Grevena Γρεβενά Grebini | |
|---|---|
 Central square (Emilianou square) | |
 | |
  Grevena | |
| Coordinates:40°05′06″N21°25′39″E / 40.08500°N 21.42750°E /40.08500; 21.42750 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Geographic region | Macedonia |
| Administrative region | Western Macedonia |
| Regional unit | Grevena |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kyriakos Tataridis[1] (since 2023) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 1,859.9 km2 (718.1 sq mi) |
| • Municipal unit | 461.4 km2 (178.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 530 m (1,740 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Municipality | 21,421 |
| • Density | 11.517/km2 (29.830/sq mi) |
| • Municipal unit | 15,716 |
| • Municipal unit density | 34.06/km2 (88.22/sq mi) |
| • Community | 12,515 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 511 00 |
| Area code | 24620 |
| Vehicle registration | ΡΝ |
| Website | www.dimosgrevenon.gr |
Grevena (Greek:Γρεβενά,Grevená[ɣreveˈna];Aromanian:Grebini) is a town andmunicipality inWestern Macedonia, northernGreece, capital of theGrevena regional unit. The town's current population is 12,515 citizens (2021). It lies about 420 kilometres (261 miles) fromAthens and about 180 km (112 miles) fromThessaloniki. The municipality's population is 25,905. Grevena has had access to theA2 motorway (Egnatia Odos) since the early 2000s, which now connectsIgoumenitsa withThessaloniki andAlexandroupoli at the border withTurkey. Mountains surround the municipality, which is situated by the riverGreveniotikos, which itself flows into theAliakmon. Other significant towns in the municipality are Amygdaliés and Méga Seiríni.Grevena Municipal Museum is located in the town.
Under Ottoman rule, Grevena was a small administrative and military centre, the seat of a kaza belonging to theSanjak of Serfiğe within theVilayet of Manastir.[3] According to the statistics ofVasil Kanchov ("Macedonia, Ethnography and Statistics"), 600GreekChristians, 500Turks, 200 Greek Muslims, 150Aromanians and 100Romani lived in the town in 1900.[4]
Grevena was a mixed town and a part of its population wereGreek-speaking MuslimVallahades.[5] The 1920 Greek census recorded 3,108 people in Grevena, and 200 inhabitants (40 families) were Muslim in 1923.[6] Following theGreek–Turkish population exchange,Greek refugee families in Grevena were fromEast Thrace (6),Asia Minor (33) andPontus (16) in 1926.[6] The 1928 Greek census recorded 3,747 town inhabitants.[6] In 1928, the refugee families numbered 52 (194 people).[6]
Due to its small size, the town's Ottoman past, represented through a few public buildings and the homes of Muslims located in the urban centre, all disappeared during the 20th century.[3] A mosque and amadrasa remained in Grevena until the population exchange; later both were destroyed.[3] Another mosque existed in Grevena and was converted into a church in 1927; later it and its minaret were demolished, and the church of Agios Achillios built on the site.[7] Military barracks remained until World War Two, and were later destroyed.[8] The large granite fortress residence (konak) of Veli Bey was destroyed after the population exchange.[8]
The earthquake that occurred in the region on 13 May 1995 was 6.6 on theRichter magnitude scale, but it caused only material damage. The worst hit area was the county of Ventzia. There were two foreshocks of lesser intensity that preceded the main earthquake by a few minutes and warned people. These warnings sent the population out of their houses. When the main earthquake came, it destroyed nearly all the houses in several villages of the Ventzia County – the houses collapsed to the ground – but all the inhabitants were outside.
Another earthquake on 5 January 2005 measured 4.9 near Grevena. It took place at 20:00 local time (EET), and no damage was reported. Another earthquake with a measured intensity of 5.4 occurred on 17 July 2007 at 21:23 local time (EET) and was followed by weak aftershocks. Some older buildings were lightly damaged in villages northeast of Grevena.
The municipality Grevena was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 13 former municipalities, that became municipal units:[9]
The municipal unit of Grevena is divided into the following communities:[9]
The community of Grevena consists of three separate settlements:[2]
Two departments of theuniversity of Western Macedonia based in the city, the departments of Statistics and Insurance Science[10] and Business Administration.[11]
In the area, there is large production ofmushrooms, collected in theValia Calda area. It is also the place of production ofAnevato cheese.
Grevena has a mediterranean continental climate characterized by a great diurnal temperature variation. Winters are cold with frequent snowfalls, whereas summers are hot during the day and cool during the night.
| Climate data for Grevena (510m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.4 (45.3) | 8 (46) | 14 (57) | 18.6 (65.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 29 (84) | 31.5 (88.7) | 32.4 (90.3) | 28.5 (83.3) | 22.5 (72.5) | 15.4 (59.7) | 10.6 (51.1) | 20.2 (68.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.8 (21.6) | −2.1 (28.2) | 0.4 (32.7) | 4 (39) | 7.6 (45.7) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.5 (58.1) | 14.4 (57.9) | 11.3 (52.3) | 6.8 (44.2) | 3.4 (38.1) | 2.2 (36.0) | 5.8 (42.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 50 (2.0) | 40 (1.6) | 27.2 (1.07) | 56.6 (2.23) | 29.6 (1.17) | 20 (0.8) | 20 (0.8) | 10 (0.4) | 30 (1.2) | 50 (2.0) | 80 (3.1) | 87 (3.4) | 500.4 (19.77) |
| Source:http://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/grevena/ (2019 – 2020 averages) | |||||||||||||
| Year | Community | Municipal unit | Municipality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 7,739 | — | — |
| 1991 | 9,345 | 14,986 | — |
| 2001 | 12,037 | 16,421 | — |
| 2011 | 13,374 | 17,610 | 25,905 |
| 2021 | 12,515 | 15,716 | 21,421 |
Administrative division of theWestern Macedonia Region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofFlorina |  | |
| Regional unit ofGrevena | ||
| Regional unit ofKastoria | ||
| Regional unit ofKozani | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
