City of Patras

Patras was formed in Mycenaen times by the merging of three rural colonies. Achaeans came from the Laconia led from Patreas, after whom the city was named. 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 and Byzantines. 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 undisputable centre of the Peloponnese, an important export harbour and a craddle 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 Western Greece. (Source: http://wikipedia.org)

Nowadays, the Patras metropolitan area is a conurbation of 222,460 inhabitants.The core settlement has a history spanning four millennia. In the Roman period it had become a cosmopolitan centre of the eastern Mediterranean whilst, according to Christian tradition, it was also the place of Saint Andrew's martyrdom. Dubbed Greece's Gate to the West, Patras is a commercial hub, while its busy port is a nodal point for trade and communication with Italy and the rest of Western Europe. The city has two public universities and one Technological Institute, hosting a large student population and rendering Patras a major scientific centre with a field of excellence in technological education. The Rio-Antirio bridge connects Patras' easternmost suburb of Rio to the town of Antirrio, connecting the Peloponnese peninsula with mainland Greece. Every spring, the city hosts one of Europe's largest and most colourful carnivals; notable features of the Patras Carnival include its mammoth-sized satirical floats and extravagant balls and parades, enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors in a pleasant Mediterranean climate, with relatively cool yet humid summers and rather mild winters. Patras is also famous for supporting an indigenous cultural scene active mainly in the performing arts and modern urban literature; it was European Capital of Culture 2006.(Source: http://wikipedia.org)

The University of Patras was founded in the city of Patras in 1964 and it began functioning in the academic year 1966?67. Its creation contributed vastly to the decentralization of academic education in Greece. The University Campus is located 12 km East of the city of Patras, in the municipality of Rion, covering a flat area of 4.500 acres . It is a self?contained campus at the foot of mount Panachaico with a view over the Gulf of Corinth to the mountains of Central Greece across the water. University of Patras is the third largest University in Greece concerning the size of students potential, the faculty members, administrative personnel, number of departments, and accredited students titles.

The University of Patras includes 22 Departments, with a large number of sectors and consequently a great range of disciplines, which operate 112 laboratories and 14 clinics fully equipped. The University of Patras has 21,200 undergraduate and 3,260 postgraduate students. It enumerates 754 of faculty members, 238 of teaching staff, and 481 administrative personnel. Besides its distinguished path in education, the University of Patras has made excellence in the fields of basic and applied research. The University of Patras has acquired international prominence for pioneering and wide ranging research in areas such as Environment, Health, Biotechnology, Mechanics, Electronics, Informatics and basic science. A number of its Departments, Laboratories and Clinics have been designated as Centers of Excellence, on the basis of international assessment. The University of Patras has a reputation for quality and innovative research and presents an effective participation in a plethora of research projects, scientific organizations, and research groups. Together with its educational and research work, the rich cultural activity of the University of Patras, attracts many candidate students every year as their first and foremost choice for their High degree studies. (Source: http://www.upatras.gr)