Kastoria
Kastoria is a city in northern
Greece in the
periphery of
West Macedonia. It is the capital of
Kastoria Prefecture, located at . 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.
|
Panoramic view of Kastoria |
There are many theories regarding the name
Kastoria (in
Greek: Καστοριά
IPA //). It has been claimed that the name derives from the Greek word
κάστορας/kástoras (
beaver), who may have lived in the nearby lake (Lake Orestiada). Other theories propose that the name derives from the Greek word
κάστρο/kástro (
castle; from the
Latin word
castrum) or from the mythical hero
Κάστωρ/
Kástor, who may have been honoured in the area. The name for the city in
Slavic is
Kostur/Костур (from
kost, 'bone'), the
Aromanian name is
Kastoria and the
Turkish name is
Kesriye.
Kastoria is believed to have had 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.
Around
1385, the
Ottoman Empire conquered Kastoria.
During the
First Balkan War (
1912), Greece took Kastoria. The 1913 treaties of
London and
Bucharest confirmed Kastoria as Greek territory.
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 Grammos.
Kastoria is renowned for its
fur trade, which dominates the local economy. Indeed, the town is named for 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. Other industries include the sale and distribution of locally grown produce, particularly
wheat,
apples,
wine and
fish.
The town's
airport is named
Aristotelis Airport.
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 a useful insight into Greek Orthodox styles of architecture and
fresco painting.
*
Kastoria FC*
The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004
*
Encyclopædia Britannica, 2005
*
The Penguin Encyclopedia of Places, 1999
*
Rough Guide to Greece, Mark Ellingham
et al, 2000
*In Greek:
**
Καστοριά, Map, Rentals, Yellow Pages and Information**http://egnatia.ee.auth.gr/~sthat/kids/kast.html
*
Kastoria FC*
Kastoria Byzantine Museum*
Kastoria Folklore Museum
