Kastoria ( el, Καστοριά, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
in the
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
of
Western Macedonia
Western Macedonia ( el, Δυτική Μακεδονία, translit=Ditikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Macedonia. Located in north-western Greece, it is divided into the regional uni ...
. It is the capital of
Kastoria
Kastoria ( el, Καστοριά, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria regional unit, in the geographic region of Macedonia. It is situated on a promontory on the weste ...
regional unit, in the
geographic region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
of
Macedonia. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of
Lake Orestiada
Lake Orestiada or Lake of Kastoria ( el, Λίμνη Ορεστιάδα) is a lake in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, northwestern Greece. Sitting at an altitude of 630 metres, the lake covers an area of 28 square kilometres.
Nine rivul ...
, in a valley surrounded by
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
mountains. The town is known for its many
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
churches,
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and
Ottoman-era domestic architecture, its lake and its
fur clothing
Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific i ...
industry.
Name
The city is first mentioned in 550 AD, by
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gen ...
as follows: "There was a certain city in Thessaly, Diocletianopolis by name, which had been prosperous in ancient times, but with the passage of time and the assaults of the barbarians it had been destroyed, and for a very long time it had been destitute of inhabitants; and a certain lake chances to be close by which was named Castoria. There is an island in the middle of the lake, for the most part surrounded by water; but there remains a single narrow approach to this island through the lake, not more than fifteen feet wide. And a very lofty mountain stands above the island, one half being covered by the lake while the remainder rests upon it." Although Procopius refers to it as "a city of Thessaly", the description is undoubtedly that of Kastoria, a city on a promontory in a lake.
There are several theories about the origin of the name ''Kastoria''. The dominant of these is that the name derives from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
word κάστορας (''kástoras'', meaning "
beaver"). Trade in the animal's fur, sourced from nearby
Lake Orestiada
Lake Orestiada or Lake of Kastoria ( el, Λίμνη Ορεστιάδα) is a lake in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, northwestern Greece. Sitting at an altitude of 630 metres, the lake covers an area of 28 square kilometres.
Nine rivul ...
, has traditionally been an important element of the city's economy. Other theories propose that the name derives from the Greek word κάστρο (''kástro'', meaning "
castle"; from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word ''castra'') or from the mythical hero Κάστωρ (''
Kástōr''), who may have been honoured in the area. The word is sometimes written with a C, ''Castoria'',
especially in older works. From Greek, the name was borrowed into
Turkish as ''Kesriye''. The
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
,
Macedonian and
Serbian name of the city is ''Kostur'' (
Cyrillic: Костур). The
Albanian name is , while the
Aromanian name is .
Municipality
The municipality Kastoria was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 9 former municipalities, that became municipal units:
*
Agia Triada
*
Agioi Anargyroi
*Kastoria
*
Kastraki
*
Kleisoura
*
Korestia
*
Makednoi
*
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
*
Vitsi
Vitsi ( el, Βίτσι) is a former municipality in Kastoria regional unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kastoria, of which it is a municipal unit. It takes its name from Mount Vitsi ...
The municipality has an area of 763.330 km
2, the municipal unit 57.318 km
2.
Districts
*Apózari
*Doltsó
*Dailaki (Myloi)
*Doplitsa
*Kato Agora
*Kallithea
*Lyv
Main streets
*Paleologou Street
*Nikis Avenue
*Christopoulou Street
*Kyknon Avenue
*Orestion
*Orestiados
*Megalou Alexandrou
*Kapodistria
*Ifestou
History
Antiquity
Kastoria is believed to have ancient origins.
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
(XXXI, XL) mentions a town near a lake in
Orestis, called
Celetrum, whose inhabitants surrendered to
Sulpitius during the
Roman war against
Philip V of Macedon
Philip V ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 238–179 BC) was king ( Basileus) of Macedonia from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of the Roman Republic. He would lead Macedon ag ...
(200 BC).
Catholic Encyclopedia
The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
, 1907, ''s.v.'' Castoria The ancient town was possibly located on a hill above the town's current location.
The Roman Emperor
Diocletian (ruled 284–305 AD) founded the town of Diocletianopolis in the vicinity.
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gen ...
(''
De aedificiis
Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gene ...
'', 4.3.1–4) relates that, after Diocletianopolis was destroyed by barbarians, Emperor
Justinian
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
relocated it on a promontory projecting into
Lake Orestiada
Lake Orestiada or Lake of Kastoria ( el, Λίμνη Ορεστιάδα) is a lake in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, northwestern Greece. Sitting at an altitude of 630 metres, the lake covers an area of 28 square kilometres.
Nine rivul ...
, the town's current location, and "gave it an appropriate name", perhaps indicating that he renamed it Justinianopolis.
Th. L. Fr. Tafel, in his study on the
Via Egnatia
The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a continu ...
(''De via militari Romanorum Egnatia'', 1832), suggested that Celetrum, Diocletianopolis and Kastoria are three successive names of the same place.
Middle Ages
Kastoria itself does not appear, however, until the
Byzantine–Bulgarian wars
The Byzantine–Bulgarian wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Byzantines and Bulgarians which began when the Bulgars first settled in the Balkan peninsula in the 5th century, and intensified with the expansion of the Bulgarian Em ...
of the late 10th/early 11th century (the mention of Diocletianopolis in
Constantine Porphyrogennetos
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Ka ...
' ''
De Thematibus'' is anachronistic, drawing from the 6th-century ''
Synecdemus''). The town was in
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
hands until 1018, when it was conquered by
Basil II
Basil II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος ;) and, most often, the Purple-born ( gr, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, translit=ho porphyrogennetos).. 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar S ...
.
Kastoria was occupied by the
Normans
The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
under
Bohemond I in 1082/83, but was soon recovered by
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...
.
The town had a significant Jewish presence,
most notably the 11th-century scholar
Tobiah ben Eliezer.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the town became contested between several powers and changed hands often.
The
Second Bulgarian Empire held the city under
Kaloyan
Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ioannitsa or Johannitsa ( bg, Калоян, Йоаница; 1170 – October 1207), was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Theodor and Asen, who led the anti-Byzant ...
and
Ivan Asen II
Ivan Asen II, also known as John Asen II ( bg, Иван Асен II, ; 1190s – May/June 1241), was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He was still a child when his father Ivan Asen I one of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empir ...
, until it was recovered by the
Despotate of Epirus. The
Nicaean Empire
The Empire of Nicaea or the Nicene Empire is the conventional historiographic name for the largest of the three Byzantine Greek''A Short history of Greece from early times to 1964'' by W. A. Heurtley, H. C. Darby, C. W. Crawley, C. M. Woodhouse ...
captured it in ca. 1252, but lost it again to Epirus in ca. 1257, only for the
Nicaeans to recapture it following the
Battle of Pelagonia (1259).
In the early 14th century, Kastoria was part of the domain of
John II Doukas
John II Doukas, also Angelos Doukas ( Latinized as Angelus Ducas) ( gr, Ἰωάννης Ἄγγελος Δούκας, Iōannēs Angelos Doukas), was ruler of Thessaly from 1303 to his death in 1318.
John II Angelos Doukas was the son of Constanti ...
, "''
doux'' of
Great Vlachia and Kastoria". After his death, the town became part of the semi-autonomous domain of
Stephen Gabrielopoulos Stephen Gabrielopoulos ( el, Στέφανος Γαβριηλόπουλος, died 1332/1333) was a powerful magnate and semi-independent ruler in western Thessaly, who pledged allegiance to the Byzantine Empire and was rewarded with the title of ''se ...
. After the latter's death in 1332/3, the Byzantine emperor
Andronikos III Palaiologos took over the town, but in the very next year (1334) it was surrendered briefly to the
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
by the renegade
Syrgiannes Palaiologos
Syrgiannes Palaiologos Philanthropenos ( el, Συργιάννης Παλαιολόγος Φιλανθρωπηνός, – 1334) was a Byzantine aristocrat and general of mixed Cuman and Greek descent, who was involved in the civil war between Emp ...
.
The Serbian ruler
Stephen Dushan finally captured Kastoria in 1342/3, taking advantage of the
ongoing Byzantine civil war, and made it part of his
Serbian Empire
The Serbian Empire ( sr, / , ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expanded the state.
Under Dušan's rule, Serbia was the major power in the ...
. After Dushan's death, Kastoria became the seat of
Symeon Uroš.
The town came later under the Epirote ruler
Thomas Preljubović
Thomas Preljubović ( sr, Тома Прељубовић / Toma Preljubović; el, Θωμάς Κομνηνός Παλαιολόγος, Thōmas Komnēnos Palaiologos) was ruler of the Despotate of Epirus in Ioannina from 1366 to his death on December ...
, and finally under the Albanian
Muzaka family
The Muzaka were an Albanian noble family that ruled over the region of Myzeqe (southern Albania) in the Late Middle Ages. The Muzaka are also referred to by some authors as a tribe or a clan. The earliest historical document that mention Muzaka ...
, until it was conquered by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in the mid-1380s.
Ottoman era
The
Ottoman Turks conquered Kastoria around 1385, but it is unclear whether by force or by an agreement with its Albanian rulers. During the
Ottoman period
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
Kastoria acquired a sizeable
Muslim population and a number of
mosques and
tekkes could be found in the city.
Kursum Mosque is the only one standing to this day.
According to the findings of
Vasil Kanchov
Vasil Kanchov ( bg, Васил Кънчов, Vasil Kanchov) (26 July 1862 – 6 February 1902) was a Bulgarian geographer, ethnographer and politician.
Biography
Vasil Kanchov was born in Vratsa. Upon graduating from High school in Lom ...
, at the turn of the 20th century, the town had 3.000 Greek Christians, 1.600 Turkish Muslims, 750 Jews, 300 Bulgarian Christians, 300 Albanian Christians, and 240
Roma, for a total of 6190 inhabitants. According to the findings of Dimitri Mishev, the town had a population of 4.000
Greek Christians
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...
, 400 Bulgarian
Patriarchist Grecomans and 72
Vlachs
"Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other E ...
in 1905 (excluding the Muslim population).
The city would remain under Ottoman rule (as part of
Manastir Vilayet in the late 19th and early 20th century) until the
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
(1912), when
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
took it. The 1913 treaties of
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
incorporated Kastoria into the
Greek state
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. Following the end of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the bulk of the Muslim element of Kastoria's population was expelled to
Nevşehir
Nevşehir (from the Persian compound ''Now-shahr'' meaning "new city"), formerly Neapolis (Ancient Greek: Νεάπολις) and Muşkara, is a largely modern city and the capital district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia Region of ...
,
Niğde, and
Yozgat
Yozgat is a city and the capital district of Yozgat Province in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. According to 2019 census, population of the district is 421,200 of which 106,280 live in the city of Yozgat.
History
The first surveys were ...
in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
during the
population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...
in 1924.
Doltsó and Apózari
During the Ottoman times, Kastoria attracted a multitude of people from across the Balkans and beyond, resulting in a diverse, multi-ethnic community. As a result, the
city plan
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
was radically transformed. The different ethnic communities,
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
,
Turkish,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, became centred around separate neighbourhoods or ‘quarters’. Two old Greek lakeside quarters, the “Doltso” (Dolcho) and “Apozari” neighbourhoods, are among the best-preserved and last remaining traditional quarters of the city.
These neighbourhoods are characterised by the rich stock of old houses preserved in the shape of autonomous historic buildings, such as the important private
mansions
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property la ...
or the more humble folk dwellings (‘accessory’ buildings) built between the 17th and 19th centuries. During this time, the processing and exporting of animal furs to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
created wealth, and city mansions, of particular architectural and decorative value, were built. This interconnected nexus of
churches and private houses constitutes a rare example of a
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and post-Byzantine
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
, and remains inhabited to this day.
The traditional buildings and manor houses of the “Doltso” and “Apozari” neighbourhoods are threatened by modern development in the city, as well as structural degradation from poor levels of conservation. These sites were included on the
7 Most Endangered list of Europe's most at-risk monuments and sites in 2014.
Interwar period
The Greek census (1920) recorded 6,280 people in the town and in 1923 there were 829 inhabitants (or 242 families) who were Muslim.
Following the
Greek-Turkish population exchange
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the " Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...
, in 1926 within Kastoria there were refugee families from
East Thrace (19),
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
(101) and
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos may refer to:
* Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea)
* Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology
* Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...
(1).
The Greek census (1928) recorded 10,308 town inhabitants.
There were 137 refugee families (588 people) in 1928.
World War II
During both
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...
, the town was repeatedly fought over and heavily damaged in the process. It was nearly captured by the
Communist Democratic Army of Greece
The Democratic Army of Greece (DAG; el, Δημοκρατικός Στρατός Ελλάδας - ΔΣΕ, Dimokratikós Stratós Elládas - DSE) was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War (1946–1949). At ...
in 1948, and the final battles of the civil war took place on the nearby
Mount Gramos in 1949.
The first Jewish community was a community of
Romaniote Jews
The Romaniote Jews or the Romaniotes ( el, Ῥωμανιῶτες, ''Rhomaniótes''; he, רומניוטים, Romanyotim) are a Greek-speaking ethnic Jewish community native to the Eastern Mediterranean. They are one of the oldest Jewish comm ...
. One of them was
Tobiah ben Eliezer. In 1940 the Jewish population in Kastoria numbered 900,
composed predominantly of
Ladino-speaking
Sephardic Jews. Many family names were of Italian origin as a result of emigrations (originally from
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
) via
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in the 17th and 18th centuries.
In late March 1944, under Nazi German occupation during World War II, 763 Kastorian Jews were taken prisoner by Nazi troops and sent to
Auschwitz-Birkenau,
as part of a program of deliberate extermination of Jews during the Holocaust. Kastoria was liberated by the guerrillas of the
Greek People's Liberation Army
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
less than 4 months after the Jewish citizens were forced to the concentration camps. By the end of the war in 1945, only 35 of the original population had survived, the vast majority of the community having been killed in concentration camps.
In 2016, a special documentary titled "Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria" was released with never before seen footage. It has been created by executive producer and director Lawrence Russo (based on his parents' story) and co-director and producer Larry Confino.
Economy
Kastoria is a popular tourist destination and an international centre of
fur
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
trade, having taken so the nickname ''the city of the fur traders''. Tourism and the fur industry dominate the local economy. Indeed, (as mentioned above) the town was possibly named after one of the former staples of the trade – the
European beaver
The Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber'') or European beaver is a beaver species that was once widespread in Eurasia, but was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur and castoreum. At the turn of the 20th century, only about 1,200 beavers survi ...
(''kastóri'' in Greek), now extinct in the area. Trading in
mink fur now predominates and every year an international showcase of fur takes place in the city. Fur trade is the biggest factor of Kastoria economy and it started back to the 14th century when the city provided the ermine pelts for the lining of the robes of the Byzantine courtiers.
Early traders settled in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. After Germany's division at the end of World War II, the fur center moved from
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
to
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
. During the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...
in the late 1940s, thousands of Kastorians migrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
to take the place of aging Jewish immigrants who had formed the core of
New York furriers. In 1984, 25,000 Kastorians were working and living in the area of New York, and 10,000 in Frankfurt.
Now there are more than 300 small and big dealers in fur in Kastoria.
Other industries include the sale and distribution of locally grown produce, particularly
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
s,
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
and
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...
. Recently a large shopping center has been built in the city of Kastoria. Kastoria has 16 local radio stations,
2 TV stations, 5 daily newspapers and 7 weekly ones.
The town's
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...
is named
Aristotelis Airport
Kastoria National Airport (also known as Aristotelis Airport) is an airport in Argos Orestiko at the regional unit of Kastoria, Macedonia, Greece.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at ...
.
Landmarks
Religious sites
Kastoria is an important religious centre for the
Greek Orthodox Church
The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...
and is the seat of a
metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis.
Originally, the term referred to the ...
. The
Metropolis of Kastoria is one of the metropolises of the
New Lands in Greece, administered as part of the
Church of Greece. Kastoria originally had 72 Byzantine and medieval churches, of which 54 have survived,
including
St Athanasius of Mouzaki
St. Athanasius of Mouzaki ( el, Άγιος Αθανάσιος του Μουζάκη; al, Shën Thanasi i Muzakave) is a Greek Orthodox church located in Kastoria, Greece. It was built in 1383–84 by the brothers Theodore II and Stoya of the h ...
. Some of these have been restored and provide useful insight into trends in
Late Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire was ruled by the Palaiologos dynasty in the period between 1261 and 1453, from the restoration of Byzantine rule to Constantinople by the usurper Michael VIII Palaiologos following its recapture from the Latin Empire, founded ...
styles of architecture and
fresco painting.
Kastoria used to have two
Bektashi
The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...
tekkes and three Bektashi türbes. The first was situated at the entrance to the town on the road from
Florina
Florina ( el, Φλώρινα, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'.
The town of Florina is the capital of the F ...
and was said to be particularly "ancient" and formerly important. It suffered during the
1826 persecution.
Its chief saint, buried there, was one of the early Bektashi missionaries named
Kasim Baba who is said to have lived during the time of Turkish conquest and, according to
folk history was a "posthumous miracle worker" and converted many local Christians by causing a huge rock to crash into the local church. However this tekke was suppressed under a
Sunni crackdown in the 19th century. Another notable tekke was located at Toplitza, near the
barracks, and contained a turbe with the grave of a local notable Sandjakdar Ali Baba. There was also a turbe on the outskirts of the gypsy quarter to Aydin Baba.
[Hasluck, F. W.]
''Geographical Distribution of the Bektashi''
''The Annual of the British School of Athens'', vol. 21, pp 84–124. Pages 106–107: "Kastoria.-- The ''tekke'' is situated at the entrance to the town on the Florina road. It is now small and insignificant ... but is said to be ancient and formerly important. It suffered during the persecution of 1826. The chief saint buried here, Cassim Baba, is supposed to have lived at the time of the Turkish conquest, and enjoys considerable local fame as a posthumous miracle-worker. He is said during his lifetime to have converted many Christians by the somewhat crude method of hurling from the hill... a huge rock, which crashed into a church full of worshippers.
Of a second ''tekke'', occupied within living memory, at Toplitza (near the barracks) only the ''turbe'' and grave of Sandjakdar Ali Baba remain. The Bektashis also lay claim to the grave of Aidin Baba, in a humble ''turbe'' on the outskirts of the gypsy quarter."
Museums
The Museum of Byzantine History located on Dexamenis Square houses many examples of Byzantine iconography. The
Costume Museum and the
Monuments Museum are also located in the city. In the village of
Kastanofyto lies the
Folklore Museum (Kastanofyto), which preserves folk traditions from the local area.
Kastoria is filled with old
manors dating to the Ottoman period, while parts of the old Byzantine walls also stand.
Bridges
Stone bridges are an important part of the traditional architecture of Kastoria. The best known is the bridge of Zouzouli, the bridge of Koromilia, the Koutsoumpli bridge and the bridge in Beriki.
The Bridge of Zouzouli, located in a remote area on the southern tip of the prefecture of Kastoria, is built over the waters of the stream of Zouzouli and connects mt.
Smolikas
Mount Smolikas ( el, Σμόλικας; rup, Smolcu) is a mountain in the Ioannina regional unit, northwestern Greece. At a height of 2,637 metres above sea level, it is the highest of the Pindus Mountains, and the second highest mountain in Gr ...
with mt.
Voio
Voio ( el, Βόιο, ''Vóio''; grc, Βόιον - ''Boeon'') is a mountain range in the southwestern Kastoria and western Kozani regional units in Greece. The mountain is part of the Pindus mountains. Its highest elevation is 1,805 m. It is a d ...
. It is arched, has a length of 25 meters and a height of 7 meters. Constructed in 1880 by artisans coming from
Konitsa
Konitsa ( el, Κόνιτσα; see also names in other languages) is a town of Ioannina in Epirus, Greece. It is located north of the capital Ioannina and near the Albanian border. Northeast of Konitsa lies a group of villages known as the Zagor ...
. The construction was financed from either a man, in memory of his brother who drowned in the river, or from a ruler who, moved by the drowning of a little girl, wanted to build the bridge.
The bridge of Koutsoumpli is located between the mountains of Voio and Smolikas, over the river of Zouzouli and it previously connected the villages of Eptachori and Zouzouli. Its arch is 14 meters wide, 8 meters high and it has a total length of 33 meters and a width of 2.40 meters.
The bridge in Beriki has a very thin arch and a great height. It was manufactured by master builder Sdrolios, who came from the village of
Dendrochori, probably in 1866. Next to the bridge there was possibly a watermill and an inn. Probably, this is where the name of the region came from (inn Beriki).
The bridge of Koromilia is built over the Ladopotamos river and it used to connected the village of
Koromilia with the one of Dendrochori. It is arched and has a length of 26 meters, a width of 2.80 meters, a height of 7 meters and an arch opening of 16 meters. It was built in 1865 and consists of limestone and schist slate.
Education
The School of Sciences of
University of Western Macedonia
The University of Western Macedonia (UoWM; Greek: Πανεπιστήμιο Δυτικής Μακεδονίας) is a multi-campus university in Western Macedonia region of Greece. It was founded in Kozani in 2003 (Presidential Decree No. 92 / 11 ...
with two departments (Informatics and Mathematics) is based in the city, as well as the departments of Communication and Digital Media and Economics.
Cuisine
Local specialities include:
*''
Giouvetsi
Giouvetsi, yiouvetsi, or youvetsi (; from Turkish ) is a Greek dish made with chicken, lamb or beef and pasta, either ''kritharaki'' (orzo) or '' hilopites'' (small square noodles), and tomato sauce (usually spiced with allspice and sometimes ci ...
'' (meat with pasta in tomato sauce)
*''Garoufa'' (
Grivadi soup)
*''Pestrofa'' (trout)
*''Sarmades'' (meatballs wrapped with pickled cabbage)
*''
Makálo'' (meatballs with garlic sauce)
*''Kolokythopita'' (pumpkin pie)
*''Kremmydopita'' (onion pie)
*''Milk Pie'' (dessert)
*''Sáliaroi'' (dessert)
Sports
Kastoria FC
Kastoria F.C. or AS Kastoria 1980 ( el, Α.Σ. Καστοριά 1980 - Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Καστοριά 1980), the ''Athletic Club Kastoria 1980'', is a Greek association football club based in the city of Kastoria, Macedonia, ...
is the city's football team. It was established in 1963 when three local sides joined to form one stronger team to represent Kastoria. The team's most successful years to date were in 1974 when they were promoted to the Greek first division and competed there for a year, and in 1979–1980 when they won the
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most ...
after an impressive 5–2 victory over
Iraklis FC
Gymnastic Club Iraklis Thessaloniki Football Club ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Ηρακλής Θεσσαλονίκης) is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. As of 2022, t ...
in the final.
Rowing: London 2012 Olympic Games:
Giannis Christou ,
Christina Giazitzidou
Brazil 2016 Olympic Games:
Giannis Christou
Population
Location
Climate
Kastoria has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). As a result of the moderating effect of the lake, it records less extreme temperatures than the rest of Western Macedonia.
Notable people
*
Tobiah ben Eliezer (11th), author of the
Midrash
''Midrash'' (;["midrash"]
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
Lekach Tov
*
Pavlos Argyriadis (1849–1901), journalist, lawyer and
anarchist/
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
intellectual
*
Argyrios Vouzas
Argyrios Vouzas ( el, Αργύριος Βούζας) was a Greek revolutionary and doctor of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Biography
Vouzas was born in 1857 in Kastoria, then Ottoman Empire (now Greece). He studied at a Greek school of Kastoria, ...
(1857–?), doctor and revolutionary
*
Şefik Aker
Mehmed Şefik (1877 - 6 February 1964) known as Mehmet Şefik Aker after the 1934 Surname Law, was an officer of the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army. He is best known for his service during the Gallipoli campaign and in particular the defense ...
(1877–1964), military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
*
Athanasios Christopoulos
Athanasios Christopoulos ( el, Αθανάσιος Χριστόπουλος; 2 May 177219 January 1847) was a celebrated Greek poet, playwright, a distinguished scholar and jurist. He has been proclaimed a champion of the modern Greek demotic and th ...
(1772–1847), poet
*
Konstantinos Michail
Konstantinos Michail ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Μιχαήλ; 1751–1816) was a philosopher, physician and linguist.
He was born in Kastoria. He spoke Greek, Latin, French and German and was a student of Michail Papageorgiou. He left all his ...
, scholar
*
Vasileios Hatzis, painter
*
Aristotelis Zachos, architect
*
Georgios Theocharis (1758–1843), merchant, revolutionary and diplomat
*
Emmanuel bros, partners of
Rigas Feraios
Rigas Feraios ( el, Ρήγας Φεραίος , sometimes ''Rhegas Pheraeos''; rup, Riga Fereu) or Velestinlis (Βελεστινλής , also transliterated ''Velestinles''); 1757 – 24 June 1798), born as Antonios Rigas Velestinlis ( el ...
; executed with him in 1798
*
Leonidas Papazoglou
Leonidas Papazoglou ( el, Λεωνίδας Παπάζογλου, 1872–1918) was a Greek photographer of Macedonia, at the end of the 19th till the early 20th century.
Biography
Papazoglou was born in the city of Kastoria in 1872. He left wi ...
, photographer
*
Andreas Tzimas
Andreas Tzimas ( el, Ανδρέας Τζήμας; Kastoria, 1 September 1909 – Prague, 1 December 1972), known also under his World War II-era ''nom de guerre'' of Vasilis Samariniotis (Βασίλης Σαμαρινιώτης), was a leading Gre ...
, communist politician
*
Ioannis Christou, (1983–), Greek rower
*
Dimitris Diamantidis
Dimitris Diamantidis ( el, Δημήτρης Διαμαντίδης ; born May 6, 1980) is a retired Greek professional basketball player, who spent the last twelve seasons of his EuroLeague career with Panathinaikos, where he last served as the ...
(1980–), basketball player
*
Christina Giazitzidou (1989–), Olympic bronze medalist in rowing
*
Jagnula Kunovska (1943–), politician, jurist and writer
*
Nicholas Lambrinides
Nicholas Lambrinides (1879–1962) was a Greek-American entrepreneur who built the Skyline Chili chain of chili restaurants based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Early life
Lambrinides was born a Greek in Kastoria, then part of the Ottoman Empire, now in Gr ...
, founder of
Skyline Chili
Skyline Chili is a chain of Cincinnati-style chili restaurants based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1949 by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides, Skyline Chili is named for the view of Cincinnati's skyline that Lambrinides could see from his fi ...
, a famous restaurant chain in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, USA
*
Qazim Baba, 15th century Ottoman-Albanian
bektashi
The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...
holy man.
*
Sevastos Leontiadis
Sevastos Leontiadis ( el, Σεβαστός Λεοντιάδης) was a Greek educationist who was most known as the director of the Kastoria school between 1726 and 1728.
He was born in Kastoria on 1690. He was student of Methodios Anthrakites in ...
(1690–1765), educationalist
*
Lucas Samaras (1936–), artist
*
Maria Spiropulu (1970–), experimental physicist
International relations
Twin towns — sister cities
Kastoria is
twinned with:
*
Enna
Enna ( or ; grc, Ἔννα; la, Henna, less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( scn, Castrugiuvanni ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
*
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
(since 1998)
*
Plovdiv,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
(since 2005)
Gallery
File:Saint Apostles Church in Kastoria Fresco, Onufri Argites, 1547.jpg, Fresco by Onufri
Onufri Argitis or Onoufrios of Neokastro or Onoufrios Argytes ( el, Ονούφριος) was a 16th century painter of Orthodox icons and Archpriest of Elbasan, active in the 16th century in modern-day southern Albania and in the south-western re ...
at the Holy Apostles church
File:Costume Museum in Kastoria Building.jpg, Emmanuel mansion (18th c.), currently housing the Costume Museum
File:Karavangelis.JPG, A statue of Germanos Karavangelis
Germanos Karavangelis ( el, Γερμανός Καραβαγγέλης, also transliterated as ''Yermanos'' and ''Karavaggelis'' or ''Karavagelis'', 1866–1935) was known for his service as Metropolitan Bishop of Kastoria and later Amaseia, Pon ...
File:Kastoria memorial.JPG, The Holocaust memorial
File:Limni kasstoria - panoramio.jpg, Geese at the Lake of Kastoria
File:20160517 292 kastoria.jpg, Hotel "Kastoria"
File:Furriers in Kastoria, 2014-05, Pouliopoulis family (1).jpg, Pouliopoulos mansion
File:Kostur-Sveti-Vrach.jpg, Sts Cosmas and Damian (Anargiroi) church, of 11th century, beside the lake
File:Kastoria fortress plan.png, Plan of the medieval Bulgarian fortress
See also
*
Castoria (titular see) (
Latin Catholic
, native_name_lang = la
, image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran
, caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...
)
*
Metropolis of Kastoria (now Greek Orthodox)
*
Delinanios Folklore Museum
The Delinanios Folklore Museum ( el, Δεληνάνειο Λαογραφικό Μουσείο) is a museum in Kastoria, West Macedonia, Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe ...
*
Byzantine Museum of Kastoria
*
Paleontological and Paleobotanical Museum of Nostimo, a village from Kastoria
*
Kastorianos
Kastorianos ( el, Καστοριανός) is a kind of a Greek folk dance from Macedonia, Greece. It is very widespread in the cities of Kastoria and Kozani.
See also
*Music of Greece
*Greek dances
Greek dance (''choros'') is a very old trad ...
, folk dance from Greek Macedonia
Notes
External links
Official municipal website(English version under construction)
Official website of the PrefectureInformational Portal for KastoriaKastoria Byzantine MuseumDispilio Lakeside Neolithic SettlementByzantine Kastoria through its monuments (10th–14th centuries)KastoriaKastoriai
visitwestmacedonia.gr
{{Authority control
Byzantine sites in Greece
Greek prefectural capitals
Municipalities of Western Macedonia
Populated places in Kastoria (regional unit)