Kozani (Greek:Κοζάνη,pronounced[koˈzani]) is a town in northernGreece, capital ofKozani regional unit and ofWestern Macedonia. It is located in the western part ofMacedonia, in the northern part of theAliakmonas river valley. The city lies 710 metres (2,329 feet) above sea level, 15 kilometres (9 miles) northwest of theartificial lake Polyfytos, 120 km (75 miles) south-west ofThessaloniki, between the mountainsPieria,Vermio,Vourinos andAskio. The population of the Kozani municipality is over 67,000 people.[2] The climate of the area is continental with cold and dry winters, and hot summers.
One of the most important aspects of localfolklore is Kozani'scarnival at the end of the winter, which retains much of theprofanity of the ancientDionysiac cult.[3] Kozani is renowned in Greece and abroad for the production ofsaffron (Krokos Kozanis), in the nearby town ofKrokos.[4][5]
Kozani is atransport node betweenCentral Macedonia,Thessaly andEpirus. The nearest airport isFilippos Airport, 4 kilometres (2 miles) from the city, IATA code: KZI. The airport was first opened in the mid-20th century. Kozani is situated near theA2 motorway, which connects the coast of the Ionian Sea with Thessaloniki and Turkish borders.
According to prevailing opinion in Greece, the name comes from the village ofEpirusKósdiani, the origin of settlers of Kozani in 1392. The settlement was first named Kózdiani, which then, it was changed into Kóziani, and in the end into Kozáni.[6]
Antiquities from the prehistoric to the Byzantine period have been unearthed in many sectors of the city. In the east part of Kozani, an ancientnecropolis has been found, dating to the earlyIron Age.[7] DuringPhilip II of Macedon's reign, the region was namedElimeia, which was part ofUpper Macedonia and probably in the same place there was a town named Tyrissa (Greek: Τύρισσα).[8] In the south-west of the modern city, on Siopoto hill, there was a settlement namedKalyvia, between 1100 and 1300, traces of which are still preserved.
Kozani was probably founded by Christian settlers who, after theOttoman conquest, withdrew from the plains ofMacedonia into the mountains, during the 14th and 15th centuries. Its secure position soon attracted otherChristians expelled fromEpirus, in 1392.[9] Together with the settlers from Epirus, many cattle-breeders moved in the region.
The first recorded mention of Kozani is in an Ottoman register of 1528, as a settlement with 91 houses, 23 singles and 15 widows.[10] In the Ottomantahrir defter (number 167) of 1530, the settlement is recorded as a village with the nameKozani, and was within thekaza ofSerfice.[11] One of the most important colonizers of Kozani was the chief shepherd Ioannis Trantas, who settled about 100 families.[12] His son, Charisios Trantas, managed to obtain a Sultan'sfirman in 1664, according to the terms of which the town came under the protection of the Sultan's mother, was endowed with many privileges, and became forbidden for the Turks to settle in.[13]
Agios Nikolaos'clock tower (Mamatsios), landmark of the city, in 1916.
In 1664, the magnificentchurch ofAgios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas Cathedral) was built. In 1668, thelibrary and the famous school of Kozani were founded. During the 17th and 18th century, commercial relations with the countries ofcentral Europe gave the opportunity for the city to flourish economically. During the 19th century, as foreign travellers relate, the population of the town wasGreek, and was growing.[14][15]
The town's growth was disrupted in 1770, because of conflict that erupted between Kozani's local inhabitants and Kozanite merchants in central Europe, who contributed to the town's prosperity; even more catastrophically, the city was pillaged by Turkishbeys in 1770. A subsequent incursion by Aslan bey, in 1830, ravaged the city immensely. In 1855 next to St. Nicholas Church a 26 meters high bell tower was built, which would become the symbol of the city. In 1939, a clock was added to the top of the tower, donated by Greek-American, Konstantinos Mamatsios.[16]
Metropolite Joachim of Kozani with guerillas ofELAS during WWII
In the 20th century, the city grew tremendously, as lignite reserves in the area started being used by thePublic Power Corporation, making Kozani the foremost producer of electrical power in Greece. Anearthquake that occurred in the region on 13 May 1995, with a magnitude of 6.6 on theRichter scale, caused only property damage.[20]
The city now combines modern with old architecture. Some magnificent buildings are the clock tower, the town hall, thefolklore museum, the "Valtadoreio"Gymnasium, theNational Bank of Greece building, the "Ermioneion" Hotel and the mansions ofGeorgios Lassanis andGrigorios Vourkas. The Municipal Library of Kozani called "Kovendareios" is the second biggest in Greece, and it has 150,000 books, rare publications, valuable documents, and one of the rare copies ofRigas Feraios' charter. For this reason Kozani was included in the National Cultural Network of Cities with object the promotion of the Book and Reading. The Institute of Book and Reading was established and Kozani is now known asCity of Books.[21] Kozani is the administrative, commercial, economic, and transport centre of the region ofWest Macedonia.
The city is mostly known for its important contribution to the Greekelectricity supply, and a large part of the population works in thePublic Power Corporation'slignite-firedAgios Dimitrios Power Plant, the largest power plant in Greece. The Ptolemaida Basin hosts the Western Macedonia Lignite Center, which is accountable for the production of forty per cent[citation needed] of the electric energy of the country.
Other famous products aremarble,saffron (Krokos, Kozanis),fruits, localwines and specialized arts and crafts industry. The Commercial Exhibition of Kozani takes part in the Exhibition Centre of Western Macedonia inKoila Kozanis every September. Many firms from Greece and other Balkan countries participate, especially with local products.
While Kozani remains a regional banking center, the Kozani-based Co-Operative Bank of Western Macedonia however failed thestress test conducted by theBank of Greece and subsequently was liquidated in December 2013.[22]
TheHistorical–Folklore and Natural History Museum of Kozani is built according to old Macedonian architecture, and in its six floors, visitors can see everything about the geography, natural history, flora and animals of the region, as well as the history, the traditions and the past way of life in Kozani.
The Municipal Park Kouri located inAgios Dimitrios where you can see theCultural Center and the Municipal Theatre of Kozani, and the hill of Xenia with the nice view of all the city
Polyphytos bridge crossing the artificial Polyphytos lake. With a length of 1,372 m (4,501 ft), it is the second longest bridge in Greece after theRio–Antirrio bridge.
Thepublic transit in the city is provided byminibuses, and between the centre and the municipal departments, it is provided byTransit buses. Thetraffic problems of the city have become more severe during the last few years.
The municipality Kozani was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following five former municipalities, that became municipal units:[26]
View of Kozani from the south.The Municipality of Kozani within West Macedonia after the 2011 reform.Polyphytos bridge crossing the Polyphytos artificial lake of the riverAliakmonas nearServia, Kozani.
The total population is 71,388 (2011). It is developing into a nodal town of the Western Balkans, with areas and activities of a wider regional nature. Within this context, the municipality of Kozani is creating a modern satellite town, the Kozani Zone of Alternate Urban Planning (ZEP). The Municipal Corporation of alternate planning and development of Kozani S.A.(DEPEPOK) was established in order to implement the projects of the ZEP.
The ZEP is strategically located on 50 ha south-west of Kozani, and aims to become a model development centre, attracting an urban population and economic activities from throughout Western Macedonia in Greece and the Western Balkans.
Other known neighborhoods of Kozani are Sk'rka, Ipirotika, Gitia, Agios Athanasios, Platania.
The province of Kozani (Greek:Επαρχία Κοζάνης) was one of theprovinces of the Kozani Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities Kozani (except a few villages that were part of theEordaia province) andServia-Velventos.[28] It was abolished in 2006.
Under theKöppen climate classification, Kozani has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa). Summers are warm to hot, while winters can be cold with several snowfalls, though few of them are heavy. Rainfall is spread quite evenly throughout the year. Since 1991, the highest temperature ever recorded is 41.2 °C (106.2 °F) on 25 July 2023[29] while the lowest temperature ever recorded is −15.0 °C (5.0 °F) on 8 January 2017.[30]
There are 18Primary schools in Kozani, and another 8, in the municipal departments of Vatero, Kariditsa, Koila, Lefkovrysi, Lefkopigi, Nea Charavgi, Xirolimni and Petrana. TheGymnasiums of the city are 8, and there are two more in the municipal departments of Lefkopigi and Xirolimni. There are also 4Lyceums, 4 Vocational Schools (EPAL), some Business Schools and one municipalOdeum.
The city is the seat of theUniversity of Western Macedonia which has 7 Faculties and 22 Departments in 5 cities (Kozani, Florina, Kastoria, Ptolemaida, and Grevena). The main campus is located in the Active Urban Planning Zone of Kozani (ZEP), with a secondary campus in Kila, Kozani.[32] Theuniversity was founded in 2002.[33]
Kozani carnival is one of the most important events in the region, taking place at the end of winter. The dates change each year, depending on the start date ofLent. Carnival festivities in Kozani, and in general throughout Greece, last eleven days, starting onΤσικνοπέμπτη (Tsiknopemptilit.'Charred Thursday'; equivalent toFat Thursday, similar toMardi Gras) and ending onΚαθαρά Δευτέρα (Kathara Defteralit.'Clean Monday'; similar toAsh Wednesday).
During the Kozani carnival, great bonfires are lit in different parts of the city; every night, another district lights its fire and people dance around it; on the last night of the carnival, all fires are lit. These festive fires, as well as the cultural associations that organize the festivities in each district, are calledFanoi (fires). Eachfanos welcomes visitors and locals to their district with songs and dances, and treats them to local delicacies, namelykichia (feta cheese wrapped around a snail-shaped phyllo) and meatballs, as well as wine. Popular songs are sung around the fire, with the singers and crowd dancing in a primitive way that sees repeating the same steps and gestures; at midnight, scatological and explicit songs are sung. In between songs, bands play instrumental songs, such as theEnteka, often called Kozani's "national anthem". It is worth nothing that all of these festivities are executed in the city's dialect, Kozani Greek.[34]
In 2010, Theodoros Lakkas, one of the most prominent figures of thefanoi, lead singer of thefanos Lakkos t' maggan and writer of funnyshort stories, published the first anthology of Kozani's carnival songs, entitledIvgati Agoria m stou chouro [Go dance, my boys].[35] This has been the first attempt so far to collect all the songs in one volume.
At the end of summerLassaneia Events are organised. They consist of theatrical representations, concerts, athletic events etc. The name "Lassaneia" comes fromGeorgios Lassanis, who was from Kozani and participated in the Greek War of Independence. A part of those events is also the new authorssong festival "Nikolas Asimos".[36]
Niaimeros is a fair in the north of the city in Niaimeros Place. It takes place on the first Tuesday of October. It used to last nine days (niaimeros,lit.'nine days'), but now it lasts only 3 days.
Official local public holidays are the celebration for the liberation of the city from the Turks on 11 October andSaint Nicholas day - Kozani's patron - on 6 December.
The municipalBand is namedPandora. It was founded in 1902, and it takes part in all the events and celebrations.
Fanos; an old carnival custom.
The mansion ofGeorgios Lassanis in Kozani. Today it is used as a Municipal Map Library.
A typical dish in Kozani is the so-called Yaprákia. The main ingredients aremeat andrice in salty carbage-leaf, having the shape of an egg. It is used often as Christmas food. Kichí (Kozanitiko kichí) is another local dish, which is actually a cheesepie with circular-snail form.
^Μεγδάνης, Χ. 1820. Αγγελία παρί της αρχής προόδου της Ελληνικής Σχολης. Βιέννη.
^Χατζηιωάννου Μ.-Χ. 2000:32. Η ιστορική εξέλιξη των οικισμών στην περιοχή του Αλιάκμωνα κατά την Τουρκοκρατία. Ο κώδικας αρ. 201 της Μονής Μεταμορφώσεως του Σωτήρος Ζάβορδας. Αθήνα: Κέντρο Νεοελληνικών Ερευνών/Εθνικού Ιδρύματος Ερευνών.
^Özkılınç, Ahmet; Coşkun, Ali; Sivridağ, Abdullah, eds. (2013).Osmanlı Yer Adları: I - Rumeli Eyaleti (1514–1550) [Ottoman Place Names: I - Rumelia State (1514–1550)](PDF) (in Turkish). Project Manager: Ünal, Uğur. Project Associates: Budak, Mustafa; Bayram, Sabahattin; Yıldıztaş, Mümin. Ankara: State Archives of Türkiye. pp. VII–VIII, 12, 500.ISBN9789751962386.Archived 26 August 2020 at theWayback Machine
^Γουναρόπουλος, Κ.Α. 1872:488-9. Κοζανιτικά. Αθήνα: Πανδώρα ΚΒ & Λιούφης, Π. 1924:44-5. Ιστορία της Κοζάνης (History of Kozani). Αθήνα.
^Κωνσταντίνος Σπανός. "Η απογραφή του Σαντζακίου των Σερβίων", in: "Ελιμειακά", 48-49, 2001.
^A. Chalkiopoulos (Χαλκιόπουλος, Α.) 1910:109. Εθνολογική στατιστική των Βιλαετίων Θεσσαλονίκης και Μοναστηρίου.Athens. & Χατζηιωάννου Μ.-Χ. 2000:37. Η ιστορική εξέλιξη των οικισμών στην περιοχή του Αλιάκμωνα κατά την Τουρκοκρατία.
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