate Normals 1958–2020
| publisher = Hellenic National Meteorology Service
| access-date = June 18, 2014}}</ref>
| date = June 2014
| source = 
}}

==Architecture==
Two of the most known churches of Volos, St Nicholas and St Constantine and Helen on the promenade, were designed by architect [[Aristotelis Zachos]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Φεσσά-Εμμανουήλ |first1=Ελένη |title=Η αρχιτεκτονική μεταρρύθμιση του Αριστοτέλη Ζάχου, 1908-1937 |url=https://www.archaiologia.gr/blog/2017/07/31/%CE%B7-%CE%B1%CF%81%CF%87%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B5%CE%BA%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE-%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%81%CF%81%CF%8D%CE%B8%CE%BC%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%B7-%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%B9/ |website=Αρχαιολογία Online |date=31 July 2017 |access-date=13 January 2024 |language=Greek}}</ref> Volos was once also characterised by a number of old mansions, the majority of which were destroyed after the earthquakes in 1955. Nowadays, only some of them have been saved, restored and have a new, mainly public, use.

<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="180">
Σιδηροδρομικός σταθμός Βόλου 3601.jpg|The railway station, designed by Evaristo De Chirico.
Καπναποθήκες Σπίρερ 3653.jpg|The old Spierer tobacco warehouse
Archaeological Museum of Volos.jpg|Archaeological Museum of Volos
</gallery>

The development of the new city coincided with the flourishing of [[neoclassicism]]. Public buildings conformed to this style and private buildings belonging to prosperous merchants were particularly sophisticated. Typical examples include:
* The 3-story Hotel de France, with its impressive decorative murals (1894, [[Jason|Iasonos]] and K. Kartali Street)
* Old Tobacco Factory of Matsaggos (1890)
* Yellow Tobacco Warehouse (1926)
* The [[National Bank of Greece|National Bank]], formerly the [[Privileged Bank of Epirothessaly]] (1895)
* The [[Bank of Athens]] (1903, today the library of [[University of Thessaly]])
* The [[Achillopouleion Hospital]] (1901)
* The [[Archaeological Museum of Volos]], Athanasakeio (1909)
* The [[ATEbank|Agricultural Bank]] (1909, formerly the Kosmadopoulos Bank)
* The [[Cine-theater Achilleion]] (1925)
* The [[Aegli Hotel]], (1927), designed by Kassiopoulos
* The Building of the Air-force High officials Club near Agios Konstantinos Park, believed to have been designed by [[Le Corbusier]]
* The [[Bank of Greece]] building (1935)
* Municipal conservatory of Volos
* The old factory of Tsalapatas
* Tsikrikis Mansion 
* Kitsos Makris' house (today Kitsos Makris Folklore Centre)
* Volos City Hall
* The [[Volos railway station|Railway Station of Volos]], designed by Evaristo De Chirico
* The Averofeian Courthouse
* The family houses of Kartalis, Glavanis, Kastemis, Saratsis
* The [[Sarafopoulos Mansion]] (1927), today the [[Volos Club]]
* The well-preserved Regas house and its singular decorative murals, today the Lyceum of Greek women

==Districts==
[[File:Volos Panorama.jpg|thumb|center|1000px|General view]]
{|
|-
|valign="top"|
'''City Centre''' (50,249)
* Agios Nikolaos
* Kallithea
* Hiliadou
* Oxygono 
* Epta Platania
* Ilissia
* Agios Konstantinos
* Anavros
* Agios Gerasimos
* Agios Vasileios
* Palia
* Analipsi
* Metamorfosi
* Karagats

|valign="top"|
'''North''' (9,247)
* Agia Paraskevi
* Agios Georgios
* Aerokampos

<br />
'''East''' (11,514)
* Nea Dimitriada

|valign="top"|
'''North-West''' (33,815)
* Nea Ionia
* Melissatika
* Fytoko

<br />
'''South-West''' (20,403)
* Agii Anargyri
* Neapoli
* Aivaliotika
* Pefkakia
* Alykes
|}

==Education==
[[File:Volos-univ-of-thessaly-20130702.jpg|thumb|The administrative building of the [[University of Thessaly]] at the promenade]]

The city of Volos consists of the administrative and academic centre of [[University of Thessaly]], which was founded in 1984, and is the most important centre of education in central Greece. The faculties of Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences and Agricultural Sciences, with their twelve departments, are based in Volos, emphasising the academic, economic and cultural development of the city. The faculties are located in different areas of the city ; “Pedion Areos” Campus is used by the Departments of the School of Engineering, while the School of Humanities and Social Sciences is located in the centre of Volos.  The School of Agricultural Sciences is based in a renovated building in Fytoko. In addition to Greek students, the city and the university attract many foreign students via Erasmus and other programmes.

In addition,  in the city, there are 56 kindergartens, 51 primary schools, 18 junior high schools and 13 senior high schools. {{citation needed|date=August 2012}}

==Economy==
[[File:Πλινθοκεραμοποιία Τσαλαπάτα 3743.jpg|thumb|200px|The rooftile and brickworks museum of the old Tsalapatas factory]]
[[File:Κίτρινη Αποθήκη 3639 - 3641.jpg|thumb|200px|Tobacco warehouse (1926)]]
[[File:Παλιά Βόλου 3595.jpg|thumb|200px|Old stores of Volos, Paliá quarter]]

Volos is one of the most industrialized provincial cities of Greece, because of its strategic location between the largest population centers of the country ([[Athens]] – [[Thessaloníki]]) and its port. Industry is intensely specialized in steel production and manufacturing. Three major steel producers ([[Metka|METKA]], [[SIDENOR]] and [[Hellenic Steel Industry]] (Ελληνική Χαλυβουργία))  have production facilities in the industrial areas of Volos and nearby [[Almyros]].
[[Heracles General Cement|AGET Heracles]], a member of the [[Lafarge (company)|Lafarge]] group,  operates one of the largest cement facilities in the world  (with capacity exceeding 7,000,000 tn<ref name="aget">{{cite web|url=http://www.aget.gr/aget/prod_unitsen.htm|title=AGET Hraklis Facilities|access-date=2007-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208084052/http://www.aget.gr/aget/prod_unitsen.htm|archive-date=2008-02-08|url-status=dead}}</ref>) with its own private port, next to the city. Volos is also active in the research sector, hosting the Institute of [[Bioeconomy|Bio-Economy]] and Agri-Technology (iBO), one of the five Institutes of the Center for Research and Technology – Hellas (CERTH).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ibo.certh.gr/ |title=Home |website=ibo.certh.gr}}</ref>

==Port==

The port lies upon the ancient Thessalian settlement of Iolkos. According to Greek mythology, this was where the hero Jason built his trireme, Argo, and along with his oarsmen set course for Colchis, bringing back and marrying priestess Medea.

The new port was founded in 1893 and was the most significant element in the industrial development of the area. Today, Volos has the third-largest cargo port in Greece (after [[Piraeus]] and [[Thessaloniki]]), carrying agricultural and industrial products. In the past, it was home to a maritime link with [[Tartus]], Syria.

Ferries and flying dolphins operate daily, connecting Volos to the Magnesia islands of the [[Sporades]],  ([[Skiathos]], [[Skopelos]], [[Alonissos]]). In addition, many cruise ships use the port of Volos as a destination. During the summers of 2015 and 2016, more than 100 cruises arrived in Volos, carrying more than 100,000 visitors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.port-volos.gr/ |title=Home |website=port-volos.gr}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
Volos 2w.jpg|View of the port.
Ikarous Volos 20110707 b.jpg|Cargo ship at the harbour.
Volos1.JPG|The promenade
</gallery>

==International relations==
The city of Volos has always had a major role in the financial, economic, commercial and administrative matters of the region of [[Thessaly]] and [[Central Greece (geographic region)|Central Greece]], due to the strategic position of the city's port, unique between [[Athens]] and [[Thessaloniki]].

===International consulates===
Several European countries have established consulates in Volos including:
* {{flagicon|BEL}} Belgium
* {{flagicon|DEN}} Denmark
* {{flagicon|FRA}} France
* {{flagicon|GER}} Germany
* {{flagicon|ITA}} Italy
* {{flagicon|NED}} Netherlands

===Twin towns — sister cities===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Greece}}
Volos is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Ξεχάσαμε τα… αδέρφια μας ~ Αδελφοποιήσεις Δήμων που έμειναν τυπικές|url=https://www.taxydromos.gr/m/m_article.php?id=148245|website=taxydromos.gr|publisher=Taxydromos|language=el|date=2014-11-17|access-date=2020-01-11 | last1=Gr | first1=Taxydromos }}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|CHL}} [[Antofagasta]], Chile
*{{flagicon|GEO}} [[Batumi]], Georgia
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Le Mans]], France
*{{flagicon|BUL}} [[Pleven Municipality|Pleven]], Bulgaria
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Rostov-on-Don]], Russia
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Smederevo]], Serbia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Sochi]], Russia
{{div col end}}

==Culture==
[[File:Κινηματογράφος Αχίλλειον 3503.jpg|thumb|Cine Achilleion on the promenade]]

The wider region of Volos is a place rich with history, finding the first signals of culture in the [[Neolithic]] period. In the villages of [[Sesklo]] and [[Dimini]], the first traces of Neolithic culture in Europe have been discovered.

Moreover, close by Volos, there are the ancient Dimitrias, a town built by Dimitrios Poliorkitis in 294-2 AC. Today, the ancient [[theatre of Dimitrias]] remains preserved. Also present are the archaeological areas of Goritsa hill, archaeological findings dating from the early Christian period in [[Nea Anchialos]], and the wall of Volos's old castle, which is open to visitors.

Volos consists of a city with diverse Greek trades, as its industrial development encouraged many people to move to the city. The city's industrial and financial evolution also gradually resulted in cultural and social evolution, too; in 1894, Volos acquired its Municipal Theater and later its Gymnastics Club. In 1908, Volos became home to the first Labour Union in Greece.

After 1922, following the [[Asia Minor Catastrophe]], Volos received a large number of people from the destroyed regions. This coexistence with the locals deeply influenced the culture of the city, leaving a mark still visible in the food, music, sports, entertainment and social life of the city today.

In modern times, there are plentiful museums and galleries to be visited throughout the city, but also in the wider region. Above all, Volos forms one of the most attractive and tourist-friendly cities in Greece because of its physical setting,  combining the [[Pagasetic Gulf]] with Mount [[Pelion]].

Volos was a candidate city for the [[European Capital of Culture]], 2021.<ref>[http://www.volos2021.eu/?lang=en Volos 2021]</ref>

=== Museums and galleries ===
* [[Archaeological Museum of Volos]]<ref>{{cite web |author=vagelis tsekeris |url=http://www.travelinfo.gr/magnesia/museum.htm |title=Archaeological Museum of Volos |publisher=Travelinfo.gr |access-date=2009-07-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629011319/http://www.travelinfo.gr/magnesia/museum.htm |archive-date=2010-06-29 }}</ref>
* [[Volos Natural History Museum]]
* [[Modern History Museum of Volos City]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diki.gr/museum/EL/info/default.asp/ |title=Μουσείο της Πόλης του Βόλου :: Εισαγωγή |access-date=2007-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701201655/http://www.diki.gr/museum/EL/info/default.asp |archive-date=2007-07-01 }} Modern History Museum of Volos City</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.i-politismos.gr/city_mus_sx.html|title=ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟ ΠΟΛΗΣ – Σχεδιασμός|publisher=www.i-politismos.gr|access-date=2009-07-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130032649/http://www.i-politismos.gr/city_mus_sx.html|archive-date=2009-01-30}}</ref>
* [[Giorgio de Chirico Art Centre]]
* [[Thessaly Railway Museum]], Railway Station of Volos
* The Rooftile and Brickworks Museum N. & S. Tsalapatas, National Museum of Industrial History<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.piop.gr/en/diktuo-mouseiwn/Mouseio-Plinthokeramopoieias-Tsalapata/to-mouseio.aspx |title=Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation |publisher=Piop.gr |access-date=2009-07-27}}</ref>
* Entomological Museum of Volos <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.entomologikomouseio.gr/ |title=Home |website=entomologikomouseio.gr}}</ref>
* Theofilos Museum, Anakasia (works of the artist Theofilos Hatzimikhail)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/greece/northwest-pelion-1341958/attractions/theophilos-museum/a/poi-sig/1378573/1341958 |title=Theophilos Museum in Northwest Pelion |website=lonelyplanet.com}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
One of the main characteristics and most widely known specialities of Volos is its traditional drink,  [[tsipouro]], and the seafood that is served accompanying the drink.

Local specialities include:

* ''Boubari''
* ''Spetzofai''
* ''Melachrini'' (dessert)
* [[Spoon sweets]]
* [[Tsipouro]] (drink)

===Sports===

Volos, taking advantage of its physical setting by the sea, has a significant presence in Greek sporting  history in the areas of [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] and [[Sailing (sport)|sailing]]. The city also has two covered and one open sporting swimming pools, with a long history in swimming and water polo. Additionally, Volos has clubs and facilities in several sports, including football, basketball, volleyball, tennis and horseriding. The most popular clubs, with significant contributions to the sporting and cultural history of the city and significant successes in football, are [[Olympiakos Volou]] and [[Niki Volou]]. The main clubs of Volos are shown below :

{|class="wikitable"
|+Sport clubs based in Volos
|-
! style="width:200px;"|Club
!Founded
!Sports
!Achievements
|-
|[[Niki Volou]] ||1924||[[Association football|Football]], [[Basketball]] and other sports  ||Presence in A Ethniki football
|-
|[[N.C. Volos-Argonauts]] ||1932||[[Water Polo]]  ||Presence in A1 Ethniki women
|-
|[[Olympiakos Volou]]||1937||[[Association football|Football]], [[Basketball]] and other sports ||Europa League participant, earlier presence in A Ethniki football, panhellenic title in women basketball 
|-
|[[Hippotis equestrian club]] ||2002||[[Horse riding]] ||Presence in National competitions
|-
|[[Volos 2004]]||2004||[[Association football|Football]]||Presence in A Ethniki women
|-
|[[Volos N.F.C.|Volos F.C.]]||2017||[[Association football|Football]]||Presence in A Ethniki football

|}

With its sporting traditions, Volos was one of the five cities that played host to the [[2004 Summer Olympics]].

Since 2004, Volos's facilities have hosted significant sports events, such as the 27th European Championship of Artistic Gymnastics in 2006, the FIBA European Youth Championship (2015), when Greece won the gold medal, and the Finals of [[Greek Football Cup]], in 2007 and 2017.

== Transport ==
All land transport reaches Volos, while the [[International Airport of Central Greece]] in [[Nea Anchialos]] links the city to international destinations, and the Port of Volos provides links to the islands, mostly the [[Sporades]], as well as to some destinations in [[Pilio]].

===Motorways===
Volos is linked through Greece's [[European route E75|E75]] Highway Axis (most often known as [[PATHE]]) with Northern and Southern Greece. Beyond this, the Axis E65 will be the gateway to Western Greece and the port of [[Igoumenitsa]], through the plains of inner [[Thessaly]], when this part of the E65 link is completed.

===Airport===
The city of Volos, along with the rest of Central Greece, is linked to the rest of Greece and Europe by the [[Nea Anchialos National Airport]]. The airport has the second longest commercial runway in Greece after [[Athens International Airport|Eleftherios Venizelos]].

Volos is the first city in Europe to feature Seaplane Services {{citation needed|date=March 2015}} through Argo Airways, which is based in Volos. The seaplanes connect Volos with Skiathos, Skopelos, Allonisos, Athens and Thessaloniki.

===Railway===
{{See also|Volos railway station}}
Today, the city is served by direct lines to the rest of Greece, and the railway complex houses facilities for train maintenance. Volos is directly linked with Athens once per day, with [[Thessaloniki]] twice per day, and with [[Larissa]] 15 times a day. In the past, Volos was served by railway lines of three different gauges, the [[metre gauge]] line of [[Thessaly Railways]] to [[Kalampaka]], the standard gauge line to Larissa and the {{RailGauge|600mm|lk=on}} gauge line to [[Pelion]].  Remnants of [[dual gauge|triple gauge]] lines still exist near the station. Currently, the Pelion railway line operates for tourist reasons every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday from mid-April to the end of October. The train runs every day during July and August.

==Notable people==
[[File:Giorgio de Chirico (portrait).jpg|thumb|180px|[[Giorgio de Chirico]] (1888–1978) was born in Volos.]]
[[File:VangelisElGrecopremiereDE2.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Vangelis|Vangelis Papathanasiou (Vangelis)]].]]
[[File:Dimitrios-TRICHOPOULOS.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Dimitrios Trichopoulos]]|alt=Dimitrios-TRICHOPOULOS.jpg]]

=== Mythology ===
* [[Iason]], mythological hero
* [[Peleus]], mythological hero
* [[Chiron]], centaur

=== Modern ===
* [[Giorgio de Chirico]], painter (1888–1978)
* [[Vangelis Papathanassiou|Vangelis]], composer (1943–2022)
* [[John Argyris]], pioneer in engineering, Professor of [[Imperial College London]] and [[University of Stuttgart]] (1913–2004)
* [[Fotis Kouvelis]], politician, leader of the [[Democratic Left (Greece)|Democratic Left]]
* [[Dimitrios Trichopoulos]], medical doctor, Professor of [[Harvard School of Public Health]]
* [[Georgios Kartalis]], politician (1908–1957)
* [[Yorgos Foudoulis]], musician and composer (1964)
* [[Moshe Pesach]], rabbi of Volos and Chief Rabbi of Greece
* [[Lavrentis Mahairitsas]], musician and songwriter (1956-2019)
* [[Artemis Alexiadou]], linguist (1969)
* [[Apostolia Zoi]], singer (1980)
* Andromache (Mary) Mavroyeni Papanicolaou, (1890-1982), wife of George N. Papanicolaou, MD, PhD and first cytotechnologist

=== Athletes ===
* [[Vasileios Polymeros]], rower, olympic medalist (1976)
* [[Nikolaos Skiathitis]], rower, olympic medalist (1981)
* [[Olga Vasdeki]], triple jumper (1973)
* [[Spyridon Vasdekis]], long jumper (1970)
* [[Paraskevi Tsiamita]], triple, long jumper (1972)
* [[Nikos Boudouris]], basketball player (1971)
* [[Panagiotis Liadelis]], basketball player (1974)
* [[Athanasios Kostoulas]], football player (1976)
* [[Efthalia Koutroumanidou]], beach volleyball player (1982)
* [[Evanthia Makrygianni]], synchronized swimmer (1986)
* [[Christos Volikakis]], track cyclist (1988)
* [[Adam Tzanetopoulos]], football player (1995)

==See also==
* [[Thessaly]]
* [[Magnesia (regional unit)|Magnesia]]
* [[Pelion]]
* [[Sporades]]
* [[University of Thessaly]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|first=Ioannis|last=Kordatos|script-title=el:Η Επανάσταση στην Θεσσαλομαγνησία το 1821|trans-title=The Revolt in Thessalomagnesia in 1821|language=el|publisher=Epikairotita|location=Athens|year=1977}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Volos}}
* {{wikivoyage inline|Volos}}
* [http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/main_cities/volos Volos] The Official website of the Greek National Tourism Organisation
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060427185335/http://www.nea-ionia-today.gr/site/index_eng.html Homepage of the Municipality of Nea Ionia]
* [https://www.port-volos.gr/cgi-bin/pages/index.pl?arlang=English&type=index Port of Volos]

{{Geographic location
|Centre =    Volos
|North =     [[Iolkos]]
|Northeast =
|East =      [[Agria]]
|Southeast =
|South =     [[Pagasetic Gulf]]
|Southwest =
|West =      [[Nea Ionia (Magnesia), Greece|Nea Ionia]]
|Northwest =
|image =
}}

{{Kallikratis-Thessaly}}
{{Volos div}}
{{Prefectures and provinces of Greece}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Volos| ]]
[[Category:Greek prefectural capitals]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Thessaly]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece]]
[[Category:Provinces of Greece]]
[[Category:Port cities of the Aegean Sea]]
[[Category:Populated places in Magnesia (regional unit)]]