Cooperation Agreement dated 10 September 2013

Population: 170,000 inhabitants

Patras is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of Western Greece, in northern Peloponnese, 215 km west of Athens. The city is the regional capital of western Greece, as a major port is the door of Greece to Italy and western Europe. The surrounding area is an important agricultural area of Greece producing large quantities of citrus fruits, potatoes and watermelons. The area is renowned for its vineyards and its wines are famous around the world. The famous wine producer, Achaia-Claus has it's facilities out of town.

History

The city of Patras has an important history of four thousand years. Patras has been inhabited since the prehistoric age. In the antiquity it was a leading member of the Achaean League. Patras reached the peak of its power in the Roman era, when an imperial colony was founded there by Augustus. In the Byzantine period it remained a commercial city. The town experienced repeated conquests from Latins, Venice, Francs, Byzantines and Ottomans. Later on, it played a leading part in the Greek revolution of 1821, the first revolt of which in Greece, broke out in Patras. In 19th century Greece, it was the second city of the country, the indisputable centre of the Peloponnese, an important export harbour and a cradle of the emerging Greek middle class. In the 20th century the city developed as a commercial and industrial hub and in spite of its overshadowing by Athens, it is now the third city of Greece and the most significant economic pole of Peloponnese and West Greece.

Economy

The economy of the city largely depends on a thriving service sector. Its main economic activities include retailing, logistics, financial and public sector services. Patras suffered a severe problem of deindustrialization in the late 1980s and 1990s; a number of major productive units shut down in successive order. As a result, a considerable portion of the city's workforce and the city's economic planning in its entirety had to be re-evaluated and restructured by the authorities. The University of Patras contributed by working towards this goal, using its widely respected service and technology sectors. The area still retains some of its traditional winemaking and foodstuff industries as well as a small agricultural sector.

Culture

The cultural activity of Patras includes the Patras International Festival (with various artistic activities, mainly in the fields of theatre and music), the Poetry Symposium and the Patras Carnival. The Patras Carnival takes place every February. The youth of Patras, along with University students, organise in groups, dress in carnival costumes, dance in the streets, doparties and participate in events and the big carnival parade. Thousands of people participate each year in this spectacular festival.

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

The architectural heritage of the city is dominated by neo-classicism, but also includes structures from other periods.  

Patras is a pilot city of the Council of Europe and EU Intercultural Cities Programme.

Patras was chosen by the European Commission to be the European Capital of Culture for the year 2006. The concept of the event revolved around the main theme of "Bridges" and "Dialogues", drawing benefit from the city's rich history and its position as a "Gate to the West", to underline the essence of the productive interaction of culture and civilisations in Europe. 

Tourism

On the north side of town, near the Venetian castle, there are many preserved buildings of the 19th century. Beside the castle is the Roman Theatre, where performances are scheduled during the summer months.

The city is centrally located with easy access to most historical sites in the Peloponnese. To the south lies the Olympia, which is an hour away. In the area, there is the ancient temple of Apollo, which is one of the best preserved in Greece. Directly on the other side of the sea, in central Greece, there is Delphi, the most famous oracle temple of the ancient world. In the mountains east of Patras there is also Kalavrita which has an excellent ski resort.

Education

The city is home to three major educational institutions: the University of Patras, the Hellenic Open University and the TEI of Patras.

Cooperation

Patras and Lutsk are both members of the Council of Europe and European Commission Programme « Intercultural Cities». Mayor of Lutsk Mykola Romaniuk and Deputy Mayor of Patras Maria Andrikopoulou-Rouvali agreed to sign the Cooperation Agreement between the cities during the conference in Dublin (Ireland), organized within the Programme.