Kastoria (, Kastoriá ) is a city in northern Greece in the region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of the Kastoria regional unit, in the geographic region of Macedonia. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains. The city is known for its many Byzantine churches, Byzantine and Ottoman-era domestic architecture, its lake and its fur clothing industry.

Name

In the 6th century, the historian Procopius wrote the name Kastoria was used for the lake. The name of the town is sometimes written as Castoria, especially in older works. The town is known as Kesriye in Turkish, Kostur (Cyrillic: Костур) in Bulgarian and Macedonian, Kosturi in Albanian and Kusturea in Aromanian.

  • Agia Triada
  • Agioi Anargyroi
  • Kastoria
  • Kastraki
  • Kleisoura
  • Korestia
  • Makednoi
  • Mesopotamia
  • Vitsi

The municipality has an area of 763.330&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, the municipal unit 57.318&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. The municipal unit consists of the town Kastoria and the settlements Aposkepos, Kefalari and Chloi. Paleologou Street]]

Antiquity

Kastoria was the site of previous settlements, the first being Celetrum (or Keletron), a town located near a lake in Orestis and mentioned by historian Livy in reference to the events of 199 BC. The ancient town was possibly located on a hill above the town's current location.

The Roman Emperor Diocletian (ruled 284–305&nbsp;AD) founded the town of Diocletianopolis (Διοκλητιανούπολις) in the vicinity. After Diocletianopolis was destroyed by barbarians, Emperor Justinian relocated it on a promontory projecting into Lake Orestiada, the town's current location, and Procopius writes the emperor "gave it an appropriate name", perhaps indicating that he renamed it Justinianopolis (Ίουστινιανούπολις). Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus made an anachronistic mention of Diocletianopolis in his work De Thematibus The first mention of the settlement of Kastoria was by Skylitzes in relation to events of the late 10th century during the Byzantine–Bulgarian wars.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the town became contested between several powers and changed hands often. Under the Bulgarians, Kastoria had a significant Romaniote Jewish community, with prominent individuals such as scholar Tobiah ben Eliezer.

Later, it was recovered by the Despotate of Epirus. The Nicaean Empire captured it in ca. 1252, but lost it again to Epirus in ca. 1257, only for the Nicaeans to recapture it following the Battle of Pelagonia (1259).

Ottoman era

The Ottoman Turks conquered Kastoria around 1385, Following the conquest and depopulation of Constantinople, the Romaniote Jews from Kastoria were forcefully resettled by the Ottomans in Balat district as part of efforts to repopulate the city. Among his co-conspirators were several Kastorian Greeks, such as Georgios Theocharis, and the brothers Panagiotis and John Emmanuel. When they were arrested by the Austrian authorities and handed over to the Ottomans, John Emmanuel admitted that he had smuggled a copy of Feraios' revolutionary song "Thourios" () into Kastoria and sang it there many times. Theocharis escaped execution thanks to his Austrian citizenship, but those of Feraios' companions that did not possess foreign citizenship were executed. When the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, there was Greek revolutionary activity in Kastoria as throughout the towns and villages of western Macedonia. John Papareskas was a notable Greek revolutionary from Kastoria. Revolutionary activity attracted the attention of the Ottoman authorities and the Ottoman commander Mehmet Emin took several Greek notables as hostages from towns in western Macedonia, including Kastoria.

Following the destruction of Moscopole (late eighteenth century), some Aromanian refugees attempted to settle in Kastoria, and their efforts were unsuccessful due to concerns by local Kastorians over economic competition from newcomers. Later, Aromanians with origins from Moscopole, Nikolicë, Vithkuq and other locations settled in Kastoria, and by the mid–nineteenth century the upper class of the town's Greek community was formed mostly by Aromanian families.

In the late Ottoman period, Kastoria was the seat of a kaza belonging to the sanjak of Görice, within the Vilayet of Monastir. Kastoria featured prominently in the Greek efforts during the Macedonian Struggle. A notable figure was Germanos Karavangelis, who served as the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Bishop of Kastoria from 1900 until 1907. Karavangelis thought that the post-Ottoman future of Macedonia would be decided by Balkan states, and viewed Bulgarian influence in the area as the greatest threat to Greek interests. When the Greek fighter and officer Pavlos Melas was killed in action in 1904, Karavangelis arranged to have his body buried within the Metropolis of Kastoria, after first having threatened to mobilize the town's Greek population if the Ottoman authorities did not surrender Melas' body.

Modern Greece

thumb|200px|Regional unit building

Ottoman rule ended in Kastoria after it was taken by the Greek Army in the First Balkan War (1912).

World War II

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 Democratic Army of Greece in 1948, and the final battles of the civil war took place on the nearby Mount Gramos in 1949.

In 1940, Kastoria came under Italian occupation. Italy surrendered in late 1943, and Kastoria came under German control.

Kastoria was liberated from German rule by the guerrillas of the Greek People's Liberation Army.

Contemporary period

Following the Greek Civil War, large numbers of Kastorian Greeks migrated abroad, where in the 1980s they numbered 25,000 in the New York area, and worked as furriers; younger generations worked as lawyers and doctors.

Involvement with fur began in the early middle ages, when Kastoria supplied ermine pelts for the robes of Byzantine courtiers. The fur industry was established in Kastoria during the sixteenth century, and extensive trade links emerged connecting the town with wider Europe. By the late 18th century, Kastoria had developed a strong Hellenic commercial culture.

In Kastoria, Jews participated in trade and tanning production. By the early twentieth century, Jewish merchants were involved in the trade of fur and tobacco. The Muslim population of Kastoria in 1913 worked as fishermen (30 percent) in Lake Kastoria, in agriculture (13 percent), or were large landowners (16 percent). In the interwar period, local Jews were involved in the textile, agricultural, and raw material sectors of Kastoria's economy.

In modern Kastoria, there are more than 300 small and big dealers in fur. Abroad, early twentieth century immigration to New York from Kastoria by Greeks involved in fur production expanded the local US industry, as demand for fur clothing increased, with most small businesses owned by Kastorian Greeks. The modern fur industry in New York is run by Kastorian Greeks, such as Castor Furs; a business involved in the fashion industry. 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, two TV stations, five daily newspapers, and seven weekly ones. The town's airport is named Aristotelis Airport.

Population

{| class=wikitable

|-

! Year !! Town !! Municipal unit !! Municipality

|-

| 1981 || 20,660 || – || –

|-

| 1991 || 14,775 || – || –

|-

| 2001 || 14,813 || 16,218 || –

|-

| 2011 || 13,387 || 16,958 || 35,874

|-

| 2021 || 12,548 || 16,393 || 33,095

|}

Historical

The Ottoman fiscal register of 1445 showed a total population of 4,518, of which 3,977 were Christians, 431 were Jews, and 110 were Muslims. Muslims were a minority in Kastoria, and would remain a minority for the duration of Ottoman rule. According to the findings of Dimitri Mishev, the town had a population of 4,000 Greek Christians, 400 Bulgarian Patriarchist Grecomans and 72 Vlachs in 1905 (excluding the Muslim minority).

The 1920 Greek census recorded 6,280 people in the town, and 829 inhabitants (242 families) were Muslim in 1923. Following the exchange, there were 101 Greek refugee families from Asia Minor, 19 from East Thrace, and one from Pontus in 1926.

Jewish Community

A Jewish presence in the area is recorded as early as late antiquity, when a Jewish community resided in Emperor Justinian's settlement. At the time of the First Bulgarian Empire, Kastoria had a significant Romaniote Jewish community, with prominent individuals such as scholar Tobiah ben Eliezer. A synagogue named after Kastoria was built and still stands in modern Istanbul. Toward the end of the 15th century, Jews expelled from Italy, Sicily, Portugal and Spain settled in Kastoria and became an important part of the population.

Several blood libels were made toward the Jewish community during the 19th century. Ladino-speaking Jews immigrated to the United States, and by the early twentieth century those from Kastoria had formed a Kastoria Society. In the modern period, the community still uses the name Kastoria for burial plots. Under Ottoman rule, the Jews of Kastoria had close ties with the Jewish community of Monastir (modern Bitola). The levels of Jewish education increased in Kastoria after the organisation Alliance Israélite Universelle provided funding and support in 1903. In 1928, a Zionist association was formed in Kastoria, and some of the town's Jewish children were sent to study and live in Mandate Palestine. Post war, heirless Jewish properties of Kastoria were 22 dwellings, three shops, and 35 land lots, and were administered by the OPAIE (The Heirless Property and Jewish Rehabilitation Fund). In the early 1970s, the Central Board of Jewish Communities, an organisation representing Jewish communities in Greece, attempted to liquidate Jewish properties in Kastoria with support from a few local Jews, several other Kastorians, and officials. The Jewish community had dwindled to one family. During the 1980s, relatives and business were factors which influenced Jews to remain in Kastoria. By the late twentieth century the Jewish presence in Kastoria had disappeared due to deaths and migration. Members from the Kastorian Jewish diaspora produced Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria, a documentary about the Jews of Kastoria.

Landmarks

thumb|200px|Sts Cosmas and Damian (Anargiroi) church, of 11th century, beside the lake

Byzantine monuments

Kastoria is an important religious centre for the Greek Orthodox Church, and is the seat of a metropolitan bishop. The Metropolis of Kastoria is one of the metropolises of the New Lands in Greece, administered as part of the Church of Greece. Kastoria originally had 72 Byzantine and medieval churches, of which 54 have survived; Kastoria had four synagogues (Italian, Portuguese, Romaniot and Spanish) in the early 18th century. Following World War Two, the Aragon synagogue was sold by the Central Board of Jewish Communities, and the new owners demolished it. The Jewish cemetery of Kastoria was neglected from the late interwar period, and had by the 1970s become overgrown with vegetation. Several stones were preserved. Some tombstones were repurposed for the storage room floor, and most stones were reused to construct the pathways of the site and barracks.

Ottoman monuments

During the Ottoman era, a Muslim minority resided in Kastoria and constructed various public, private and religious buildings. Gazi Ervenos Mosque or Gula Mosque was the earliest built in the town after the Ottoman conquest.

thumb|left|140px|Kursum Mosque

Prodromou Mosque was declared preserved during 1925, later the National Bank sold it and was demolished. Tabahane Mosque was also declared preserved in 1925 and later demolished in unknown circumstances. Hasan Kadi Mosque and Giahli or Giali Mosque were both destroyed. Kursum Mosque, named for its lead roof was declared preserved during 1925.

The Bektashi tekke was dedicated to Kasim Baba, a Sufi holy man. It was demolished. Three tekkes, one used by Sufis as a hermitage, another by dervishes and a third affiliated with the Mevlevi Order were all demolished. Another three tekkes were destroyed following the population exchange. Burial monuments (turbes) were located in the vicinity of mosques or in Muslim cemeteries, such as one in Kursum Mosque's courtyard, later destroyed. The turbe of Aydin Baba and the turbe of Kasim Baba were located on a hill above Kastoria, both destroyed. Muslim cemeteries were expropriated and demolished.

thumb|200px|Madrassa of Kastoria

Kastoria's Muslims had four primary schools, an elementary school and a madrassa. The Madrassa, a theological school with an open courtyard was declared a preserved monument by Greece in 1925 and repurposed as a depot for salt and other products. The building is presently closed and abandoned, some restoration has occurred and is in a state of moderate preservation. Remnants of a hamam are located in the Apozari neighbourhood. Portions of Kastoria's Ottoman walls are a protected monument (declared in 1932 and 1945), although some parts were demolished for other building projects. The Mathioudakis barracks, a military Ottoman structure from the early twentieth century was used from the interwar period to 2006 by the Greek army, who also erected several buildings within the complex. The Mathioudakis barracks now belongs to Kastoria municipality who has sought to demolish and rebuild it as a police station with pushback from town locals who advocate for its preservation. The period of the 1930s brought some architectural alterations and overall the town retained its traditional form until the 1960s when new construction proceeded in an anarchic manner changing Kastoria.

Education

The School of Sciences of University of Western Macedonia with two departments (Informatics and Mathematics) is based in the city, as well as the departments of Communication and Digital Media and Economics.

Cuisine

Local specialities include:

  • Giouvetsi (meat with pasta in tomato sauce)
  • Garoufa (Grivadi soup)
  • Pestrofa (trout)
  • Lake fish: carp, tench, catfish, eel
  • Sarmades (meatballs wrapped with pickled cabbage)
  • Makálo (meatballs with garlic sauce)
  • Kolokythopita (pumpkin pie)
  • Kremmydopita (onion pie)
  • Milk Pie (dessert)
  • Sáliaroi (dessert)

Sports

thumb|100px|[[Kastoria F.C. crest]]

Kastoria FC is the city's football team. It was established in 1963 when three local sides joined to form one stronger team to represent Kastoria. The team's most successful years to date were in 1974 when they were promoted to the Greek first division and competed there for a year, and in 1979–1980 when they won the Greek Cup after an impressive 5–2 victory over Iraklis FC in the final.

Location

{|<div style="text-align:center;">

|- style="background: #feffef;"

! colspan="2" |

|- style="background:#fff;"

| <div style="text-align:center;">

{| cellpadding="0" style="margin:5px auto; border:1px solid #aaa; background:#f8f8f8; clear:both"

|- style="text-align:center; font-size:120%;"

| &nbsp;Bilisht&nbsp; || &nbsp;Florina&nbsp;&nbsp; || &nbsp;Amyntaio – Edessa&nbsp;

|- style="text-align:center; font-size:120%;"

| &nbsp;Korçë&nbsp; ||150px|| &nbsp;Ptolemaida – Veria&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

|- style="text-align:center; font-size:120%;"

| &nbsp;Ioannina&nbsp; || &nbsp;Neapoli, Kozani – Siatista – Grevena&nbsp;&nbsp; || &nbsp;Kozani – Larissa&nbsp;

|}

</div>

|}

Notable people

thumb|180px|Statue of [[Athanasios Christopoulos]]

  • Tobiah ben Eliezer (11th), author of the Midrash Lekach Tov
  • Kasim Baba, 15th century Ottoman Bektashi holy man.
  • Sevastos Leontiadis (1690–1765), educationalist
  • Konstantinos Michail, scholar
  • Georgios Theocharis (1758–1843), merchant, revolutionary and diplomat
  • Athanasios Christopoulos (1772–1847), poet
  • Emmanuel brothers, partners of Rigas Feraios; executed with him in 1798
  • Vasileios Hatzis, painter
  • Aristotelis Zachos, architect
  • Pavlos Argyriadis (1849–1901), journalist, lawyer and anarchist/socialist intellectual
  • Argyrios Vouzas (1857–?), doctor and revolutionary
  • Leonidas Papazoglou, photographer
  • Şefik Aker (1877–1964), military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
  • Nicholas Lambrinides, founder of Skyline Chili, a famous restaurant chain in Cincinnati, USA
  • Andreas Tzimas, communist politician
  • Lucas Samaras (1936–2024), artist
  • Jagnula Kunovska (1943–2024), politician, jurist and writer
  • Maria Spiropulu (1970–), experimental physicist
  • Dimitris Diamantidis (1980–), basketball player
  • Ioannis Christou, (1983–), Greek rower
  • Christina Giazitzidou (1989–), Olympic bronze medalist in rowing

Twin towns – sister cities

Kastoria is twinned with:

  • Enna, Italy
  • Kyiv, Ukraine (since 1998)
  • Plovdiv, Bulgaria (since 2005)

<gallery class="center">

File:Saint Apostles Church in Kastoria Fresco, Onufri Argites, 1547.jpg|Fresco by Onufri at the Holy Apostles church

File:Costume Museum in Kastoria Building.jpg|Emmanuel mansion (18th c.), currently housing the Costume Museum

File:Karavangelis.JPG|A statue of Germanos Karavangelis

File:Kastoria memorial.JPG|Memorial to Holocaust victims of Kastoria in Israel

File:Limni kasstoria - panoramio.jpg|Geese at the Lake of Kastoria

File:20160517 292 kastoria.jpg|Hotel "Kastoria"

File:Furriers in Kastoria, 2014-05, Pouliopoulis family (1).jpg|Pouliopoulos mansion

File:Kastoria fortress plan.png|Plan of the medieval Bulgarian fortress

File:Apozari August 2020 03.jpg|View of the old town district of "Apozari"

File:Kastoria-nikon-4821-ok.jpg|The lake in autumn

</gallery>

See also

  • Castoria (titular see) (Latin Catholic)
  • Metropolis of Kastoria (now Greek Orthodox)
  • Delinanios Folklore Museum
  • Byzantine Museum of Kastoria
  • Paleontological and Paleobotanical Museum of Nostimo, a village from Kastoria
  • Kastorianos, folk dance from Greek Macedonia

References

Bibliography

  • (English version under construction)
  • Official website of the Prefecture
  • Informational Portal for Kastoria
  • Kastoria Byzantine Museum
  • Dispilio Lakeside Neolithic Settlement
  • Byzantine Kastoria through its monuments (10th–14th centuries)
  • Kastoria
  • Kastoria in visitwestmacedonia.gr