Kozani


Kozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of the Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley. The city lies above sea level, northwest of the artificial lake Polyfytos, south-west of Thessaloniki, between the mountains Pieria, Vermio, Vourinos and Askio. The population of the Kozani municipality is over 67,000 people. The climate of the area is continental with cold and dry winters, and hot summers.
Kozani is the home of the University of Western Macedonia, with about 15,000 students from all over Greece and other places. It is also the seat of West Macedonia's court of appeal, police department, fire brigade, the seat of the 1st Army Corps of the Hellenic Army and of the Bishop of Servia and Kozani.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. Kozani is renowned in Greece and abroad for the production of saffron, in the nearby town of Krokos.
Kozani is a transport node between Central Macedonia, Thessaly and Epirus. The nearest airport is Filippos Airport, from the city, IATA code: KZI. The airport was first opened in the mid-20th century. Kozani is situated near the A2 motorway, which connects the coast of the Ionian Sea with Thessaloniki and Turkish borders.

Etymology

According to prevailing opinion in Greece, the name comes from the village of Epirus Kósdiani, 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.

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. 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. 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.

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. 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. In the Ottoman tahrir defter of 1530, the settlement is recorded as a village with the name, and was within the kaza of Serfice. One of the most important colonizers of Kozani was the chief shepherd Ioannis Trantas, who settled about 100 families. His son, Charisios Trantas, managed to obtain a Sultan's 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.
In 1664, the magnificent church of Agios Nikolaos was built. In 1668, the library and the famous school of Kozani were founded. During the 17th and 18th century, commercial relations with the countries of central Europe gave the opportunity for the city to flourish economically. During the 19th century, as foreign travellers relate, the population of the town was Greek, and was growing.
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 Arslan 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.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Kozani was part of the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. In the 1881–1893 census, the kaza of had a total population of 27,652; consisting of 15,017 Muslims, 12,633 Greek Orthodox, and two Armenians. According to the 1904 population census of the Greek Kingdom's consulate, 12,000 Greeks and 350 Aromanians were living in Kozani at the time.

Balkan wars

The Greek army entered Kozani on 11 October 1912, during the First Balkan War, after its victory against the Ottoman army in the Battle of Sarantaporo. By this time, the population of the town was 12,000 Orthodox Greeks. In 1923, during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, about 1,400 Greek families from Pontus and Asia Minor were settled in Kozani.

Modern times

In the 20th century, the city grew tremendously, as lignite reserves in the area started being used by the Public Power Corporation, making Kozani the foremost producer of electrical power in Greece. An earthquake that occurred in the region on 13 May 1995, with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale, caused only property damage.
The city now combines modern with old architecture. Some magnificent buildings are the clock tower, the town hall, the folklore museum, the "Valtadoreio" Gymnasium, the National Bank of Greece building, the "Ermioneion" Hotel and the mansions of Georgios Lassanis and Grigorios 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 of Rigas 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 as City of Books. Kozani is the administrative, commercial, economic, and transport centre of the region of West Macedonia.

Economy

The city is mostly known for its important contribution to the Greek electricity supply, and a large part of the population works in the Public Power Corporation's lignite-fired Agios 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 of the electric energy of the country.
Other famous products are marble, saffron, fruits, local wines and specialized arts and crafts industry. The Commercial Exhibition of Kozani takes part in the Exhibition Centre of Western Macedonia in Koila 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 the stress test conducted by the Bank of Greece and subsequently was liquidated in December 2013.

Sites of interest

Downtown sites of interest

There are some telecommunications companies, TV and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and web portals based in Kozani.

Newspapers

The main newspapers of the region are Chronos, Proinos Logos, Tharros, and Grammi.

Television

Prominent television news channels in the region are West Channel, Flash TV, and TOP Channel.

Radio

Notable broadcast radio in the region include the following:
  • ERT Kozani FM 100.2 and 100.6
  • Siera FM 105.3
  • Erotiko 99.5 FM
  • Fresh Radio 92.9 FM
  • Diva FM 91.6
  • NRG FM 89.5

    Historical population

Transport

Kozani is accessed with the A2 motorway from Ioannina and Thessaloniki, GR-3 from Larissa and Florina, GR-4 and GR-20.
  • By bus, for all West Macedonian towns and for the biggest Greek cities Athens, Thessaloniki, Larisa, Volos, Ioannina, Patras.
  • By aeroplane, the city is connected with Athens and Kastoria from Filippos Airport which lies south-east of Kozani.
The 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.

Government

The municipality Kozani was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following five former municipalities, that became municipal units:
File:Servia bridge over Polyfytos lake, Kozani, Greece.jpg|thumb|180px|Polyphytos bridge crossing the Polyphytos artificial lake of the river Aliakmonas near Servia, Kozani.|left
Municipal unitPopulation Area
Kozani47,461366.018
Aiani3,429156.004
Dimitrios Ypsilantis2,335112.071
Elimeia5,91099.166
Ellispontos5,834337.992

The total population is 71,388. 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. The Municipal Corporation of alternate planning and development of Kozani S.A. 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.