Kastoria: The Lakeside Gem of Northwestern Greece

View of Kastoria Lake successful Greece. Credit: Spyros Vathis / Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Kastoria is simply a magnificent lakeside metropolis successful northwestern Greece with a affluent past dating backmost to Byzantium.

The superior of the Western Macedonia Prefecture with the aforesaid name, Kastoria is 1 of the astir ambient cities successful Greece, wherever the beauteous scenery is an integral portion of the municipality fabric.

The magnificent mansions built by affluent merchants each crossed the metropolis are impervious of its large prosperity, arsenic it has developed a beardown economical and taste individuality acknowledgment to the fur industry.

Kastoria was erstwhile celebrated for its fur and leather trade, but it has present astir wholly stopped. The metropolis perches softly connected the shores of the beauteous Οrestiada Lake. Yet, it remains the spot of the largest fur accumulation successful the satellite erstwhile a year.

Between the aged mansions and modern flat buildings, the historical Byzantine monuments marque Kastoria look similar an open-air Byzantine museum.

Church of Agioi Treis from the 11th century. Credit: TodorGeorgiev/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

The aged and the caller are successful cleanable harmony

The Kastoria visitant volition respect Byzantine churches adjacent to caller flat buildings and aged mansions; spot aged cafes and alternate cafes close adjacent to each other; sojourn gourmet restaurants adjacent to 80-year-old eateries; and browse stores selling fur and leather goods.

The southbound slope of Orestiada Lake is engaged each time and each nighttime long. In the morning, the caller water aerial mixes with the odor of freshly brewed java from the cafes.

If you aftermath up aboriginal successful the greeting and locomotion adjacent to the lake, you volition acquisition the fantastic fog that embraces Kastoria until the prima comes up.

In the evening, the euphony from the cafes and bars outdoes the cries of swans and ducks portion the lights sparkle connected the acheronian lake.

Further wrong the city, the cobbled streets and the mansions of the furriers alternate with funky bars and ultra-modern shops.

While you locomotion the Kastoria streets, you volition decidedly stumble upon 1 of the seventy Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches, with the oldest 1 dating from the 11th century.

Most of the churches are nestled successful betwixt homes, arsenic they are household chapels with uncommon frescoes inside; they person beauteous exterior decor, arsenic well.

Kastoria is charming passim the year. From the walks on the frozen water successful Winter to the Springtime walks connected its banks nether the greenish level and oak trees, Orestiada Lake is ever the highlight.

Popular festivals determination are the Ragoutsaria, the astir important historical taste event of Kastoria, with masquerades, euphony and dances from Epiphany until the Feast of Saint Dominic connected January 8.

The celebrated River Party festival astatine the ft of Grammos Mountain successful the springs of the Aliakmonas River is besides a must. Famous musicians and radical coming to the metropolis from each implicit Greece marque it an unforgettable event.

Late day metropolis presumption from the water successful the Fall. Credit: A. Makris / Greek Reporter

A metropolis built by the fur trade

For centuries, tradesmen successful Kastoria were organized successful nonrecreational unions oregon guilds. The astir celebrated was and inactive is the furriers guild. The constituent of root of fur processing successful the country is unknown. Some spot it successful the Byzantium epoch portion others backmost successful antiquity and yet others successful the 15th century.

Today, trading successful mink predominates successful Kastoria and is the biggest generator of income successful its economy. An planetary fur showcase takes spot annually successful the city.

The fur commercialized started astatine slightest arsenic acold backmost arsenic the 14th period erstwhile the metropolis provided the ermine pelts for the lining of the robes of the Byzantine courtiers.

Early Kastoria fur merchants settled successful Russia and Germany. After Germany’s part astatine the extremity of World War II, the fur halfway moved from Leipzig to Frankfurt.

During the Greek Civil War, thousands of Kastorians migrated to the United States to instrumentality the spot of aging Jewish immigrants who had formed the halfway of the New York furriers earlier successful the 1900s.

In 1984, an unthinkable 25,000 Kastorians were moving and surviving successful the New York country portion astir 10,000 resided successful Frankfurt, Germany.

Now determination are much than 300 tiny and large fur dealers successful Kastoria. Other industries see the merchantability and organisation of locally grown produce, particularly apples, wine, and fish.

Aerial presumption of the metropolis of Kastoria, Greece. Credit: Greek Reporter

The affluent past of Kastoria

The “Byzantine noblewoman,” arsenic it was called successful the aged days, Kastoria took its sanction from the countless castors (beavers) that erstwhile lived there.

The opening of quality habitation successful the country goes backmost to the Neolithic era, arsenic proven by archaeological excavations, which brought to airy the remains of a water colony successful the adjacent Dispilio community.

Kastoria was occupied by the Romans aft a siege which occurred astir 200 BC. Seven centuries later, Byzantine Emperor Justinian, portion passing done the area, asked that a caller metropolis beryllium built connected that spot.

The caller metropolis of Kastoria was fortified with a stout wall, portion of which survives to this day. This is wherefore immoderate judge that the sanction of the metropolis really comes from the connection Κάστρο (castle).

During the 10th to 11th centuries, Kastoria was occupied by Bulgarians and Normans, and successful 1204, aft the Fall of Constantinople, by the Franks.

From the 12th to the 14th century, it was the halfway of the Despotate of Epirus and portion of the territory of the Empire of Nicaea. After the recapture of Constantinople, it joined the Byzantine Empire erstwhile again.

During these centuries (mainly successful the 11th century) galore Byzantine churches were built which became taste points of notation for the pursuing generations.

Today, 12 churches from that play stay preserved, among which are Panagia Koumbelidiki, the iconic religion of Kastoria, and the religion of Taxiarches. Post-Byzantine churches were built betwixt the 15th and 19th centuries, arsenic well.

View of Kastoria from adjacent hill. Credit: stefg74/Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0

Kastoria nether Ottoman rule

In 1380, Kastoria came nether the regularisation of the Serbs and was occupied by the Ottomans successful 1385.

During the Ottoman occupation, the metropolis acquired a benignant of self-government acknowledgment to the privileges fixed to it by the Sublime Porte.

Its ultimate ruler was the Orthodox Metropolitan, who had the enactment of the Ottoman administration.

During that period, its colonisation ranged betwixt 15,000 and 20,000, among which were Jews and a fewer Ottoman warrior settlers.

However, determination were salient Kastorians who, feeling oppressed, fled to Europe, wherever galore of them stood retired done occurrence successful commercialized oregon done the conflict against the conquerors.

Some of these rebels were the brothers Panagiotis and Ioannis Emmanouil, who, having embraced the ideas of 1 of the architects of the Revolution, Rigas Feraios Velestinlis, did not hesitate to travel him to his martyrdom.

Fog implicit water Orestiada. Credit: Greek Reporter