Overview

The town of Serres appeared for the first time in History in the early 5th century BC. Herodotus was the first to make mention of the town using the name ";Siris"; and the definition ";Paeonian"; while he uses the term ";Siropaeones"; to refer to its inhabitants. The oldest monument bearing an inscription writing ";Sirreon Polis"; is dated from the Roman Era and it can be found in the Archeological Museum of Serres. The town used to be an important landmark for various tribes moving towards the Greek Peninsula. In Roman Times, Egnatia Road used to go through Amphipolis which was the capital of the first Macedonian County. A substantial number of Macedonian tombs of great archeological value have been discovered in the area.

Starting during the 8th century the town of Serres has started playing a leading role in Greek History and the town is considered to be the most important one between the rivers Nestos and Strimonas. Byzantine authors used to call it ";a Grand and Admirable City";, ";Excellent"; and ";Metropolis"; among others. The Art of Painting largely flourished in Byzantine Times while the region belonged to the Province of Illyricos. The well known St John Prodromus monastery, founded in 1276, has always been a great centre of constant artistic activity. Visitors to the monastery can admire the most interesting 14th century murals in the country.

The Turkish conquered the area in 1383 and it was only 530 years later that it was liberated. During the last centuries of the Ottoman occupation the town became a unique centre of exporting and transporting commerce. The market was flooded with grain products, textiles and particularly cotton while it was this town where caravans from all over Europe used to depart from and arrive at. At the same time education and literacy greatly prospered in this town. The Macedonian Educational Association and the first College of Education in European Turkey and Greece were founded in1870 and 1872 respectively in an attempt to promote systematic education.