The President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou attended the celebrations for the 112th anniversary of the liberation of Veria from the Turkish yoke.

Mrs. Sakellaropoulou, after the eulogy at the Old Metropolitan Church of Saints Paul and Peter, the memorial service and the laying of the wreath, made the following statement:

“The decisive victory of the Greek army in the battle of Sarantaporos paved the way for the liberation of Veria from the Turkish yoke, on October 16, 1912, and its final release from the Ottoman Empire. The Eleftheria of the city, which we celebrate with all honor, is a day of pride, as well as vindication for those who fought and gave their lives for the integration of Macedonia into the national body”.

After the parade, Mrs. Sakellaropoulou went to the City Hall, where she was declared an Honorary Citizen.

Here is the President’s objection:

“Mr. Mayor,

I am particularly happy to be in Veria, a place with visible overlapping layers of the important and diverse cultures that developed here, a place with historical depth and strategic location, blessed with the gift of natural beauty. I am in the heart of the kingdom of the ancient Macedonians, very close to their mythical capital, Aiges, where the visitor remains ecstatic in front of the greatness of the Macedonian dynasty, but also in front of the work of two of our great archaeologists, the leading Manolis Andronikos and the tireless Angelika Kottarides , who highlighted it. And at the same time I am in Byzantine Veroia, which from the 11th to the 14th century was the most important urban center of the Byzantines after Constantinople and Thessaloniki, as evidenced by 48 of the total 72 churches of this period, which are adorned with unique frescoes.

And how many did not pass through here, and how many did not stop in this beautiful place to teach, to preach, to create, to prosper. From the Apostle Paul who preached in Berea in 51 and 57 AD. from the podium that exists to this day and bears his name, to Irene the Athenaia; and from the urban merchants, to whom the prosperity of the city in the 17th and 18th centuries is due, to the chieftains who took the lead in the rebellion of Veria against him Turkish yoke in 1822. I want to mention a few brave names: the Syropoulos, George and Athanasios, and the brothers George and Dimitrios Kolemis, who fought with the famous Tassos Karatassos.
When on October 16, 1912, during the Balkan wars, the Greek army liberated Veria, it found here a multicultural city, with three distinct communities, the populous Orthodox Christian, Muslim and Jewish. The Muslim community left almost en masse after the Treaty of Lausanne and the exchange of populations. The place of the Ottomans was taken by Greek Asia Minor refugees, who with their industriousness, philanthropy and restless spirit contributed the most to the economic and social progress of the city, especially in the post-war years.

Until the Second World War in Berea remained the compact and always resourceful Jewish community which prospered in the small, but extremely picturesque district of Barbuta. Unfortunately, this community too, during the German occupation, will follow the fate of the Jewish communities of our country. Most of our 850 Jewish fellow citizens, with very few exceptions, will be taken and exterminated by the Nazis to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. The restoration of the Synagogue, which continues to function as a place of worship, the restoration of Macedonian houses in the Jewish quarter, the Holocaust memorial, are projects that help us today to preserve historical memory and learn from it.

Veria was fortunate to bring forth many of our compatriots who excelled in science, commerce, and the arts. But we always remember two special intellectual people who come from here: Dimitrios Vikelas, writer, scholar and first president of the International Olympic Committee, and Konstantinos Raktivans, a great legal and political man, who served as a minister in the governments of Eleftherios Venizelos, president of Parliament of the Hellenes, first president of the Council of State and finally president of the Academy of Athens. And although neither Vikelas nor Ractivan lived in Berea, being Europeans and Panhellenic, as they were called in their time, both never forgot their origin. And the phrase, taken from Dimitrios Vikelas’ autobiographical book “My Life”, is particularly moving, which testifies to his mental link with the city: “I feel that, if it were possible even today to set up my tent in Verroia, there he wanted to find his homeland…”.

Mr. Mayor,

Since today you have done me the honor of including me among your citizens, I feel that I have also acquired another homeland. And I am happy watching Veria develop at a rapid pace and with important projects of public space regeneration, energy upgrading and modernization of the basic utility infrastructure. To turn it into a tourist hub by making use of its archaeological wealth and the monuments of its centuries-old route. That is why I share your plan for Veria to claim the title of European Capital of Culture for 2034. I am sure that all the possibilities exist and will be exploited, so that this historic city can develop even more in the future full of challenges and demands.

Thank you”.