Kastoria is one of the oldest cities in the Macedonian area. Besides, around the lake there was organized life from the Neolithic age, as evidenced by the excavation finds of the lake settlement in Dispilio, a lakeside village at a distance of 4 kilometers from the city. Its name is mentioned for the first time by Procopius (6th century BC) as the name of its lake. Many scholars believe that the city continues the life of ancient Ketelro, a settlement of the 2nd century BC, which is mentioned by the Roman historian Tito Livio.
In ancient times the wider Kastoria region was identified with Orestida, which according to mythological tradition owes its name to Orestes, the son of Agamemnon. Orestida, together with Elimeia and Lyngestida, set up at first the “state of Imathia” (Pella) and then Macedonia with Philip II and Alexander the Great.
During the Roman period, after the battle of Pydna (167 BC), the region was classified in the 4th district of Macedonia and from 148 BC it became a Roman province and was recognized as a free area. There is little information about city life in the early years of the Byzantine period. From the 10th century until its conquest by the Turks in 1385, the city experienced many conquerors (Bulgarians, Normans, Serbs), who kept it in power for a longer or shorter period. In these difficult times, the Byzantine state’s attempt to maintain its power in the city and the region was persistent. A characteristic of this insistence is the visit of five Byzantine emperors to the city.
The place of competition was Kastoria during the period after the occupation of Constantinople by the Franks (1204) between the forces of the Despotate of Epirus and the Empire of Nicaea, but also during the civil conflict between the Palaiologists Andronikos II and Andronikos III. During the long period of Turkish occupation (527 years), the city has shown remarkable stamina. Based on privileges that allowed a form of self-government and the activities of its inhabitants, mainly in the fur industry, it managed to achieve a significant economic development for the time. The church building (there are more than seventy Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches in town) and mansions, many of which have survived to this day, reveal a significant improvement in the living conditions of its inhabitants.
Particularly important was the spiritual life of the city during the Ottoman domination. The first organized schools operated with the donations of Georgios Kastriotis and Georgios Kyritsis in the early 18th century. Major scholars of the time, such as Methodios Anthracites, Sebastian Leontiades, Athanasios Vassilopoulos taught at the schools of Kastoria. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, when the first organized efforts for the liberation of Macedonia from the Turks began, Kastoria was a place of conflict. Central faces of the Macedonian struggle, such as Anastasios Phychion, Pavlos Melas, German Karavangelis organized their action in Kastoria and its wider region.
The city was liberated on 11 November 1912, the day of the patron saint of Saint Minas. Incorporated in the Greek state, Kastoria has lived the advent of the First World War and the Asia Minor Catastrophe. In the exchange of populations with Turkey (Treaty of Lausanne 1923), the city and the region received a large number of refugees, who gave new power to its economic and spiritual life.
During the interwar period, Kastoria began to grow economically, relying again on the fur industry. With the outbreak of World War II, the city lived in the devastation of the bombing of Italian airplanes. Possession and National Resistance followed the Civil War. Grammos and Vitsi were the areas of last conflict that took Greece and the Greeks. The end of the war meant for Kastoria the beginning of a period of intense economic growth with the main lever again the crafts and the trade of fur. Its population increased significantly. Services were organized, cultural unions were founded, high-rise buildings were built that altered the city’s oldest graphic image, but still still retains elements of its rare beauty.
In recent years, a remarkable tourist infrastructure has been developed, which can cover a large part of the visitors’ interests. Nowadays, in the new conditions that have formed within our globalized society, this small city tries to redefine its position by changing its way of life, not only because the conditions of life change rapidly, but also because the main employment of the inhabitants its fur, goes through a prolonged recession, which means deep cuts in human action and in organizing their lives. In this challenge the city strengthens its rich history and the love of its inhabitants.
Do I have to wear a mask in transports – inside taxi or private hired vehicles – in Greece?
(2022 guidance on the use of face masks in Greece – Covid19 update)
TAXIS / PRIVATE TRANSFERS / MINIVANS / MINIBUSES / CITY BUSES
Our staff will wear a face covering inside the taxis and all private-hired cars for the duration of your journey. Our driver will use hand satinizer before and after any transaction or contact with your luggage etc. In Greece, it is the law that you must wear either a face covering or face mask even if you are vaccinated inside the taxis or private hired cars. Exemptions include people who have medical issues (trouble breathing, unability to wear a mask properly etc), children under the age of three (3) or you have any other legitamate reason not to – however please note that proof maybe requested by local authorities. Our drivers treat everyone with respect and compassion and understand if it is not immediately obvious that some people are not able to wear face covering for medical reasons.
AIRPORTS / AIRPLANES / TRAINS / INTERCITY BUSES:
From Wednesday 1st of June 2022 and after, Greek state decided and it is the law now that masks are not mandatory.
SHIPS / FERRYBOATS
From Thursday 2nd of June 2022 and after Greek state decided and it is the law now that masks are not mandatory, but it is strongly reccomended.
Where do I have to wear mask in Greece?
(in use after 1st of June 2022 for summer/autumn period – Covid19 update)
From Wednesday 1st of June 2022 and after, Greek state decided and it is the law now that:
– Masks are NOT mandatory anymore INDOORS. This means that you DON’T have to wear a facemask anymore, if you want to visit a coffee shop, a restaurant, a beach bar, a shop, hotel or supermarket.
– You MUST wear a mask, if you visit the following places: public hospital, pharmacy, private clinic, doctor’s office, medical centre, retirement and nursing home. You must also wear a mask, when using public transportation (public bus, taxi, chauffeurred-driven vehicles etc)