Other athletic events
Approximately 2 years after the Olympic Games, Volos is the first Greek city to host a major sport event on an international level; The Men&Women, Juniors and Seniors Artistic Gymnastics European Championship 2006. The Games took place at Nea Ionia Sport Complex, and particularly at the Indoor Swimming Hall, which was specially transformed for this cause. There was a major works' scheme in the city, with renovation and enlargement of hotels etc, in order to be able to host the Games.
The Artistic Gymnastics Games took place between the end of April and the beginning of May 2006.
Climate
Volos, unlike other towns of the Thessalian plain, enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate with can-be-hot-but-bearable summers though a little bit humid and mild winters. Spring and Autumn are the best times to visit the city itself, Winter is the time to be on the Pelion mountain villages, and Summer should definitely be dedicated to the numerous beaches of the region on the Pagasetic gulf and the Aegean Sea.
Being privileged to be situated on the foothills of Mount Pelion, the mythical mountain of the centaurs, and bounded by Goritsa Hill to the Southeast, Volos sports nice weather all year long, with the sea and mountain breezes dominant in all city areas.
Olympic games
Volos was one of the 4 cities in Greece, other than Athens, where Olympic venues where constructed for the olympic football tournament. Apart from the flashy 22,000 seats "Panthessaliko Stadium" that was built in the district of Nea Ionia, there have been constructed some new roads like a ring road to the city, making access to Pelion easier for travellers coming from E75 Athens or Thessaloniki plus a facelift of the waterfront and the city inner districts.
History
Modern Volos is built on the area of the ancient cities of Demetrias, Pagasae and Iolkos. Iolkos was the homeland of ancient Greek hero Jason who boarded the ship Argo accompanied by the Argonauts and sailed in the quest for the Golden Fleece to Colchis. Demetrias was established by Demetrius Poliorcetes, King of Macedonia, in 293/92 BC. In 197 BC Romans annexed Demetrias.
To the west of Volos there are the Neolithic settlements of Dimini with a ruined acropolis, walls and two beehive tombs dated between 4000-1200 BC and Sesklo with the remains of the oldest acropolis in Greece 6000 BC, as well as the foundations of a palace and mansions, among the most typical examples of Neolithic civilisation.
During Byzantine empire, emperor Justinian I in 551 fortified Palea hill. In 1423 Ottomans annexed Volos. Volos during the Ottoman empire was a hamlet, build on the hill in Palea district. The hill was fortified with walls. Today just a few parts of the walls can be seen near the Tsalapata building.
After its annexation to Greece from the Ottoman Empire in 1881, it had a population of only 4,900 but rapidly grew within the next 4 decades. Houses were built outside the walls and the main area of Volos by the sea was built up. Merchants, businessmen, craftsmen and sailors moved to Volos from the surrounding area. In the 1920s there was a large influx of refugees in Volos, especially from Ionia, but also from Pontus, Cappadocia and Eastern Thrace. In the 1920 census, Volos had 30,046 inhabitants but according to the 1928 census, its population had grown to 47,892.