A powerful attraction









Kozani

Although blighted by a large electricity plant, this prosperous district

has preserved much of its impressive architecture and traditions

The district of Kozani in western Macedonia

offers some sharp contrasts: Its

overwhelmingly mountainous terrain

hosts an abundance of flora and fauna

but also includes one of the country’s

most environmentally damaged areas,

around the power production complex

near Ptolemaida. Plus, its rich architectural

heritage is a far cry from the

dominance of poorly styled urban

apartment blocks, particularly in the

town of Kozani itself, the capital of the

district (population 37,000).

The Public Power Corporation complex

in Ptolemaida is the largest power

production center in the country and

one of Europe’s most polluting – spewing

thousands of tons of carbon dioxide

from burning lignite into the atmosphere

and causing serious health

problems to the inhabitants of surrounding

villages. While it is a sight, it

is best avoided, except perhaps in the

context of an educational visit. A questionable

benefit of this presence of

heavy industry is that the Kozani prefecture

boasts the fourth-highest income

per capita in the country after

those of Athens, Attica and Thessaloniki.

Apart from this relatively small area,

the district is well worth exploring for

its natural environment and heritage,

which includes ancient and Byzantine

cities (Apidea, Aiane, Servia) as well as

churches, stone bridges and mansions.

The landscape is marked by

Greece’s longest river, the Aliakmonas,

in the western and eastern parts, as well

as the artificial Polyfyto Lake.

Until about two decades ago, Kozani

town, devoid of character and color, presented

scant reason for a visit. The dullness

was best expressed by songwriter

Yiannis Kakoulidis in “Ti Lozani

ti Kozani” – “Two coffee shops, two cinemas

/ sesame candy bar, ouzo and pastrami

/ girls abound, men are few / and

the evenings are bitterly cold.”

Since then, much restoration work,

development and pedestrianization in

the city center have considerably improved

this glum picture, including a number of surviving traditional and

neoclassical mansions. It is worth seeing

the 1664 Cathedral of Aghios Nikolaos

– with excellent frescoes – and the

Municipal Library, one of the richest in

Greece, with more than 100,000 volumes,

manuscripts, Ottoman edicts and

rare publications, including a copy of

the map (“Charta”) of the Balkans by

18th-century Greek patriot Rigas Velestinlis.

The town is livened by a considerable

student population.

Siatista (population 6,000), 28 kilometers

west of Kozani, is a worthy destination

by itself, having retained

much of the charm of its heyday in the

18th and 19th centuries, when its furs

and wines were highly sought after

from as far away as Venice and Moscow.

Its traders and artisans formed a

wealthy community, whose prosperity

and lifestyle is reflected in the twodozen

or so surviving mansions, like

small, three-story castles with fine internal

decoration featuring artful woodcarved

ceilings, colorful fireplaces and

stained-glass windows (see Page 43).

The 1677 Church of Aghia Paraskevi

has wonderful frescoes, including –

curiously – several ancient Greeks

such as Solon, Plutarch, Thucydides and

Aristotle – a reflection of contact with

Western classicists. Most households

are still occupied in the fur and leather

industry and the traditional, sweet wine

is still produced. A stroll around Siatista’s

cobblestone streets takes you

back in time.

Some 43 km south of Kozani, at

Mikrolivado, are the rare “bouharia”

and “nochtaria” geological formations

–first publicized only in 2004 – which

are clusters of pillar- and pyramidshaped

formations of red earth, some

with large stones balanced on top.

South of Kozani is the extensive archaeological

site and royal necropolis

of Aiane, with finds dating back to the

14th century BC.

A number of villages around Kozani

engage in the extensive cultivation of

Crocus sativus, the flower of which is

used to produce saffron.


Where to stay
Prices per double room include
breakfast. In Siatista (area phone code
24650): Iberis (tel 47054), newly built
hotel on the edge of town, very good
and friendly service, from 70 euros;
Siatistino Archontariki (tel 47020),
traditional, ambient guesthouse, from
50 euros; Siatista (tel 47047),
welcoming, wonderful mountain
views, mixes traditional and modern
elements, good breakfast, from 50
euros. In Kozani (area code 24610):
Elena (tel 30294), quiet hotel on the
edge of town, very good service, from
90 euros.

Where & what to eat
In Kozani: Trata, award-winning
restaurant (2009) specializing in fish
and seafood, menu includes organic
dishes section, excellent wine list;
Platanos, very good local dishes;
Kliougi, Anatolian meat dishes. In
Siatista: Petrino, classic Greek and
grilled dishes; Gravadika, popular
taverna, local and grilled dishes.
Sample the fish in one of the many
lakeside tavernas around Polyfyto
Lake. In Ptolemaida: Tothelo, modern
bar-restaurant. In Siatista, look for
saliaria – sweets stuffed with walnutsand spices.

Museums

In Kozani: the Archaeological Museum

(tel 24610. 26210) is expected to

reopen in a new building this year; the

rich Historical, Folk Art and Natural

History Museum (tel 26713, see Page

43); the Vourkas Mansion, a listed

monument; and the Lassanis Mansion,

hosting an exhibition of old maps of

Crete until March 14. In Siatista: the

excellent Bourinos Botanical Museum

(tel 24650.21353); the Paleontological

Collection (see Page 43). Ptolemaida’s

Paleontological and Historical

Museum (tel 24630.54444) includes

mammoth bones and elephant tusks.

What to see

The remains of a Byzantine fort and

acropolis at Servia, on the eastern side

of Polyfyto Lake and next to a gorge

with intriguing human- and animalshaped

rocks. The lake is crossed over

by the longest highway bridge in the

Balkans (1,372 meters). Other options

in the area include touring the

lakeside, water-skiing and visiting the

pretty, leafy little town of Velvento

famed for its fruit orchards and as the

birthplace of Giorgos Zorbas, who

provided inspiration for Nikos

Kazantzakis’s “Zorba the Greek” – and

the waterfalls at Skepasto.

Saffron

Greek red saffron, which is grown

in a number of villages around

Kozani, is considered the best in the

world. Saffron is the most expensive

spice, one that gives particular

flavor and color to various dishes,

beverages and cheeses. It

comprises the dried stigmas of the

Crocus sativus flower. One kilo of

saffron includes about 150,000

stigmas. A local cooperative has

exclusive rights to collecting and

selling the product. Annual

production varies between 6 and 8

tons.


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