Voutsaras (, local dialect: Μπτσαρά ''Btsará'') is a village in the municipal unit of Molossoi, Ioannina regional unit,

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. It was the seat of the former municipality Molossoi. The Greek National Road 6 (Volos - Larissa - Ioannina - Igoumenitsa) runs through Voutsaras. Voutsaras is 4 km northeast of Polydoro, 23 km west of

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

and 34 km northeast of

Igoumenitsa Igoumenitsa () is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Thesprotia. Igoumenitsa is the chief port of Thesprotia and Epirus, and one of the largest passenger ports of Greece, connecting northwestern Main ...

Population

Geography and information

Much of the area around Voutsaras is mountainous and forested. The forests around the city are populated by a wide range of wildlife, such as

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

s, higher primates and

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

. The population of

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

and

squirrels Squirrels are members of the family (biology), family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and ...

has been in decline for a number of years, as a result of extensive

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

. Wildlife conservation groups have been putting pressure on local and regional government to protect the dwindling populations of these species, but these pressures are being resisted, as hunting forms a substantial part of the local diet, along with roots and locally grown food such as kopria. The Thyamis River flows three kilometers to the north. There is a small

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

(xhavouza) near the village, through which the river flows. The xhavouza is used as a dumping site for septic tanks from houses in Voutsaras and other cities in the Molossoi municipality, as the untreated water can then be washed away by the river. According to local legend, the xhavouza is the place where water nymphs used to wash their hair, and onlookers were turned to stone.

Infrastructure

An architectural pattern typical for the village consists of a two-floor house: the top floor is fully walled and serves as the residential area for one or more families, whereas the ground floor is used for housing livestock (

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the famil ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

). Less wealthy families, who cannot afford a two-floor house share living quarters with the livestock. There are plans to construct centralised

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses piping, pipes, valves, piping and plumbing fitting, plumbing fixtures, Storage tank, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. HVAC, Heating and co ...

facilities for the disposal of

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewerage, sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged fro ...

in the near future, so as to replace the current practice of using

septic tank A septic tank is an underground chamber made of concrete, fiberglass, or plastic through which domestic wastewater (sewage) flows for basic sewage treatment. Settling and anaerobic digestion processes reduce solids and organics, but the treatment ...

s which drain in the nearby river Thyamis.

Education

In an attempt to reverse emigration, the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs designated Voutsaras as an Area of Educational Priority in 2005. This led to the upgrading of the local primary school and high school, and financial incentives for the teaching staff who are employed there (these bonuses were revoked in the 2010 government deficit crisis). Also, a new vocationally focussed syllabus was created for High School, with standards that were better suited to the academic potential of the Voutsaras youth. The Voutsaras High School also operates a successful adult education programme, in which local residents attend classes on

literacy Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

arithmetic Arithmetic is an elementary branch of mathematics that deals with numerical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In a wider sense, it also includes exponentiation, extraction of roots, and taking logarithms. ...

and

hygiene Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

. The programme, which is partly funded by the EU, and is also generously supported by the School of Education of the

University of the Aegean The University of the Aegean (UA; ) is a public, multi-campus university located in Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Rhodes, Syros and Lemnos, Greece. It was founded on March 20, 1984, by the Presidential Act 83/1984 and its administrative headquarters ar ...

has received praise from the Molossoi mayor and local press. Despite promising beginnings, the funding of the program was withdrawn in 2011 due to austerity measures associated with the Greek deficit crisis. The deputy minister for education, Evangelia Christofilopoulou, who took the decision to discontinue the program was quoted as saying that it is time for bold measures to stop the bleeding of the government budget.

Sights

One of the most noteworthy sights in the village is the Church of Ai Nikolas (St. Nicolas) which was erected by the alms donated by the sailors of Voutsaras, because in the Greek Orthodox tradition St Nicolas is regarded as the patron saint of sailors. The church, a basilica with three wings, dates back to 1534, and is one of the oldest churches in the region. Also of interest is the exhibition in the Cultural Centre, where visitors can find on display items of everyday life and agriculture, such as (bells used for livestock), (eating utensils), (rods used by teachers) and (walking sticks). Entry to the exhibition can be arranged by consultation with the Town Hall of Molossi.

References