Ano Poroia ( Greek : Άνω Πορόια ) is a village in Greece , located in Macedonia . The population was 836 (2021).
140-583: The village is located 55 km and 30 km respectively to the Northwest of the town of Serres and to the west of Sidirokastro . It is at the foot of the Belles (Belasitsa) at an altitude of 380 m. Lake Kerkini is to the south of Ano Poroia. The town of Ano Poroia, (translated as 'Upper Poroia') is known in Aromanian as Foroi or Poroya di-Nsus . It was known as "Poroj" during Ottoman rule. The modern name of
280-729: A cavalry brigade (117,861 men) with 176 artillery guns in a line extending from the Gulf of Orphanos to the Gevgelija area. Since the Greek headquarters did not know where the Bulgarian attack would occur, the Bulgarians would have temporary local superiority in the location chosen for the attack. On 26 June, the Bulgarian army received orders to destroy the opposing Greek forces and to advance towards Thessaloniki. The Greeks stopped them, and by 29 June, an order for
420-574: A clear warning in changing its policy towards Sofia in December 1912). The plan was for a concentrated attack against the Serbian army across the Vardar plain to neutralize it and to capture northern Macedonia, together with a less concentrated one against the Greek military near Thessaloniki, which had approximately half the size of the Serbian army, to capture the city and south Macedonia. The Bulgarian high command
560-626: A detailed analysis concerning his units contradicted him. Ivanov's 2nd army consisted of the 3rd division minus one brigade with four regiments of four battalions (a total of 16 battalions plus the divisional artillery), the I/X brigade with the 16th and 25th regiments (total of eight battalions plus artillery), the Drama Brigade with the 69th, 75th and 7th regiments (total of 12 battalions), the Seres Brigade with 67th and 68th regiments (total of 8 battalions),
700-499: A diplomatic circular that said, "Romania does not intend either to subjugate the polity nor defeat the army of Bulgaria," the Romanian government endeavoured to allay international concerns about its motives and about increased bloodshed. According to Richard Hall, "[t]he entrance of Romania into the conflict made the Bulgarian situation untenable [and t]he Romanian thrust across the Danube was
840-481: A favourable concession from Serbia in the former Sanjak of Novi Pazar . They did it, later confirming it in a treaty signed at Belgrade on 7 November. In August, Ottoman forces established a provisional government of Western Thrace at Komotini to pressure Bulgaria to make peace. Bulgaria sent a three-member delegation—General Mihail Savov and the diplomats Andrei Toshev and Grigor Nachovich —to Constantinople to negotiate peace on 6 September. The Ottoman delegation
980-578: A fertile plain at an elevation of about 70 metres (230 feet), some 24 kilometres (15 miles) northeast of the Strymon river and 69 km (43 mi) north-east of Thessaloniki , respectively. Serres' official municipal population was 70,703 in 2021. The city is home to the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ( Greek : Τ.Ε.Φ.Α.Α. Σερρών ) and
1120-691: A fief of Evrenos Beg , who brought in Yörük settlers from Sarukhan . Oral sources report that the terms of surrender guaranteed to the Greek population possession of its city quarters and churches, while the Turks were to settle outside the Byzantine walls, which were soon demolished to prevent any rebellion. The new Turkish quarters were established to the west and south of the walls, and named after their military leaders. The Grand Vizier Çandarlı Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha built
1260-497: A football club that plays in second national division (football league 2), Serres is twinned with: Second Balkan War Bulgarian defeat Bulgaria cedes: The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Bulgaria , dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War , attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece , on 16 ( O.S. ) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies repulsed
1400-414: A general counterattack was issued. At Kilkis, the Bulgarians had constructed strong defences, including captured Ottoman guns which dominated the plain below. The Greek 4th , 2nd , and 5th divisions attacked across the plain in rushes supported by artillery. The Greek Army suffered heavy casualties but carried the trenches by the next day. On the Bulgarian left, the Greek 7th Division captured Serres and
1540-500: A large market, among the most important in the region of Macedonia, with 2,000 shops and 17 khans . In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Serres was an autonomous lordship (beylik) under a succession of derebeys , within the Sanjak of Salonica . At the end of the 18th century, Serres was a cotton-producing area, exporting 50,000 balls of cotton to Germany , France , Venice and Livorno . The metropolitan bishop Gabriel founded in 1735
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#17328694753481680-616: A line from Dojran Lake southeast to Kilkis, Lachanas , Serres and then across the Pangaion Hills to the Aegean Sea. The army had been in place since May and was considered a veteran force, having fought at the siege of Edirne in the First Balkan War. Though General Ivanov, possibly to avoid any responsibility for his crushing defeat, claimed after the war that his army consisted of only 36,000 men and that many of his units were weakened,
1820-545: A member of PASOK ). The present Serres municipality was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 6 former municipalities, that became municipal units of the new municipality: Ano Vrontou , Kapetan Mitrousi , Lefkonas , Oreini , Serres, and Skoutari . The municipality has an area of 600.479 km , the municipal unit 252.973 km . Serres has a hot summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ) with some Humid ( Cfa ) influences. Serres has an irregular precipitation pattern throughout
1960-460: A new 10th division was formed using two brigades from the 1st and 6th divisions, and an additional three independent brigades were formed from recruits. Nevertheless, the heavy structure generally remained. By contrast, the Greek Army of Macedonia also had nine divisions, but the total number of men under arms was only 118,000. Another decisive factor affecting the real strength of the divisions between
2100-509: A protocol with Greece on 21 May, agreeing on a permanent boundary between their respective forces, effectively accepting Greek control over southern Macedonia. However, his later dismissal ended the diplomatic targeting of Serbia. Another point of friction arose: Bulgaria's refusal to cede the fortress of Silistra to Romania. When Romania demanded its cession after the First Balkan War, Bulgaria's foreign minister offered instead some minor border changes, which excluded Silistra, and assurances for
2240-514: A school with two teachers and 70 students. The Bulgarians are among the most pious: they have a church "St. Georgi” and “St. Dimitar” and a school with 56 students. The village contains 50 Turkish, 350 Bulgarian and 200 Wallachian houses. Around the turn of the 20th century, the Bulgarian people in Gorni Poroj were within the borders of the Bulgarian Exarchate . According to Dimitar Mishev,
2380-533: A secret agreement on 13 March 1912 was signed by Serbia and Bulgaria, which determined their future boundaries, effectively sharing northern Macedonia. In case of a postwar disagreement, the area to the north of the Kriva Palanka – Ohrid line (with both cities going to the Bulgarians) had been designated as a "disputed zone" under Russian arbitration, with the area to the south of this line assigned to Bulgaria. During
2520-528: A separate principality, initially under Dušan's Empress-dowager Helena and after 1365 by the Despot Jovan Uglješa . Jovan Uglješa maintained close political and cultural ties to the Byzantine court in Constantinople, and the Greek element rose again to prominence: local Greeks played a major role in his administration, which was carried out in the Greek language. After the 1371 Battle of Maritsa ,
2660-443: A stalemate. On the western flank, an offensive was launched against Tsarevo Selo to reach the Serbian lines. This failed, and the Bulgarian army continued advancing, especially in the south. However, after three days of fighting at the sectors of Pehchevo and Mahomia, the Greek forces retained their positions. Romania mobilized its army on 5 July 1913, intending to seize Southern Dobruja, and declared war on Bulgaria on 10 July. In
2800-532: A total of 599,878 men (366,209 in the Active Army; 53,927 in the supplementing units; 53,983 in the National Militia; 94,526 from the 1912 and 1913 levies; 14,204 volunteers; 14,424 in the border guards). The non-recoverable casualties during the First Balkan War were 33,000 men (14,000 killed and 19,000 died of disease). To replace these casualties, Bulgaria conscripted 60,000 men between the two wars, mainly from
2940-424: A unique organization among those of Europe since each infantry division had three brigades of two regiments, composed of four battalions of six heavy companies of 250 men each, plus an independent battalion, two large artillery regiments and one cavalry regiment, giving a total of 25 very heavy infantry battalions and 16 cavalry companies per division, which was more than the equivalent of two nine-battalion divisions,
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#17328694753483080-540: Is also a Department of Physical Education and Sport Science of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki that operates in the city of Serres, offering bachelor's and master's degrees. In addition, in the Vocational Training Institute ( Greek : Ι.Ε.Κ.) of Serres, various specialisations are being taught in programmes that last for up to two years of study. Serres hosts the sport club Panserraikos ,
3220-830: Is ours." In the end, none of the battlefields were retained in the Treaty of Constantinople of 30 September. In October, Bulgarian forces finally returned south of the Rhodopes . The Radoslavov government continued negotiating with the Ottomans in the hopes of forming an alliance. These talks finally bore fruit in the Secret Bulgarian–Ottoman Treaty of August 1914. As part of the Treaty of Constantinople, 46,764 Orthodox Bulgarians from Ottoman Thrace were exchanged for 48,570 Muslims (Turks, Pomaks , and Roma ) from Bulgarian Thrace. After
3360-570: Is supported by the Mountaineering Association of Ano Poroia. Serres Serres ( Greek : Σέρρες [ˈseɾes] ) is a city in Macedonia , Greece , capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia , after Thessaloniki . Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece . The city is situated in
3500-728: Is the Technological Educational Institution (TEI) of Central Macedonia. It has more than 14.000 bachelor and master students, also three faculties and even more departments. In autumn 2012 there operated (for first time) two master programmes in English (MBA, MSc) and in 2013 a third one was added (MSc). In 2019 the Technological Educational Institution (TEI) of Central Macedonia merged with the International Hellenic University. There
3640-512: Is the capital of a primarily agricultural district and is an important trade centre for tobacco , grain , and livestock . Following the development of a government-sponsored manufacturing area in the late 20th century, it has also become a centre for the production of textiles and other manufactured items. Various products, meat and dairy, are also produced by breeding at Lake Kerkini . Late Ottoman author Omer Seyfeddin set his fictional work White Tulip ( Beyaz Lale ) describing events during
3780-508: The 1st and 6th divisions captured Lachanas. The defeat of the 2nd army by the Greeks was the most serious military disaster suffered by the Bulgarians in the Second Balkan War. Bulgarian sources give 6,971 casualties, over 6,000 prisoners, and over 130 artillery pieces captured by the Greeks, who suffered 8,700 casualties. On 28 June, the retreating Bulgarian army and irregulars burned down
3920-641: The 4th Army under General Stiliyan Kovachev in the Kočani – Radoviš area. The 2nd Army under general Nikola Ivanov was detailed against the Greek army. The army of the Kingdom of Serbia accounted for 348,000 men (out of which 252,000 were combatants) divided into three armies with ten divisions. Its main force was deployed on the Macedonian front along the Vardar River and near Skopje . Its nominal commander-in-chief
4060-570: The First Balkan War on November 6, 1912, but was forced to withdraw by Greek forces commanded by the King of Greece, Constantine I , during the Second Balkan War . The first officer of the Hellenic Army to enter Serres was infantry colonel Napoleon Sotilis , head of the 7th Infantry Regiment on July 11, 1913. Prior to abandoning the city, the Bulgarians set fire to it, which burned down much of
4200-564: The Gestapo to the Treblinka death camp and exterminated. There was a significant resistance movement in the city during the occupation, led by the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM). In the postwar years, the city's population grew substantially, and there was also a significant rise in the standard of living. The long-serving conservative Greek Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis (in office from 1955 to 1963 and again from 1974 to 1980)
4340-602: The Paeonian tribes of the Siropaiones (since 1100 BC) and Odomantes (from the early 5th century BC until the end of antiquity). These populations mainly engaged in agriculture and cattle-raising especially worshiped the Sun, the deified river Strymon and later the " Thracian horseman ". The ancient city of Serraepolis was founded in Cilicia by Siropaiones exiled from Serres. During
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4480-563: The Roman period (168 BC – 315 AD) the city is mentioned in sources under the name Sirra (Σίρρα) and in inscriptions as Sirraion polis (Σιρραίων πόλις, lit. ' "city of the Sirraians" ' ). It was an important city of the Roman province of Macedonia , with the status of a civitas stipendaria . It flourished especially during the imperial period thanks to the Pax Romana . Then, during
4620-663: The Second World War , after the conquest of mainland Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941 (which was followed by the conquest of Crete in June ), Serres was assigned by the Nazis to their Bulgarian allies (along with the rest of East Macedonia and Thrace and the island of Thasos ), who occupied the city until the Allied liberation of Greece in 1944. In 1943, Serres' Jewish population was deported by
4760-682: The Serres Sandjak . The main occupation was farming ( tobacco , flax , cotton , barley , rye ), sericulture, and commerce. The population was composed of Greeks , Aromanians , Bulgarians and Turks . In "Ethnographie des vilayets d'Adrianople, de Monastir et de Salonique" (issued in Constantinople in 1878 and concerning the population) it was written that Gorni Poroi was a village, and had 320 households with 1,000 Bulgarians and 60 Aromanians . Gustav Weigand — German linguist and specialist in Balkan languages (esp. Bulgarian and Aromanian) — passed during
4900-746: The Treaty of Bucharest and divided Macedonia in three: Vardar Macedonia went to Serbia; the smallest part, Pirin Macedonia , to Bulgaria; and the coastal and largest part, Aegean Macedonia , to Greece. Bulgaria thus enlarged its territory by 16 percent compared to what it was before the First Balkan War, increasing its population from 4.3 to 4.7 million people. Romania enlarged its territory by 5 percent and Montenegro by 62 percent. Greece increased her population from 2.7 to 4.4 million and her territory by 68 percent. Serbia almost doubled her territory, enlarging her population from 2.9 to 4.5 million. The Montenegrins at Bucharest were primarily interested in obtaining
5040-457: The great crisis of the Roman Empire (235–284 AD), the city declined and only in the times of Diocletian , with its reforms ( Tetrarchic system ), returned to prosperity. As regards the urban structure it featured, like all Greek cities, a market ( agora ), parliament ( bouleuterion ), theater, gymnasium and temples. As we know from epigraphic evidence, the local government was also based on
5180-482: The 11th division with the 55th, 56th and 57th regiments (total of 12 battalions plus the divisional artillery), the 5th Border Battalion, the 10th Independent Battalion and the 10th Cavalry Regiment of seven mounted and seven infantry companies. In total, Ivanov's force comprised 232 companies in 58 infantry battalions, a cavalry regiment (14 companies) with 175 artillery guns, numbering between 80,000 (official Bulgarian source) and 108,000 (official Greek source according to
5320-507: The 1360s and had served as the first European capital of the Empire before the capture of Constantinople in 1453. Minister of War Enver Pasha called himself the "Second Conqueror of Edirne," although the conquering forces had met no resistance on the way to Edirne. The Ottoman armies did not stop at the old border but crossed into Bulgarian territory. A cavalry unit advanced on Yambol and captured it on 25 July. The Ottoman invasion, more than
5460-567: The 2nd Bulgarian Army and driven the Bulgarians entirely out of Macedonia. The defensive victory, along with the successes to the north of the 1st and 3rd armies, protected western Bulgaria from a Serbian invasion. Although this boosted the Bulgarians, the situation was critical in the south, with the Greek Army . The Serbian front had become static. Seeing that the Bulgarian Army in front of him had already been defeated, King Constantine ordered
5600-566: The 4th and 5th Bulgarian armies. The Bulgarians dug into strong positions around the village of Kalimantsi , at the Bregalnica river in the northeastern Macedonia region. On 18 July, the Serbian 3rd army attacked, closing in on Bulgarian positions. The Bulgarians held firm, and the artillery successfully broke up the Serb attacks. If the Serbs had broken through the Bulgarian defences, they might have doomed
5740-563: The Balkans. On 8 June, he sent an identical personal message to the Kings of Bulgaria and Serbia, offering to act as arbitrator according to the provisions of the 1912 Serbo-Bulgarian treaty. Serbia was asking for a revision of the original treaty since it had already lost north Albania due to the Great Powers' decision to establish the state of Albania, which had been recognized as Serbian territory under
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5880-466: The Bulgarian army failed to capture the city in the First Battle of Çatalca . Even worse, the concentration on capturing Thrace and Constantinople ultimately caused the loss of most of Macedonia, including Thessaloniki, and that could not be accepted, leading the Bulgarian military leadership around Tsar Ferdinand to decide upon a war against its former allies. However, with the Ottomans unwilling to accept
6020-606: The Bulgarian border. The Greeks captured Dojran on 5 July but were unable to cut off the Bulgarian retreat through Struma Pass . On 11 July, the Greeks came in contact with the Serbs and then pushed up the Struma River . Meanwhile, the Greek forces, with the support of their navy, landed in Kavala and then penetrated inland to western Thrace. On 19 July, the Greeks captured Nevrokop , and on 25 July, in another amphibious operation, entered Dedeagac (today Alexandroupoli) , thus cutting off
6160-428: The Bulgarian offensive and counterattacked, entering Bulgaria. With Bulgaria also having previously engaged in territorial disputes with Romania and the bulk of Bulgarian forces engaged in the south, the prospect of an easy victory incited Romanian intervention against Bulgaria. The Ottoman Empire also took advantage of the situation to regain some lost territories from the previous war. When Romanian troops approached
6300-582: The Bulgarians completely from the Aegean sea. The 4th Bulgarian army held the most important position in the attempted conquest of Serbian Macedonia. The fighting began on 29–30 June 1913, between the 4th Bulgarian army and the 1st and 3rd Serbian armies, first along the Zletovska and then after a Bulgarian retreat, along the Bregalnica. Internal confusion led to heavy Bulgarian losses in 1–3 July. The Serbs captured
6440-673: The Byzantine Greek world, until it was pillaged and briefly occupied by the Bulgarians . In 1185, the environs of the city were pillaged by a Norman invasion, and in the Battle of Serres in 1195/6 the Byzantines were defeated by the rebellious Bulgarian ruler Ivan Asen I . After the Fourth Crusade , Boniface of Montferrat took over the city, but shortly after Kaloyan of Bulgaria defeated
6580-561: The Byzantines under Manuel II Palaiologos (then governor of Thessalonica ) retook Serres. Serres fell to the Ottoman Empire for the first time briefly in 1371, and definitely on 19 September 1383—although the Ottoman sources give several earlier and contradictory dates, the date is securely established by multiple Greek sources. The city (Siroz in Turkish) and the surrounding region became
6720-403: The Crusaders of the Latin Empire and captured the city, until it was retaken by the Crusaders in the early 1230s. According to George Akropolites , Kaloyan almost destroyed the city, reducing it from a sizeable urban centre to a small settlement clustered around the fortified citadel, while the lower town was protected by a weak stone wall. The city returned to Byzantine rule in 1246, when it
6860-421: The Enos–Midia line and on 20 July 1913 crossed the line and invaded Bulgaria. The entire Ottoman invasion force contained between 200,000 and 250,000 men under the command of Ahmed Izzet Pasha . The 1st Army was stationed at the eastern (Midia) end of the line. From east to west it was followed by the 2nd Army , 3rd Army and 4th Army , which was stationed at Gelibolu. In the face of the advancing Ottomans,
7000-408: The Enos–Midia line, drawn from Midia ( Kıyıköy ) on the Black Sea coast to Enos ( Enez ) on the Aegean Sea coast, on an uti possidetis basis, and created an independent Albania . However, the relations between the victorious Balkan allies quickly soured over the division of the spoils, specifically in Macedonia. During the prewar negotiations that resulted in the Balkan League's establishment,
7140-447: The First Balkan War in the town. Probably the most well-known food from Serres is bougatsa . Additionally, gyros and souvlaki are standard forms of Greek cuisine served in many restaurants and taverns. One delicacy that is truly unique to the region is Akanés , which is a type of gourmet candy delight prepared according to a secret recipe since the beginning of the 20th century by the Roumbos family. Allegedly, Aristeidis Roumbos,
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#17328694753487280-416: The Greek Army to march further into Bulgarian territory and take the capital city of Sofia. Constantine wanted a decisive victory despite objections by his Prime Minister, Eleftherios Venizelos , who realized that the Serbs, having won their territorial objectives, now adopted a passive stance and shifted the weight of carrying the rest of the war to the Greeks. In the pass of Kresna ( Battle of Kresna Gorge ),
7420-417: The Greek School of Serres, which he directed until 1745. The school was maintained by donations from wealthy Greek merchants, among them Ioannes Constas from Vienna with 10,800 florins and the banker and tragic leader of the Greek War of Independence in Macedonia Emmanouil Pappas , who donated 1,000 Turkish silver coins. Minas Minoides taught philosophy and grammar in 1815–19. The school operated also in
7560-438: The Greeks were ambushed by the Bulgarian 2nd and 4th armies, which had newly arrived from the Serbian front and had taken defensive positions there. By 21 July, the Greek army was outnumbered by the now counterattacking Bulgarians, and the Bulgarian General Staff, attempting to encircle the Greeks in a Cannae -type battle, was applying pressure on their flanks. However, after bitter fighting, the Greek side managed to break through
7700-438: The Kresna pass and captured Simitli on 26 July, while at the night of 27–28 July, the Bulgarian forces were pushed north to Gorna Dzhumaya ( Blagoevgrad ), 76 km south of Sofia . Meanwhile, the Greek forces continued their march inland into western Thrace, on 26 July, they entered Xanthi and the next day Komotini . On 28 July, the Bulgarian army, under heavy pressure, was forced to abandon Gorna Dzhumaya. The Greek army
7840-418: The Macedonian front. The Kingdom of Romania had the largest army in the Balkans, although it had not seen action since the Romanian War of Independence against the Ottomans in 1878. Its peacetime strength was 6,149 officers and 94,170 men, and it was well equipped by Balkan standards, possessing 126 field batteries, fifteen howitzer and three mountain batteries made primarily by Krupp . Upon mobilizing,
7980-418: The Ottomans were wounded. The sacrifice of these Armenians was praised greatly in Turkish papers. To help Bulgaria repulse the rapid Ottoman advance in Thrace, Russia threatened to attack the Ottoman Empire through the Caucasus and send its Black Sea Fleet to Constantinople; this caused Britain to intervene. The Bulgarian command began to transfer troops to Thrace and on 20 July, with increasing resistance,
8120-415: The Romanian army mustered 417,720 men allocated to five army corps. Some 80,000 were assembled to occupy the Southern Dobruja , while an army of 250,000 was assembled to carry the main offensive into Bulgaria. The primary Bulgarian attack was planned against the Serbs with their 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Armies, while the 2nd army was tasked with an attack toward Greek positions around Thessaloniki. However, in
8260-429: The Romanian invasion convinced the Ottomans to invade the territories just ceded to Bulgaria. The main object of the invasion was the recovery of Edirne (Adrianople), which was held by Major General Vulko Velchev with a mere 4,000 troops. Most Bulgarian forces occupying East Thrace had been withdrawn to face the Serbo-Greek attack earlier in the year. On 12 July, Ottoman troops garrisoning Çatalca and Gelibolu reached
8400-480: The Romanian, incited panic among the peasantry, many of whom fled to the mountains. Among the leadership, it was recognized as a complete reversal of fortune. In the words of historian Richard Hall, "[t]he battlefields of eastern Thrace, where so many Bulgarian soldiers had died to win the First Balkan War, were again under Ottoman control." Like the Romanians, the Ottomans suffered no combat casualties but lost 4,000 soldiers to cholera. Some 8000 Armenians fighting for
8540-485: The Serbs angrily replied that that was a blatant withdrawal from the prewar agreement of mutual understanding according to the Kriva Palanka-Adriatic line of expansion. The Bulgarians insisted that the Vardar Macedonian part of the agreement remained active, and the Serbs were still obliged to surrender the area as agreed. The Serbs responded by accusing the Bulgarians of maximalism, pointing out that if they lost both northern Albania and Vardar Macedonia, their participation in
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#17328694753488680-423: The Serres Campus of the International Hellenic University (former " Technological Educational Institute of Central Macedonia "), composed of the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Economics and Management, and the Department of Interior Architecture and Design. The head of the Faculty of Engineering of the International Hellenic University is located in Serres. The Ancient Greek historian Herodotus mentions
8820-401: The Turkish advance was halted. According to the 1918 book Destruction of the Thracian Bulgarians in 1913 , Ottoman forces perpetrated atrocities against the Bulgarians in Eastern Thrace during the invasion and aftermath. As the Romanian army closed in on Sofia, Bulgaria asked Russia to mediate. On 13 July, Prime Minister Stoyan Danev resigned in the face of Russian inactivity. On 17 July,
8960-449: The actual number of casualties, including wounded and adding the newly conscripted men produces no less than 576,878 men. The army was experiencing shortages of war materials and had only 378,998 rifles at its disposal. The 1st and 3rd armies (under generals Vasil Kutinchev and Radko Dimitriev respectively) were deployed along the old Serbian-Bulgarian borders, with the 5th Army under general Stefan Toshev around Kyustendil , and
9100-406: The aftermath of the Christian victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, Turkish reprisals were directed at the Greek population, who had risen in revolt. The metropolitan cathedral of Serres was looted along with seven other churches, while land and land titles owned by the Monastery of St John the Baptist were confiscated. Much information on the town's history in the years 1598–1642 is given by
9240-424: The beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. The ancient city was built on a high and steep hill (known as "Koulas") just north of Serres. It held a strategic position, since it controlled a land road that followed the valley of the river Strymon from the shores of Strymonian Gulf to the Danubian countries. The most ancient known inhabitants of the area were the Bryges ( Phrygians ) and Strymonians. Afterwards were
9380-432: The borders of the occupation zones with the Bulgarians against the Serbs and the Greeks. Responding to the perceived Bulgarian threat, Serbia started negotiations with Greece, which also had reasons to be concerned about Bulgarian intentions. On 19 May/1 June 1913, two days after the signing of the Treaty of London and just 28 days before the Bulgarian attack, Greece and Serbia signed a secret defensive alliance , confirming
9520-414: The capital Sofia , Bulgaria asked for an armistice, resulting in the Treaty of Bucharest , in which Bulgaria had to cede portions of its First Balkan War gains to Serbia, Greece and Romania. In the Treaty of Constantinople , it lost Adrianople to the Ottomans. The political developments and military preparations for the Second Balkan War attracted an estimated 200 to 300 war correspondents from around
9660-523: The chronicle of the priest Synadinos, a former merchant who became a priest. The town is also described in some detail by the 17th-century Ottoman travellers Haji Khalifa and Evliya Çelebi , as well as the Capuchin friar Robert de Dreux . Evliya records a prosperous settlement, comprising the 10 Christian quarters of the old town, and 30 Muslim quarters in the new town, with about 2,000 and 4,000 houses respectively, 12 main mosques and 91 smaller ones, 26 madrasahs , two tekkes and five baths. It boasted
9800-420: The city as Siris (Σίρις) in the 5th century BC. Theopompus refers to the city as Sirra (Σίρρα). Later, it is mentioned as Sirae , in the plural, by the Roman historian Livy . Since then the name of the city has remained plural and by the 5th century AD it was already in the contemporary form as Serrae or Sérrai (Σέρραι) (plural), which remained the Katharevousa form for the name till modern times. In
9940-422: The city is the Serres Circuit. It was built in 1998 in accordance with the construction requirements of up to Formula 3 races. The racetrack is the largest in Greece and meets the construction specifications of the International Automobile Federation and of the International Motorcycling Federation . It is a municipal corporation with majority shareholder the Municipality of Serres. In the city of Serres there
10080-703: The city, connecting the city with Thessaloniki and the Greek-Bulgarian border of Promachonas. The Urban KTEL of Serres (has undertaken the transport within the city, while the Intercity KTEL of Serres connects the city with other cities of Macedonia and the rest of Greece. Outside the city the railway station is located, on the Thessaloniki-Alexandroupoli Line , with local and regional services to Thessaloniki and Alexandroupolis . The City of Serres attracts high attention for motor sports. In
10220-645: The city, while one division and independent units (24,416 men) were left in Epirus . With the eruption of hostilities, the 8th Infantry Division (stationed in Epirus) was transferred to the front, and with the arrival of recruits, the army's strength in the Macedonian theatre increased eventually to some 145,000 men with 176 guns. King Constantine I assumed command of the Greek forces, with Lt. General Viktor Dousmanis as his chief of staff. The Kingdom of Montenegro sent one division of 12,000 men under General Janko Vukotić to
10360-510: The city. In the early 16th century, Serres was visited by the French traveller Pierre Belon, who reported that the town was mainly inhabited by Greeks alongside German and Sephardi communities, while the people in the surrounding country spoke Greek and Bulgarian. In 1519 ( Hijri 925) the town had 684 Muslim and 545 Non-Muslim households 54 of which being Jewish households; it was a has of the Sultan. In
10500-499: The common war would have been virtually for nothing. When Bulgaria called upon Serbia to honour the prewar agreement over northern Macedonia, the Serbs, displeased at the Great Powers' requiring them to give up their gains in north Albania, adamantly refused to evacuate any more territory. The developments ended the Serbo-Bulgarian alliance and made a future war between the two countries inevitable. Soon, minor clashes broke out along
10640-462: The confectioner who invented this candy, disclosed the recipe to one of his loyal trainees, who then proceeded to establish a rival akanes business. Nevertheless, the Roumbos family, to this day, continues to produce this delight in their quaint workshop, which is reminiscent of life in the 1950s. Another popular dessert of the area is Poniró , similar to sfogliatella . [REDACTED] E79 passes near
10780-438: The crucial opening days of the war, only the 4th Army and 2nd Army were ordered to advance. This allowed the Serbs to concentrate their forces against the attacking Bulgarians and hold their advance. The Bulgarians were outnumbered on the Greek front, and the low-level fighting soon turned into a Greek attack all along the line on 19 June. The Bulgarian forces were forced to withdraw from their positions north of Thessaloniki (except
10920-536: The cults of the residents, except the known panhellenic cults ( Dionysus , Zeus , Dioscuri , Apollo , Asclepius , Artemis and Isis ), are evidenced and some local and Thracian cults as the Thracian horseman (or "Hero"). Many inscriptions of Roman (imperial) times have been found in the city (and to the early 1960s in the surrounding area). From these inscriptions (almost all written in Greek and only three in Latin ),
11060-514: The current demarcation line between the two occupation zones as their mutual border and concluding an alliance in case of an attack from Bulgaria or from Austria-Hungary . With this agreement, Serbia succeeded in making Greece a part of its dispute over northern Macedonia, since Greece had guaranteed Serbia's current (and disputed) occupation zone in Macedonia. In an attempt to halt the Serbo-Greek rapprochement, Bulgarian Prime Minister Geshov signed
11200-658: The decisive military act of the Second Balkan War." On the day of Romania's declaration, 80,000 men of the 5th Corps under General Ioan Culcer invaded Dobruja, occupying a front from Tutrakan to Balchik. The corps cavalry occupied the port city of Varna until it was clear that there would be no Bulgarian resistance. On the night of 14–15 July, the Danube Army under Prince Ferdinand crossed into Bulgaria at Oryahovo , Gigen and Nikopol . The initial occupation completed, Romanian forces were divided into two groups: one advanced westward, towards Ferdinand (now Montana ), and
11340-707: The delegations took a train from Niš to Bucharest on 24 July. When the delegations met in Bucharest on 30 July, the Serbs were led by Pašić, the Montenegrins by Vukotić, the Greeks by Venizelos, the Romanians by Titu Maiorescu and the Bulgarians by Finance Minister Dimitur Tonchev . They agreed to a five-day armistice to come into effect on 31 July. Romania refused to allow the Ottomans to participate, forcing Bulgaria to negotiate with them separately. Bulgaria had agreed to cede Southern Dobruja to Romania as early as 19 July. At
11480-405: The destruction of many Bulgarian villages in the region. On the Bulgarian right, Greek Evzones captured Gevgelija and the heights of Matsikovo. Consequentially, the Bulgarian line of retreat through Dojran was threatened, and Ivanov's army began a desperate retreat, threatening at times to become a rout. Reinforcements from the 14th division came too late, joining the retreat towards Strumica and
11620-486: The direct control of Tsar Ferdinand and without notifying the government, ordered Bulgarian troops to start a surprise attack simultaneously against both the Serbian and Greek positions without declaring war and to dismiss any orders contradicting the attack order. The next day the government pressured the General Staff to order the army to cease hostilities, which caused confusion and loss of initiative and failed to remedy
11760-409: The early 20th century. He mentions 750 households. 450 of them Bulgarian, 200 Aromanian and 100 Turkish. At first both Bulgarians and Aromanians adhered the same liturgy and they belonged to a unified church that was serving in Greek. The oldest school that ever existed in the village is mentioned in 1819. It was a Greek elementary school that was attended by Aromanians and a few Bulgarian children of
11900-520: The eight are votive or honorific and all other on epitaph reliefs or steles. The first attested bishop of the city is recorded as participating in the Second Council of Ephesus in 449. In c. 803 Emperor Nikephoros I rebuilt the town and installed a strong garrison against the Slavic tribes of the Balkans. The city's history was uneventful until the 10th century, being in the heartland of
12040-471: The event of a Serbian-Bulgarian war. On 5 February, Romania settled her differences over Transylvania with Austria-Hungary, signing a military alliance, and on 28 June, officially warned Bulgaria that it would not remain neutral in a new Balkan war. As skirmishing continued in Macedonia, mainly between Serbian and Bulgarian troops, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia tried to stop the upcoming conflict since Russia did not wish to lose either of its Slavic allies in
12180-590: The highest was 44.6 °C (112.3 °F) on July 25, 2007. In June 2024, the Hellenic National Meteorological Service station in Serres reached a mean maximum temperature of 37.6 °C (99.7 °F) which is along with Sparta Greece's record for June. Also, in July 2024 Serres reached a mean maximum temperature of 39.1 °C (102.4 °F) which is Greece's record to date. Serres
12320-585: The important city of Vidin . The Bulgarian rear was entirely exposed, no resistance had been offered, the capital was open to the invader, and the country's northwestern corner was cut off and surrounded. During the invasion, the fledgling Romanian Air Corps performed photoreconnaissance and propaganda leaflet drops. Sofia became the first capital city in the world to be overflown by enemy aircraft. Romania did not count any combat casualties during its brief war. Its forces were struck by an outbreak of cholera , which cut down 1,600 men. The lack of resistance to
12460-514: The inhabitants indulge in various other occupations; primarily silk, so the village is surrounded by gardens surrounded by mulberries. There are also cattle breeders, tailors, shoemakers, blacksmiths. Tobacco is also sown, mostly flax. The Vlachs [referring to the Aromanians ], as is their wont, are aligned to the Greek Orthodox Church ; have a church "St. Bogoroditsa ”and “St. Nicholas” and
12600-499: The isolated battalion stationed in the city itself, which was quickly overrun) to defensive positions between Kilkis and Struma river. The plan to rapidly destroy the Serbian army in central Macedonia by concentrated attack turned out to be unrealistic, with the Bulgarian army starting to retreat even before Romanian intervention, and the Greek advance necessitated the disengagement of forces to defend Sofia. The Bulgarian 2nd army in southern Macedonia, commanded by General Ivanov, held
12740-475: The known Greek institutions, which were the parliament ( boule ), the citizen body ( demos ) and the archons ( politarchai , agoranomoi , gymnasiarchai , high priests etc.). It was also the seat of a federation of five cities (" Pentapolis ") and actively participated in the provincial life and organization of the Macedonians; while many residents, mostly members of the local aristocracy, had received
12880-481: The lack of realistic thinking in Bulgarian leadership was that although Russia had sent clear warnings expressed for the first time on 5 November 1912 (well before the First Battle of Çatalca ) that if the Bulgarian army occupied Constantinople they would attack it, they continued their attempts to take the city. Although the Bulgarian army succeeded in capturing Edirne , Tsar Ferdinand's ambition in crowning himself Emperor in Constantinople also proved unrealistic when
13020-427: The land between it and Romania and the Bulgarian refusal to accept any cession of its territory. However, the fact that Russia failed to protect the territorial integrity of Bulgaria made the Bulgarians uncertain of the reliability of the expected Russian arbitration of the dispute with Serbia. The Bulgarian behaviour also had a long-term impact on Russo-Bulgarian relations. The uncompromising Bulgarian position to review
13160-552: The largest possible hinterland. If Adrianople is in the possession of the Turks, they shall get it too." Resigned to losing Edirne, the Bulgarians played for Kırk Kilise (Lozengrad in Bulgarian). Both sides made competing declarations: Savov that "Bulgaria, who defeated the Turks on all fronts, cannot end this glorious campaign with the signing of an agreement which retains none of the battlefields on which so much Bulgarian blood has been shed," and Mahmud Pasha that "[w]hat we have taken
13300-566: The limits of its territory have also discovered traces of marble quarries and iron mines, which indicate systematic exploitation of the existing mineral wealth in the imperial period (1st to 3rd century AD). In terms of population, except the most numerous Greek element, are recognized some population substrates even from prehistoric times. Concerning the society, the main feature was its distinction in upper (rich) and lower (poor) social strata ( honestiores and humiliores in Latin). Finally, concerning
13440-527: The local Greek dialect, the city is still known as "ta Serras" (τα Σέρρας), which is actually a corruption of the plural accusative "tas Serras" (τας Σέρρας) of the archaic form "Serrae". The oldest mention of this form is attested in a document of the Docheiariou Monastery in Mount Athos from 1383, while there are many other such references in documents from the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. It
13580-568: The loss of Thrace in the east, and an enraged Romania (in the north), the decision to open war against both Greece (to the south) and Serbia (to the west) was a rather adventurous one, since in May the Ottoman Empire had urgently requested a German mission to reorganize the Ottoman army. By mid-June, Bulgaria became aware of the agreement between Serbia and Greece in case of a Bulgarian attack. On 27 June, Montenegro announced that it would side with Serbia in
13720-420: The major city of Serres (a predominantly Greek town surrounded by both Bulgarian – to the north and west – and Greek – to the east and south – villages ), and the towns of Nigrita , Doxato and Demir Hisar , ostensibly as a retaliation for the burning of the Bulgarian town of Kilkis by the Greeks, which had taken place after the named battle, as well as
13860-482: The most important towns in Macedonia. The development of railways, highways and sea transport by steamship diminished the importance of the annual fairs for which the city was famous, and commercial activity declined in the late 19th century. In 1886, the Greek colonel N. Schinas described the city as having 28,000 inhabitants, 26 churches and 22 mosques, two Greek and six Turkish schools, 24 khans and an enclosed market. The city recovered some of its importance when it
14000-468: The newly occupied areas, using 21,000 of them to form the Seres , Drama and Odrin (Edirne) independent brigades. It is known that there were no demobilized men. According to the Bulgarian command, the army had 7,693 officers and 492,528 soldiers in its ranks on 16 June (including the three brigades mentioned above). This gives a difference of 99,657 men in strength between the two wars. In comparison, subtracting
14140-511: The official Bulgarian history of the war before 1932). All modern historians agree that Ivanov underestimated the number of his soldiers, but the Greek army still had a numerical superiority. The Greek Headquarters also estimated the numbers of their opponents from 80,000 to 105,000 men. A large part of Ivanov's forces, and especially the Drama Brigade and the Seres Brigade, were composed of completely untrained local recruits. The Greek army, commanded by King Constantine I, had eight divisions and
14280-764: The old Byzantine town, as well as many of the newer Muslim quarters. As the National Schism erupted in Greece during the First World War , Serres was temporarily occupied by the Central Powers after King Constantine ordered the local garrison not to resist to a token force of the Imperial German Army ; eventually the city was liberated in 1917 by Greek-French Entente forces under the Venizelos government. During
14420-399: The opposing armies was the distribution of artillery. The nine-division-strong Greek Army had 176 guns, and the ten-division-strong Serbian army had 230. The Bulgarians had 1,116, a ratio of 6:1 against the Greeks and 5:1 against the Serbian army. There is a dispute over the strength of the Bulgarian army during the Second Balkan War. At the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Bulgaria mobilized
14560-430: The other advanced southwestward, towards Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, everywhere preceded by a wide fan of cavalry troops in reconnaissance. On 18 July, Romania took Ferdinand, and on 20 July, they occupied Vratsa , 116 km north of Sofia. On 23 July, advanced cavalry forces had entered Vrazhdebna , a suburb only 7 miles (11 km) from Sofia. The Romanians and Serbs linked up at Belogradchik on 25 July, isolating
14700-400: The outnumbered Bulgarian forces retreated to the prewar border. Edirne was abandoned on 19 July, but, since the Ottomans did not occupy it immediately, the Bulgarians re-occupied it the next day (20 July). Since it was apparent that the Ottomans were not stopping, it was abandoned a second time on 21 July and occupied by the Ottomans on 23 July. Edirne had been conquered by Sultan Murad I in
14840-516: The peace talks in Bucharest, the Romanians, having obtained their primary objective, were a voice for moderation. The Bulgarians hoped to keep the Vardar River as the boundary between their share of Macedonia and Serbia's. The latter preferred to retain all of Macedonia as far as the Struma . Austro-Hungarian and Russian pressure forced Serbia to be satisfied with most of northern Macedonia, conceding only
14980-662: The period of the Greek War of Independence under Argyrios Paparizou from Siatista . A great fire in 1849 destroyed most of the city's 31 surviving churches. Serres became a regular province c. 1846 as the Sanjak of Siroz of the Salonica Eyalet (later Salonica Vilayet ). In the late 19th century, the kaza of Serres had a total population of 83.499, consisting of 31.210 Muslims, 31.148 Greeks , 19.494 Bulgarians , 995 Jews , 5 Armenians and 647 foreign citizens, and ranked, along with Monastir and Salonica, as one of
15120-407: The present." Tsar Nicholas II of Russia was already angry with Bulgaria because the latter refused to honour its recently signed agreement with Romania over Silistra, which resulted from Russian arbitration. Then Serbia and Greece proposed that each of the three countries reduce its army by one-fourth as a first step to facilitate a peaceful solution, but Bulgaria rejected it. Bulgaria was already on
15260-487: The prewar Serbo-Bulgarian treaty, in exchange for Bulgarian expansion in northern Macedonia. The Bulgarian reply to the Russian invitation contained so many conditions that it amounted to an ultimatum , leading Russian diplomats to realize that the Bulgarians had already decided to go to war with Serbia. That caused Russia to cancel the arbitration initiative and angrily repudiate its 1902 treaty of alliance with Bulgaria. Bulgaria
15400-556: The prewar agreement with Serbia during a second Russian initiative for arbitration finally led Russia to cancel its alliance with Bulgaria. Both acts made conflict with Romania and Serbia inevitable. In 1912, Bulgaria's national aspirations, as expressed by Tsar Ferdinand and the military leadership around him, exceeded the provisions of the 1878 Treaty of San Stefano , considered even then as maximalistic , since it included both Eastern and Western Thrace and all Macedonia with Thessaloniki, Edirne and Constantinople . Early evidence of
15540-536: The right of Roman citizenship and were promoted to senior provincial dignities. As a city-state ( polis ), apart from the usual Greek institutions, Sirra also had its own territory ( chora ), which roughly coincided with the area of the modern province of Serres . The organization of its territory was based on villages ( komai , sing. kome ), whose many sites have been found in various places near modern villages, such as Lefkonas , Oreini , Ano Vrontou , Neo Souli , Agio Pnevma , Chryso , Paralimnio etc. Within
15680-526: The rights of the Kutzovlachs in Macedonia. Romania threatened to occupy Bulgarian territory by force, but a Russian proposal for arbitration prevented hostilities. In the resulting Protocol of St. Petersburg of 9 May 1913 , Bulgaria agreed to give up Silistra. The resulting agreement was a compromise between the Romanian demands for the city, two triangles at the Bulgaria–Romania border and Balchik and
15820-447: The role of victors and will take care of our interests only." Although Austria-Hungary and Russia supported Bulgaria, the influential alliance of Germany—whose Kaiser Wilhelm II was brother-in-law to the Greek king—and France secured Kavala for Greece. Bulgaria retained the underdeveloped port of Dedeagac (Alexandroupoli). The last day of negotiations was 8 August. On 10 August, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia signed
15960-467: The secretary of the exarchate, in 1905 there were 3,840 Bulgarian exarchatists, 25 ethnic Greeks, and 750 Aromanians. There was a Bulgarian elementary school and a Greek elementary and middle-high school. The Bulgarian 7th Rila Division controlled the village expelling the Ottoman authorities in October 1912, during the First Balkan War . During the Second Balkan War , on July 9, 1913, the Greek army captured
16100-510: The settlement is in Bulgarian : Горни Порой . This is to differentiate it from the 'Lower Poroia' settlement one kilometer to the west. Ano Poroia was founded in the end of the 18th century (c. 1800), by Aromanians (primarily) of Pindus mountain after expulsions led by Ali Pasha of Ioannina . During the 19th century the village was one of the largest and developed in Demirhisar Kaza of
16240-484: The settlement of refugees from Asia Minor in 1922. Sights are the cobbled streets of "mahalades", the aesthetic forest with the plane trees and the hagiographed chapels of Agios Georgios and Agios Dimitrios . The village is suitable for tourism throughout the year. In the area, there are businesses such as restaurants, cafes and hotels. Activities that one can indulge in are hiking, horse riding, mountaineering and 4x4 routes. There are also hiking trails, while mountaineering
16380-479: The site of a mint from 1413/14 on. In 1454/55, the city is estimated to have had some 6,200 inhabitants. The Muslim population grew steadily, and in the 15th century there were 25 Muslim to 45 Christian quarters. Towards the end of the 15th century, the first Sephardi Jews arrived from Sicily and Spain, and the Grand Vizier Koca Mustafa Pasha funded various public and charitable buildings in
16520-444: The standard divisional structure in most armies, as was also the case with the Greek and Serbian militaries in 1913. Consequently, although the Bulgarian army had 599,878 men mobilized at the beginning of the First Balkan War, there were only nine organizational divisions, giving a divisional strength closer to an Army Corps than to a Division. Tactical necessities during and after the First Balkan War modified this original structure:
16660-835: The state of undeclared war. In response to the government pressure, Tsar Ferdinand dismissed General Savov and replaced him with General Dimitriev as commander-in-chief. Bulgaria intended to defeat the Serbs and Greeks and to occupy areas as large as possible before the Great Powers interfered to end the hostilities. To provide the necessary superiority in arms, the entire Bulgarian army was committed to these operations. No provisions were made in case of an (officially declared) Romanian intervention or an Ottoman counterattack, strangely assuming that Russia would assure that no attack would come from those directions, even though on 9 June Russia had angrily repudiated its Bulgarian alliance and shifted its diplomacy towards Romania (Russia already had named Romania's King Carol an honorary Russian field marshal, as
16800-615: The town of Štip to the Bulgarians, in Pašić's words, "in honour of General Fichev," who had brought Bulgarian arms to the door of Constantinople in the first war. Ivan Fichev was chief of the Bulgarian general staff and a member of the delegation in Bucharest at the time. When Fichev explained why Bulgaria deserved Kavala , a port on the Aegean occupied by the Greeks, Venizelos is said to have responded, "General, we are not responsible. Before [29] June, we were afraid of you and offered you Serres and Drama and Kavala, but now when we see you, we assume
16940-568: The town's first mosque, the Old Mosque ( Eski Camii ), now destroyed, in 1385, as well as the Old Baths ( Eski Hammam ). In the same year, Sultan Murad I used the city as a base for operations against the Serbs. During the Ottoman Interregnum , the rebel Sheikh Bedreddin was executed in the city in 1412. Although never rising to particular prominence within the Ottoman Empire, Serres became
17080-504: The track to war since a new cabinet had been formed in Bulgaria where the pacifist Geshov was replaced by the hardliner and head of a Russophile party, Danev, as premier. There is some evidence that to overcome Tsar Ferdinand's reservations over a new war against Serbia and Greece, certain personalities in Sofia threatened to overthrow him. In any case, on 16 June, the Bulgarian high command, under
17220-702: The tsar appointed Vasil Radoslavov to head a pro-German and Russophobic government. On 20 July, via Saint Petersburg, the Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Pašić invited a Bulgarian delegation to treat with the allies directly at Niš in Serbia. The Serbs and Greeks, both now on the offensive, were in no rush to conclude a peace. On 22 July, Tsar Ferdinand sent a message to King Carol via the Italian ambassador in Bucharest. The Romanian armies halted before Sofia. Romania proposed that talks be moved to Bucharest, and
17360-617: The village (including Aromanians). In the 1920s, Greek refugees from Asia Minor were resettled in the village. It was occupied again by Bulgaria in periods of 1916-1917 and 1941-1944. The village is located at the foot of Mount Belles, overlooking the valley and Lake Kerkini. The settlement preserves the characteristics of the Macedonian Architecture brought by the Aromanians from Epirus and Western Macedonia along with their customs and traditions, which were "married" perfectly later with
17500-460: The village. After the war, the village remained within the borders of Greece. A large portion of the Bulgarian population, as well some Aromanians, emigrated to south Bulgaria. They went primarily to the towns of Petrich , Blagoevgrad , and Plovdiv , and to the villages on the northern slopes of Belasitsa , Belasitsa , Kolarovo , Samuilovo , Klyuch , Skrat . In 1913 according to the Greek statistic ministry there were 2.684 Greek Macedonians in
17640-533: The war, the Serbs succeeded in capturing an area far south of the agreed border, down to the Bitola – Gevgelija line (both in Serbian hands). At the same time, the Greeks advanced north, occupying Thessaloniki shortly before the Bulgarians arrived and establishing a common Greek border with Serbia. When Bulgarian delegates in London bluntly warned the Serbs that they must not expect Bulgarian support on their Adriatic claims,
17780-588: The wealthier class. The first conflict between Greeks and Bulgarians was registered in 1883, when Bulgarians tried and achieved to separate from the Greek church and education and regenerate their own. According to Vasil Kanchov , in 1891 the village had two Bulgarian churches (serving in Church-Slavonic) and an Aromanian church (serving in Greek). There were two Bulgarian elementary schools, and one Greek elementary school that
17920-470: The whole 7th Division of the 4th Bulgarian Army, without any fight. By 8 July, the Bulgarian army had been severely defeated. On the north, the Bulgarians started to advance towards the Serbian border town of Pirot and forced Serbian Command to send reinforcements to the 2nd army defending Pirot and Niš . This enabled Bulgarians to stop the Serbian offensive in Macedonia at Kalimanci on 18 July. On 13 July 1913, General Mihail Savov assumed control of
18060-482: The world. During the First Balkan War , which began in October 1912, the Balkan League ( Bulgaria , Serbia , Montenegro and Greece ) succeeded in driving out the Ottoman Empire from its European provinces ( Albania , Macedonia , Sandžak and Thrace ), leaving the Ottomans with only East Thrace . The Treaty of London , signed on 30 May 1913, which ended the war, acknowledged the Balkan states' gains west of
18200-471: The year and rainfall is fairly light year round. July and August are the driest months. Due to its inland location Serres has particularly hot summers, while winters are cool but rarely very cold. According to the HNMS climate Atlas the Serres regional unit reaches an average annual sunshine close to 2.600 hours. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Serres was −23.0 °C (−9.4 °F) on January 27, 1963 while
18340-533: Was connected via railway to Salonica and Constantinople in 1896. During the last decades of Ottoman rule, the once dominant cultivation of cotton was replaced by tobacco . In the early 20th century, the city became a focus of anti-Ottoman unrest, which resulted in the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising of 1903. The Ottoman census of 1905 registered 42,000 inhabitants. A Bulgarian army commanded by General Georgi Todorov captured Serres during
18480-406: Was King Peter I , with Radomir Putnik as his chief of staff and effective field commander. By early June, the army of the Kingdom of Greece had some 142,000 armed men with nine infantry divisions and one cavalry brigade. The bulk of the army with eight divisions and a cavalry brigade (117,861 men) was gathered in Macedonia, positioned in an arc covering Thessaloniki to the north and northeast of
18620-559: Was a native of Serres, and as a result its people could count on the support of the central Greek government in Athens . However, the villages in the plains around the city were not so lucky; the low prices of agricultural products led many people of these villages to emigrate, mostly to the United States and West Germany . As of 2015 , the Mayor of Serres is Petros Angelidis (independent, formerly
18760-574: Was attended by Aromanians. According to Kantchov, there were 3,780 people living in the village around 1900. 2,200 of them were Bulgarian, 480 were Turkish, and 1,100 Aromanian. In 1891 Georgi Strezov wrote about the village: Gorni Poroy, a large village at the foot of Belasitsa . It is a 12 hour voyage NW from Serres . The houses are densely built, so they look like they are stacked on top of each other. This village, as well as Dolni Poroy suffer from frequent torrents, which flow from Belasitsa during heavy rain; hence their names. The earth being stony,
18900-645: Was captured by the Nicaean Empire . By the 14th century, the city had regained its former size and prosperity, so that Nikephoros Gregoras called it a "large and marvelous" city. Taking advantage of the Byzantine civil war of 1341–47 , the Serbs besieged and took the city on 25 September 1345. It became the capital of Stefan Dušan 's Serbian Empire . Dušan rebuilt the citadel for the last time. After Dušan's death in 1355 his realm fell into feudal anarchy, and Serres became
19040-472: Was exhausted and faced logistical difficulties, but resisted strenuously and launched local counterattacks. By 30 July, the Bulgarian army downscaled its attacks, having to repulse Greek counterattacks on both sides. On the eastern flank, the Greek army launched a counterattack towards Mehomia through the Predela pass. The offensive was stopped by the Bulgarians on the eastern side of the pass and fighting ground to
19180-612: Was known as Serez or Siroz in Turkish . In the Slavic languages , the city is known as Ser (Сер) in Macedonian , while in Bulgarian it is known as Syar (Сяр) or Ser (Сер). In Aromanian , Serres is known as Siar or Nsiar . Although the earliest mention of Serres (as Siris ) is dating in the 5th century BC (Herodotus), the city was founded long before the Trojan War , probably at
19320-422: Was led by Foreign Minister Mehmed Talat Bey , assisted by future Naval Minister Çürüksulu Mahmud Pasha and Halil Bey . Although Russia tried to intervene throughout August to prevent Edirne from becoming Turkish again, Toshev told the Ottomans at Constantinople that "[t]he Russians consider Constantinople their natural inheritance. Their main concern is that when Constantinople falls into their hands it shall have
19460-588: Was not sure whether their forces were enough to defeat the Greek army but believed them to be enough for defending the south front as a worst-case scenario until the arrival of reinforcements after defeating the Serbs to the north. According to the Military Law of 1903, the armed forces of Bulgaria were divided into two categories: the Active Army and the National Militia. The core of the Armed forces consisted of nine infantry and one cavalry division. The Bulgarian army had
19600-457: Was shattering the Balkan League, Russia's best defence against Austrian–Hungarian expansionism, a structure that had cost Russia much blood, money and diplomatic capital during the last 35 years. Russia's Foreign Minister Sazonov 's exact words to Bulgaria's new Prime Minister Stoyan Danev were "Do not expect anything from us, and forget the existence of any of our agreements from 1902 until
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