Meet Patras… Santa Barbara’s Sister City

Contributed by Theony Condos

The Santa Barbara City Council approved the proposal to establish a sister city relationship between Santa Barbara and Patras, Greece.

The proposal was based on the many similarities between the two cities. Like Santa Barbara, Patras’ geographical situation combines mountains and sea, has a Mediterranean climate, and is susceptible to earthquakes. The University of Patras is situated about 8 kilometers outside the city and enrolls about 25,000 students and includes a number of research institutes (Computer Technology Institute, Industrial Systems Institute, Patras Science Park, Institute of Chemical Engineering and High Temperature Chemical Processes, and the Institute of Biomedical Technology, while the Eoliki wind park is one of the first wind parks in Greece.) The University is well known for its science and engineering programs.

Patras is the third largest city of Greece with a population of 180,000, roughly the same as that of the Greater Santa Barbara area. It is a center of the political, economic, administrative and cultural life of Western Greece. Patras shares another cultural similarity with Santa Barbara: its long tradition of hospitality to visitors.

The indigenous cultural scene revolves around the performing and plastic arts and modern urban literature.  Patras was chosen by the European Commission to be the European Capital of Culture for the year 2006. The current cultural activity of the city includes the Patras International Festival, the Patras Carnival and the Poetry Symposium. The International Festival of Patras takes place every summer, with a program consisting mostly of plays–both ancient drama and modern theatre–as well as various music concerts. There is one full-time theatre group in the city, the Patras Municipal Regional Theatre, as well as several amateur groups. The Patras Carnival, held every year from February to March, is one of the biggest tourist attractions. With a parade of mammoth satirical floats and extravagant balls, the Carnival is considered one of the most famous in the world after Rio de Janeiro and Venice. The Patras Poetry Symposium has been organized each year for the past 25 years by a special committee at the University of Patras.

In addition, Patras has a visual arts workshop, a school of icon painting, a carnival float workshop, a Municipal Gallery as well as private art galleries. The city hosts several conservatories and schools of music, including one devoted exclusively to Byzantine music, and several orchestras and choirs. Patras has also a very strong indie rock scene with critically acclaimed bands.

The region retains some of its traditional winemaking and foodstuff industries and a small agricultural and fishing sector. The Achaia Clauss winery, founded in 1861, is a symbol of Greek wine-making; it continues to produce and export wines of excellent quality throughout the world.

During the first year of operation of the Sister Cities relationship, the group will

* Establish a Patras Sister City Organization, open to the public, with annual membership fee.
* Work toward signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Patras and UCSB, to encourage scientific exchange and cooperation in several mutually agreed-upon fields.
* Invite a small delegation from Patras during the Greek Festival and Fiesta celebration in 2011.
* Arrange the visit of a small delegation from Santa Barbara to Patras.

The potential for long-term benefits to Santa Barbara can occur in the following ways:

* Through scientific exchange and cooperation between the University of Patras and UCSB
* Through cooperation in the field of commerce (e.g., wine-making)
* Through cultural exchange (festivals, art exhibits, concerts)
* Through increased tourism

Members of the advocate group that developed the proposal include 14 members of the Santa Barbara Greek community drawn from the fields of education, culture, finance, and business:

Apostolos Athanassakis                        George Mamalakis

James Brown                                        Panagiotis Mitroulias, Vice Chair

Christopher Compogiannis                    Gregory Pantages

Theony Condos, Chair              George Papazacharioudakis, Secretary

Constantinos Frangos                           Carol Stathopoulos

Dean Gastouniotis                                 Mariella Stockmal, Treasurer

Georgia Gastouniotis                             Vivi Tziouvaras

Patras has also formed an advocate group of 12 members, including the Mayor as a Chairperson and members drawn from fields of mutual interest, such as education, business, and culture, who will work closely with the Santa Barbara group to enhance this Sister Cities relationship.