Patra is the capital of Western Greece and is located in the NorthWest side of Peloponnesus.
Patra is the third largest city of Greece, located in the west. It has almost 250.000 population, and known as a student city since one out of five living in Patra is a student. It is known as the gateway to the west with Italy because of the immense harbor it has. Every year (mainly in March), Patra hosts the largest carnival in Greece, and many come from near and far to celebrate.
The city has a rich history, starting on 1082 BC, when Patreas, the son of Preugenius, came here connecting the Ionian townships Aroi, Messatida and Anthea. It always had a lot of strategic advantages due to its location and because of this has always been a target to potential conquerors despite its commercial rise.
In 280 BC Patra is one of the most active cities in the creation of the Achaean Confederation, in which values like democracy and equity dominate. In 146 BC Patra becomes a part of the Roman Empire, but a lot of privileges were given, which helped the city to become a famous and glorious city. This is the time period that Pausanias visited Patra and wrote about it on his travel memoirs “Achaean”.
A very important milestone in the history of Patra is the cruciform death of Apostle Andrew, who is the patron saint of the city.
From 330 BC Patra is a part of the Byzantine Empire and the decline begins. From 805 AC to 1147 AC the city is sieged by Boulgarian, Slavs, Sarakins and Normans and on 1458 Patra is being conceived by the Turkish. Even though there were a lot of trial on deliberating from the Turkish, Patrai only achieve to be free on 1828 by the French field marshal Nicholas-Joseph Maizon and becomes part of Greece.
Patra is a living city with intense nightlife and a lot of different kind of entertainment since it hosts the famous Carnival and it is a city that hosts a lot of students. Carnival took place for the first time in 1870, because of the influences the city had from the West Europe and the cultural rising it rejoiced. Every year people from all over Greece and Europe come to have fun at the Carnival of Patra and enjoy the Chariots and the Big Parade. Patra is also known for Mavrodafni, the sweet red wine produced in Achaia Clauss, which is the first Greek winery, since 1861 and is nowadays available for a visit!
Patra is not only a city to have fun but also a city with cultural interest. There are a lot of things to see in Patra like the Mycenaean Tombs in Voudeni, which are 4.5 km on the east of the city, the Saint Andrew Old and New Church, the Roman Conservatory and the “Apollo” Theatre, which is one of the first lyric theatres in Europe, Patra’s Castle, the Public Library and a lot of other sights from all the historic periods of the city. Another landmark, which is a sign of the 21st century, is the Rio-Antirio Bridge, the biggest cable bridge in the world that was inaugurated on 2004 and connects Peloponissos with the rest of the Greece. Moreover, Patra has two Universities, the University of Patra and the Technical Educational Institute of Western Greece.