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Kastoria

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Kastoria
Καστοριά
Settlement
Panorama of Kastoria with its lake
Panorama of Kastoria with its lake
CountryGreece
Administrative regionWest Macedonia
Area
 • Total57.3 km2 (22.1 sq mi)
Elevation
700 m (2,300 ft)
Population
 (2001)[1]
 • Total16,218
 • Density280/km2 (730/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
521 00
Area code(s)24670
Vehicle registrationKT

Kastoria (Greek: Καστοριά, Kastoriá, IPA: [ˌkasto̞ɾˈja]) is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria Prefecture, located at 40°31′00″N 21°16′00″E / 40.51667°N 21.26667°E / 40.51667; 21.26667. The town's population is estimated as some 20,660 people (1991 census). It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains. The town is known for its many Byzantine churches, Ottoman-period domestic architecture, and trout.

Name

There are several theories about the origin of the name Kastoria.[2] The dominant of these is that the name derives from the Greek word κάστορας (kástoras, meaning "beaver"). Trade in the animal's fur, sourced from nearby Lake Orestiada, 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 word castra) or from the mythical hero Κάστωρ (Kástōr), who may have been honoured in the area. From Greek, the name was borrowed into Turkish as Kesriye. The Macedonian and Bulgarian name of the city is Kostur (Cyrillic: Костур).

Subdivisions

  • Aposkepos (Απόσκεπος) (2001 pop: 135)
  • Chloi (Χλόη) (2001 pop: 819)
  • Kastoria
  • Kefalari (Κεφαλάρι) (2001 pop: 451)

Population

Year Population Change Municipal population
1981 20,660 - -
1991 14,775 5,885/-28.48% -
2001 14,813 38/2.57% 16,218

History

Ancient History

Kastoria is believed to have ancient origins; it has been identified with the ancient town of Celetrum, which the Romans captured in 200 BC. The Byzantine historian Procopius records that it was later renamed Justinianopolis. The town's strategic position led to it being contested between the Byzantine Empire and the Despotate of Epirus during the 13th century; it was held by the Serbian Empire between 1331 and 1380.

Ottoman Era

Around 1385, the Ottoman Empire conquered Kastoria. During that time it known that the region of Kastoria is inhabited mostly with bulgarians. About this writes the 15th century chronist Leonard Heft in his "World's Chronic":

… ... there is the city of Kastoria, beneath the mountain in the middle of a lake. By the way, in the mentioned cities of the despot and the others, there are three parts christian population and the forth part - turks, and all the villagers that come to the fair are christians. In the above mentioned city of Kastoria the bulgarian language is spoken, that is a slavic language.…

In the beginning of the 19th century the french consul François Charles Pouqueville writes about Kastoria:

… ... the villagers in the region speak only their own language, bulgarian language.…

Later in the year of 1860 the austro-hungarian consul Peter Occuli writes:

… ...The citizens of the small town of Kastoria, that is 20 km away from here, are greek and albanian, but all the villages from Kastoria till Veria are populated with bulgarians...…

During the First Balkan War (1912), Greece took Kastoria. The 1913 treaties of London and Bucharest confirmed Kastoria under Greek territory.

WWII Era

During both World War II and the Greek Civil War, the town was repeatedly fought over and heavily damaged in the process. It was nearly captured by the Communist ELAS movement in 1948, and the final battles of the civil war took place on the nearby Mount Gramos.

Jewish Community

The rabbi of Kastoria

In 1940 the Jewish population in Kastoria numbered 900,[3] composed predominantly of Ladino language speaking Sephardic Jews. Many family names were of Italian origin as a result of emigrations (originally from Spain) via Italy in 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[3], as part of a program of deliberate extermination of Jews during the Holocaust. Kastoria was liberated by Allied troops 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.[3]

Economy

Kastoria is an international centre of fur trade, which dominates the local economy. Indeed (as mentioned above) the town was possibly named after one of the former staples of the trade – the European beaver (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. Other industries include the sale and distribution of locally grown produce, particularly wheat, apples, wine and fish. Recently a large shopping center has been built in the city of Kastoria. Kastoria has 16 local radio stations[4], 2 TV stations, 5 daily newspapers and 7 weekly ones[5]. The town's airport is named Aristotelis Airport.

Landmarks

The church of St.Stefan

Kastoria is an important religious centre for the Greek Orthodox Church and is the seat of a metropolitan bishop. It originally had 72 Byzantine and medieval churches, of which 54 have survived. Some of these have been restored and provide useful insight into trends in Late Byzantine styles of architecture and fresco painting. The Museum of Byzantine History located on Dexamenis Square houses many examples of Byzantine iconography. Kastoria is filled with old manors dating to the Ottoman period, while parts of the old Byzantine walls also stand.

Sports

Kastoria FC is the town's football team. It was established in 1963 when three local sides joined to form one stronger team representing the town. The team's most successful years to date were 1974 when it was promoted to the Greek first division and competed there for a year, and then 1980 when it won the Greek Cup after an impressive 5-2 victory over Iraklis FC in the final. The team are hoping to return to the first division this year as they are currently competing for the second division (Beta Ethniki) title.

Location

Notable people

References

  • The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004.
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, 2005.
  • The Penguin Encyclopedia of Places, 1999.
  • Rough Guide to Greece, Mark Ellingham et al., 2000.

Notes

  1. ^ De Facto Population of Greece Population and Housing Census of March 18th, 2001 (PDF 39 MB). National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003.
  2. ^ "Καστοριά - Προέλευση Του Ονόματος (Kastoria - origin of the name)" (in Template:El icon). Δήμος Καστοριάς (City of Kastoria). Retrieved 2008-10-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  3. ^ a b c "The Holocaust in Greece". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  4. ^ Greek radio stations, Kastoria
  5. ^ Makedonia newspaper, article of 2008/06/29 by Dimitra Tsapodimou

External links

Template:Kastoria

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