THESSALY - ARTA

Thessaly and the region of Arta were united with Greece in 1881 in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and the Congress of Berlin that followed. Under the treaty signed between Greece and the Ottoman Empire on 20 June 1881, Thessaly (with the exception of Elassona) and the Epirote region of Arta were ceded to Greece. The coin portrays Rigas Feraios-Velestinlis (1757-1798), an emblematic figure of Modern Greek Enlightenment, born in Velestino (ancient Pherae), Thessaly. Although his vision of a multinational state free of Ottoman despotism did not prevail, his revolutionary call to arms (especially his Thourios, a revolutionary hymn) and martyrdom were an inspiration to the enslaved Greeks in their struggle for freedom.