Vermio, Vourinos and Askio. The population of the Kozani municipality is over 67,000 people.[1]
The climate of the area is continental with cold and dry winters, and hot summers.
Kozani is the home of the
Bishop of Servia and Kozani.Prefecture building
One of the most important aspects of local folklore is Kozani's carnival at the end of the winter, which retains much of the profanity of the ancient Dionysiac cult.[2] Kozani is renowned in Greece and abroad for the production of saffron (Krokos Kozanis), in the nearby town of Krokos.[3][4]
Kozani is a
Filippos 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 the Egnatia Highway
, 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 of EpirusKósdiani, 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.[5]
History
Antiquity
Antiquities from the prehistoric to the Byzantine period have been unearthed in many sectors of the city. In the east part of Kozani, an ancient necropolis has been found, dating to the early Iron Age.[6] During Philip II of Macedon's reign, the region was named Elimeia, which was part of Upper Macedonia and probably in the same place there was a town named Tyrissa (Greek: Τύρισσα).[7] In the south-west of the modern city, on Siopoto hill, there was a settlement named Kalyvia, between 1100 and 1300, traces of which are still preserved.
Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos) church
Ottoman period
Kozani was probably founded by Christian settlers who, after the Ottoman conquest, withdrew from the plains of Macedonia into the mountains, during the 14th and 15th centuries. Its secure position soon attracted other Christians expelled from Epirus, in 1392.[8] 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.
firman 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.[12]
Agios Nikolaos' clock tower (Mamatsios), landmark of the city, in 1916.
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 Turkish beys 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.[15]
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Kozani was part of the
Historical–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.
of Kozani, and the hill of Xenia with the nice view of all the city
The
Macedonian Struggle
.
Rio–Antirrio bridge
.
Mass media
There are some telecommunications companies, TV and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and web portals based in Kozani. The television channels are
public transit in the city is provided by minibuses, and between the centre and the municipal departments, it is provided by Transit buses. The traffic
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:[24]
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.
The province of Kozani (Greek: Επαρχία Κοζάνης) was one of the provinces of the Kozani Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities Kozani (except a few villages that were part of the Eordaia province) and Servia-Velventos.[26] It was abolished in 2006.
Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Kozani has a humid 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[27] while the lowest temperature ever recorded is −15.0 °C (5.0 °F) on 8 January 2017.[28]
There are 18 Primary schools in Kozani, and another 8, in the municipal departments of Vatero, Kariditsa, Koila, Lefkovrysi, Lefkopigi, Nea Charavgi, Xirolimni and Petrana. The Gymnasiums of the city are 8, and there are two more in the municipal departments of Lefkopigi and Xirolimni. There are also 4 Lyceums, 4 Vocational Schools (EPAL), some Business Schools and one municipal Odeum.
The city is the seat of the University 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.[30] The university was founded in 2002.[31]
Culture
Festivals and events
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 of Lent. Carnival festivities in Kozani, and in general throughout Greece, last eleven days, starting on Τσικνοπέμπτη (Tsiknopempti lit.'Charred Thursday'; equivalent to Fat Thursday, similar to Mardi Gras) and ending on Καθαρά Δευτέρα (Kathara Deftera lit.'Clean Monday'; similar to Ash Wednesday).
Historical–Folklore and Natural History Museum of Kozani
.
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 called Fanoi (fires). Each fanos welcomes visitors and locals to their district with songs and dances, and treats them to local delicacies, namely kichia (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 the Enteka, often called Kozani's "national anthem". It is worth nothing that all of these festivities are executed in the city's dialect, Kozani Greek.[32]
In 2010, Theodoros Lakkas, one of the most prominent figures of the fanoi, lead singer of the fanos Lakkos t' maggan and writer of funny short stories, published the first anthology of Kozani's carnival songs, entitled Ivgati Agoria m stou chouro [Go dance, my boys].[33] This has been the first attempt so far to collect all the songs in one volume.
At the end of summer Lassaneia Events are organised. They consist of theatrical representations, concerts, athletic events etc. The name "Lassaneia" comes from Georgios Lassanis, who was from Kozani and participated in the Greek War of Independence. A part of those events is also the new authors song festival "Nikolas Asimos".[34]
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 and Saint Nicholas day - Kozani's patron - on 6 December.
The municipal
Band
is named Pandora. It was founded in 1902, and it takes part in all the events and celebrations.
Fanos; an old carnival custom.
The mansion of Georgios 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 are meat and rice 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 cheese pie 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.
^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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Fanos; an old carnival custom.
The mansion of Georgios Lassanis in Kozani. Today it is used as a Municipal Map Library.
Vourkas mansion
Metropolite (Metropolitan bishop)
Bristol, Connecticut, USA, since November 2, 1987
Toluca, Mexico
