Siatista ( el, Σιάτιστα) is a town and a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in Kozani regional unit,

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 ...

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 wi ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It lies southwest of

Kozani Kozani ( el, Κοζάνη, ) is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley. The city lies above sea ...

. The municipal unit has an area of 158.524 km², the community 94.426 km². The 2011 Greek census recorded 5,490 residents in the town and 6,247 in the municipal unit. It was built on the austral slope of the Velia mountain on an (average) height of .

Administrative division

Siatista, Kozani prefecture, Greece - City Hall - 01

The municipal unit of Siatista consists of the following municipal communities (populations as of 2011): *Siatista, population 5,490 * Mikrokastro, population 446 * Palaiokastro, population 311 The municipal community of Palaiokastro comprises two settlements: Palaiokastro and Dafnero.

History

Siatista, Kozani prefecture, Greece - Main church - 02

Furriers in Siatista, 2014-05, Veli Pelz (1)

The first name of the city was Kalyvia. This name is referenced in the archives of the Zavordas Monastery. In 1745, the city is referenced in a formal document of Joseph, Archbishop of Ohrid. The commercial ties between Siatista and Central Europe during 17th and 18th centuries were very successful, and allowed the inhabitants to build many

mansion 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 l ...

s and churches with wonderful

frescos Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

and

icons An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...

. Siatista lies in a unique setting where its mountains and wilderness provide a strong sense of solitude. As a result, many Siatistan had to become merchants as to import (or export) necessary goods. Many of them found their way abroad permanently or temporarily where they distinguished themselves as able and reliable merchants. Many of them who became wealthy never return in their town staying for ever in the big cities all over the Balkan Peninsula. Those who choose to return built large and elegant mansions distinguished by their thick walls, imposing doors, lavishly decorated "ondas", gorgeous stained glasses, and lively colours in the folk paintings on their walls. All of this embodies their high standard of living, a rather rare phenomenon for such an isolated town. Many of those mansions are still in good shape today in the old city. One of such a self-made wealthy merchants was Theodoros Dimitriou who together with his wife Afrati left their town at 1790 for

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, then an Austrian city. He managed to earn a significant fortune by trading a variety of goods which helped them to give a proper education to their children. Of them, Dimitrios destined to become a famous and celebrated personality for his role as a leading figure in the movement for the national awakening of the Croatian people (then under Austro-Hungarian rule) as a national writer, poet, dramatist and political activist. Recognized as one of the most learned people of his time, he was the first who imposed the

Croatian language Croatian (; ' ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language used by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina, and other neighboring countries. It is the offici ...

in the local literacy, he created the National Croatian Theater in Zagreb and became famous for his political activism for the Croatian national revival through his key role in many Croatian patriotic pamphlets at the time. ''Demeter's award for drama'' which established 35 years after his death (1872) stood until nowadays and his bust decorates the yard of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb. In 1888 Ioannis Trampatzes, another expatriate Greek merchant in Romania, donated the funds for the Trampatzeion Gymnasium. The gymnasium housed two large libraries, the Manouseios with 5,000 books and the Roussopouleios with 2,000. Siatista was liberated from the Ottoman Turks by the Greek army, on 4 November 1912 during 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 ...

. In March 1943, the Battle of Fardykambos was fought near the town between the

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manf ...

and the partisans of

EAM-ELAS The Greek People's Liberation Army ( el, Ελληνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός (ΕΛΑΣ), ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós'' (ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberat ...

, with the participation of many of the local inhabitants.

Celebrations

*15 August –

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by ...

– The male inhabitants of Siatista parade with their horses down to a chapel in the plain and return with the

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...

of the

Panagia Panagia ( el, Παναγία, fem. of , + , the ''All-Holy'', or the ''Most Holy''; pronounced ) (also transliterated Panaghia or Panajia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern ...

. In the feast and party that ensues the men dance on the backs of their horses. The local wine flows freely, even for their equine friends. *23 December – Κλαδαριές (Klatharies) – On this day the inhabitants build tall, (three to six metres), conical shaped mounds that are decorated sparsely with balloons and tinsel. Each neighbourhood group gathers weeds and sticks of wood from the surrounding area throughout the preceding fall, with some groups historically sabotaging one another days before the event. After nightfall, a parade, including a brass band playing local music, starts at the entrance of the town, and marches up from Γεράνια (Yerania), to the top of the town. In succession each mound of brush is set afire as the parade reaches the neighbourhood. The inhabitants then dance around the fires. Many of the village youth then stay up all night around the remnants of the bonfires to start carolling early in the morning of Christmas Eve, collecting money while singing door to door.

Notable people

Alexandros Rosios Alexandros Rosios ( el, Αλέξανδρος Ρόσιος, 1917 — 30 August 2005), also known by the nom de guerre Ypsilantis (Υψηλάντης), was a member of the Greek Communist Party (KKE) and officer of the Greek People's Liberation Arm ...

, politician *

Michail Papageorgiou Michail Papageorgiou ( el, Μιχαήλ Παπαγεωργίου; 1727–1796) was a Greek philosopher. He was born in Siatista in 1727. He studied philosophy in the Maroutsaia School of Ioannina under Eugenios Voulgaris. Later he visited Germany ...

, philosopher * Peristera Kraka, commander of rebel forces during the

1878 Greek Macedonian rebellion The 1878 Macedonian rebellion ( el, Μακεδονική επανάσταση του 1878) was a Greek rebellion launched in opposition to the Treaty of San Stefano, according to which the bulk of Macedonia would be annexed to Bulgaria, and in fa ...

*Poulios Markides-Pouliou and Georgios Markides-Pouliou, publishers of Efimeris in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and partners of Rigas Feraios *

Thalia Flora-Karavia Thalia Flora-Karavia ( gr, Θάλεια Φλωρά-Καραβία, 1871–1960) was a Greek artist and member of the Munich School who was best known for her sketches of soldiers at war. Life Thalia Flora was born in 1871 in Siatista, Western Mac ...

, painter * Theodoros Manousis, historian * Theodoros Natsinas, teacher

References

External links