Edessa, Greece

Edessa Έδεσσα
Municipality
Edessa's waterfalls, landmark of the town
Edessa Location within the region
Coordinates: 40°48′N 22°3′E / 40.800°N 22.050°E / 40.800; 22.050
Country	Greece
Geographic region	Macedonia
Administrative region	Central Macedonia
Regional unit	Pella
Districts	15
Government
• Mayor	Ioannis Tsepkentzis[1] (since 2023)
Area
• Municipality	611.212 km2 (235.990 sq mi)
• Municipal unit	321.2 km2 (124.0 sq mi)
• Community	39.0 km2 (15.1 sq mi)
Elevation	320 m (1,050 ft)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Municipality	26,407
• Density	43/km2 (110/sq mi)
• Municipal unit	23,210
• Municipal unit density	72/km2 (190/sq mi)
• Community	19,036
• Community density	490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	582 00
Area code(s)	23810
Vehicle registration	ΕΕ
Website	dimosedessas.gov.gr

Edessa (Greek: Έδεσσα, pronounced [ˈeðesa]; also known as the "City of Waters and of the 5 Senses"),^[3] until 1923 Vodena (Greek: Βοδενά), is a city in northern Greece and the capital of the Pella regional unit, in the Central Macedonia region of Greece. It was also the capital of the defunct province of the same name.

Edessa holds a special place in the history of the Greek world as, according to some ancient sources, it was here that Caranus established the first capital of ancient Macedon.^[4] Later, under the Byzantine Empire, Edessa benefited from its strategic location, controlling the Via Egnatia as it enters the Pindus mountains, and became a center of medieval Greek culture, famed for its strong walls and fortifications.^[4] In the modern period, Edessa was one of Greece's industrial centers until the middle of the 20th century, with many textile factories operating in the city and its immediate vicinity. Today however its economy mainly relies on services and tourism. Edessa hosts most of the administrative services of the Pella regional unit, as well as some departments of the Thessaloniki-based University of Macedonia.^[5]