Irakleia, Serres

Irakleia
Ηράκλεια
Irakleia is located in Greece
Irakleia
Irakleia
Location within the region
Coordinates: 41°11′N 23°17′E / 41.183°N 23.283°E / 41.183; 23.283
CountryGreece
Administrative regionCentral Macedonia
Regional unitSerres
Government
 • MayorKleanthis Kotsakiachidis[1] (since 2023)
Area
 • Municipality
451.5 km2 (174.3 sq mi)
 • Municipal unit195.2 km2 (75.4 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Municipality
15,713
 • Density35/km2 (90/sq mi)
 • Municipal unit
9,946
 • Municipal unit density51/km2 (130/sq mi)
 • Community
3,245
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registrationΕΡ
Websitewww.dimosiraklias.gr

Irakleia (Greek: Ηράκλεια, before 1926: Τζουμαγιά - Tzoumagia[3]) is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. Population 21,145 (2011). The seat of the municipality is the town of Irakleia, which was formerly known as "Lower Jumaya" (in Turkish: Barakli Cuma or Cuma-i Zir ("Lower Juma" in Ottoman Turkish); in Bulgarian: Долна Джумая, Dolna Dzhumaya;[4][5] and in Aromanian: Giumaia di-Nghios).[6] "Upper Dzhumaya" is modern Blagoevgrad, located in Bulgaria.[citation needed] In the Serres area, Aromanians settled in modern Irakleia during Ottoman times. Some Aromanians still live in the city today, with Bulgarian researcher Vasil Kanchov even saying that, as of when he visited the town, the 1250 Aromanians in Irakleia "were the wealthiest of all inhabitants".[6]

  1. ^ Municipality of Iraklia, Municipal elections – October 2023, Ministry of Interior
  2. ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  3. ^ Name changes of settlements in Greece
  4. ^ D.M.Brancoff. "La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne". Paris, 1905, p.104, under the name of Barakli Djoumaia
  5. ^ Ιστορία του Ελληνικού Έθνους. Εκδοτική Αθηνών, Αθήνα 1978. ISBN 960-213-110-1, σελ. 228-229; Map of the Italian Instituto Geografico de Agostini, showing the distribution of schools, churches, monasteries in the Ottoman vilayet of Saloniki
  6. ^ a b The War of Numbers and its First Victim: The Aromanians in Macedonia (End of 19th – Beginning of 20th century)