Ano Poroia is one of the jewels of the historical mount Beles. It is built on the southern foothills of the western part of this legendary mountain and in one of its most beautiful gorges.
Developed almost amphitheatrically on the two facing slopes of this gorge, they are superior in every way compared to all the surrounding rural villages. Built at an altitude of 380 meters and at a distance of only six kilometers from the top of mount Beles, i.e. from the Greek-Bulgarian border, they are inextricably linked to its fate and historical adventures.
The story says that groups of persecuted families, from Moschopoli, Ioannina, Argyrokastro, Trikala, the villages of Olympos, Pindos and Grammos (such as Kokkyoplios, Avdella, Perivoli, Samarina, Metsovo, Nympheo and many others) were the first immigrants who formed the core of the population of the new settlements such as Poroia, Ramna, Vetrina located on the slopes of Beles.
The name Poroia seems to have existed before the settlement of the new settlers in the area. The new settlement was named Ano Poroia to distinguish it from the pre-existing one, whose population consists of Turks brought from the depths of Asia Minor to settle the sparsely populated areas, which had been deserted by the constant raids and war events. This is how the two separate settlements were created: The Ano [(English – Upper) (Poroi Balaa)] with an exclusive Greek population at the beginning, and the Kato[(English – Lower) (Poroi Asia)] inhabited by only Turkish population. Poroia in the Slavic language means torrent. But despite the Slavic name, the name Poroia is of purely Greek origin. It comes from a combination of the words Poros (passage) and roi (flow), combining the overhang of the area, the unique passage to the north of Beles to the famous Iron Gate with the abundant flowing waters from the springs of the mountain. In another version, the name can be considered to come from the steepness of the land.
Ano Poroia and all the rural villages of Beles wholeheartedly accepted the proportional share of refugees, mainly those from the Pontus who settled in the areas and then the Turks and Bulgarians that got exchanged.
Although being a settlement next to the borders, Ano Poroia communicates directly with Sidirokastro, the city of Serres and Thessaloniki and in general with all urban centers.
The Poroia Railway Station, which was established in its current position from the beginning, (renovated though, due to the various disasters it suffered during wars) evolved over time into a great center filled with people and goods that contributed to the rapid development of the entire area. The station was only 2 kilometers away from Poroia, and it was easily accessible to all the surrounding villages.
The easier transportation from and to the Urban Centers of the Prefecture and especially with Thessaloniki, started for Poroia and the entire surrounding region a new era of economic development and progress and obvious social adjustment towards a new, more civilized way of living.
These new living conditions were mainly benefited by the Greek population of Poroia, for a more satisfying commercial and social organization so that in that period until the liberation in 1913, Ano Poroia had reached an enviable peak. The various shops, workshops, small grocery stores, coffee shops, together with the brilliant Greek Community School, they set the tone of a national exaltation and an unquestionable spiritual and social superiority of the Greeks.
Congratulation!