Konitsa

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Konitsa municipality
Δήμος Κόνιτσας (Κόνιτσα)
Konitsa (Greece)
Bluedot.svg
Basic data
State : GreeceGreece Greece
Region : Epirus
Regional District : Ioannina
Geographic coordinates : 40 ° 3 ′  N , 20 ° 45 ′  E Coordinates: 40 ° 3 ′  N , 20 ° 45 ′  E
Area : 949.85 km²
Residents : 6,362 (2011)
Population density : 6.7 inhabitants / km²
Seat: Konitsa
LAU-1 code no .: 1806
Districts : 5 municipal districts
Local self-government : f121 city district
39 local communities
Location in the Epirus region
File: 2011 Dimos Konitsas.png
f9 f10 f8

Konitsa ( Greek Κόνιτσα ( f. Sg. ); Albanian  Konicë / -a ) is a Greek town and municipality (Dimos) in the north of the Ioannina regional district in the Epirus region . The municipality was enlarged considerably by the territorial reforms of 1997 and 2010 and since 2011 corresponds to the area of ​​the Konitsa Province, which existed until 1997.

geography

Konitsa is located about 5 km south of the Albanian border at the exit of the Aoos river from its valley between the Smolikas massif in the north and the Tymfi massif in the south in the middle of the northern Pindos mountains. Immediately to the east of the city rises the over 2,000 m high mountain Trapesitza, which is the western extension of the Smolikas massif. Konitsa is built into the western foothills of the mountain like a grandstand. To the east, the Aoos plateau, which forms the southern boundary of the municipality of Zagori , opens up to the mountain village of Distrato in northern Pindos to the east . The Aoos Valley is used for agriculture. Konitsa is the northernmost town in the Zagoria or Zagorochoria region .

North of the Smolikas, the Aoos flows into the municipality of the Sarandaporos, to the north of it are the municipality of Mastorochoria and the mountain villages of Aetomilitsa and Fourka , which also form municipal districts. To the north, the Grammos massif delimits the municipality to Albania and Western Macedonia .

The area of ​​the Konitsa municipality itself comprises areas with agricultural cultivation from a height of 542 m (Aoos valley) to 1,073 m. Forests cover 51% of the municipal area, of which 86% belong to the state. The predominant tree species are black pine and Abies borisii . 18% of the area is used for agriculture, 13% is "wilderness."

history

Ancient and Middle Ages

The first possible traces of settlement in the municipality are bronze weapons, which were found in the area of ​​the small town of Konitsa. They date from the 11th to 9th century BC BC (Iron Age). According to current knowledge, however, there was no archaeologically secured settlement during the Iron Age. A settlement with the name Konitsa is not mentioned in a document until the 14th century AD.

The first mention of today's community name Konitsa can be found in the Chronicle of Ioannina : In 1380 the despot of Ioannina built a fortress with the Konitsa. In the late Byzantine period that followed, there were probably two settlements in what is now the municipality.

15th to 20th century

In 1430 Konitsa and Ioannina were conquered by the Ottoman Empire . The Ottoman Empire established a vilayet with the administrative center Konitsa, which was subordinated to the Sanjak of Ioannina (Sanjak Janina). In the period between 1481 and 1512 Hüseyin Baba founded the first tekke (dervish monastery) on Epirotian soil in Konitsa . In the 15th century, under Ottoman rule, the population of the surrounding villages was concentrated in what is now the small town of Konitsa. At the beginning of the 16th century, two larger mosques were built in Konitsa: the first was built under Sultan Bayezid II, the second was built by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. At the end of the 17th century, Konitsa had two jurisdictions. The first Greek school opens in Konitsa in the 18th century. Around 1870 to 1871 the large stone arch bridge was built over the Aoos River.

First half of the 20th century

Memorial for executed Greek resistance fighters of the ELAS by the German Wehrmacht in 1943 on the Trapesitza mountain

Ottoman rule ends in Konitsa in February 1913 as part of the First Balkan War : Greek armed forces occupy Konitsa. Through the peace treaties following the two Balkan Wars, Konitsa is assigned to the Kingdom of Greece. The Turkish population group remained in Konitsa until 1925: after the Greek defeat in the Greco-Turkish War in 1922, a comprehensive population exchange between Greece and Turkey was agreed in the Lausanne Peace Treaty of 1923 . As part of this population exchange, the Turkish population group had to leave Konitsa in 1925. Greeks from Cappadocia settle at the same time after the forced abandonment of their settlement area in Asia Minor in Konitsa.

During World War II, when Albania was occupied by Italians, Konitsa was the first target of the Italian troops after October 28, 1940. It was quickly conquered due to its easily accessible location through the Aoos valley compared to Albania. With the Greek counterattack from November 1940, it fell under Greek control again and remained under Greek control until the German invasion of Greece from April 6, 1941 ( company Marita ). After the surrender of the Greek forces in Epirus and Albania, the city was occupied by Italian troops. After Mussolini's fall in 1943, the German Wehrmacht took over the occupation of Konitsa until they withdrew from Greece in October 1944.

Konitsa in the Greek Civil War 1946–49

During the Greek civil war from 1946 to 1949 Konitsa was repeatedly the scene of heavy fighting between the left-wing insurgents under communist leadership and the regular Greek army under the right-wing central government in Athens. On July 13, 1947, the insurgents tried to conquer Konitsa and declare it a provisional capital with a force of 1,000 soldiers. This attack failed after 24 hours; Troops of the Greek army pushed the attackers towards the Albanian border. Another attack on Konitsa took place on December 26, 1947. 2,000 insurgents are said to have been involved in the attack. In the ensuing fighting along the road to Konitsa between insurgents and the army, according to the Greek army and government, more than 44,000 refugees entered the area controlled by the army; It is not known for sure whether their flight there was self-motivated or directly forced through threats of violence. Only after the relocation of further troops of the Greek army to Konitsa did the Greek army briefly gain the upper hand from December 28, 1947. 24 hours later the insurgents close the siege ring around Konitsa again. Another 24 hours later, the Greek army succeeds in conquering the mountain ranges around the Bourazani Bridge, about 15 km west of Konitsa; this means that the supply routes to Konitsa are open again. The Greek army can relieve Konitsa and push back the attack of the insurgents. On January 2, 1948, the rebels attacked again, which was repulsed by the garrison of the army in Konitsa, which had since been considerably strengthened. A week after the fighting ended, a UN team of observers visited Konitsa to assess the situation. Two weeks later, on January 25, 1948, insurgents attacked Konitsa again. An early attack by the Greek army at the Borozani Bridge west of Konitsa fails. A capture or siege of the small town does not succeed. Three months later, Konitsa was shot at by insurgent artillery; again there is no siege. At the end of April 1948, the road connection between Konitsa and Ioannina via Kalpaki was briefly under the control of the insurgents again.

On June 21, 1948, the Greek army began its first major offensive against the insurgent stronghold, the Grammos massif. The ninth Greek division marches from Konitsa against the southern flank of the Grammos massif. As early as June 24, 1948 an important mountain range was captured, the attack then slowed down further and ultimately remained unsuccessful in terms of the goal of conquering the Grammos. A counterattack by the insurgents in the direction of Konitsa is repulsed on June 26, 1948. On July 11, 1948, the village of Monastiri, today's municipality of Konitsa, was captured by the Greek army. Until the end of the Greek civil war in early September 1949, the city of Konitsa was no longer the focus; the northern parts of today's Konitsa municipality on the southern flank of the Grammos remained a contested area until the final defeat of the rebels, especially during the Greek army's "Operation Fackel" in the summer of 1949 against the insurgent stronghold, the Grammos -Solid. The attacks by the Greek army, especially in phases I and III of "Operation Fackel", also started from Konitsa.

Administration, population, politics

Konitsa City Hall

Konitsa was recognized as a rural parish (kinotita) in 1919 and raised to a municipal parish (dimos) in 1948 . In 1997 numerous surrounding villages were incorporated. Konitsa experienced a further expansion in 2010, when four surrounding communities again came to Konitsa. The municipalities up to 2010 have since formed municipal districts (Ez. Gr. Dimotiki enotita ), the municipalities from before 1997 exist as a municipality (Ez. Gr. Dimotiki kinotita ) Konitsa and 39 local communities (Ez. Topiki kinotita ) and have their own local representations (Population figures from 2011).

  • Municipality of Aetomilitsa - Δημοτική Ενότητα Αετομηλίτσης - 432 inhabitants
    • Local community Aetomilitsa - Τοπική Κοινότητα Αετομηλίτσης (Αετομηλίτσα)
  • District of Distrato - Δημοτική Ενότητα Διστράτου - 278 inhabitants
    • Local community Distrato - Τοπική Κοινότητα Διστράτου (Δίστρατο)
  • Fourka municipality - Δημοτική Ενότητα Φούρκας - 90 inhabitants
    • Local community Fourka - Τοπική Κοινότητα Φούρκας (Φούρκα)
  • Konitsa municipality - Δημοτική Ενότητα Κόνιτσας - 4,632 inhabitants
    • Konitsa district - Δημοτική Κοινότητα Κονίτσης (Κόνιτσα) - 2,942 inhabitants
    • Local community Agia Varvara - Τοπική Κοινότητα Αγίας Βαρβάρας - 29
      • Agia Varvara - Αγία Βαρβάρα - 17 inhabitants
      • Pyxaria - Πυξαριά - 12 inhabitants
    • Local community Agia Paraskevi - Τοπική Κοινότητα Αγίας Παρασκευής (Αγία Παρασκευή) - 220 inhabitants
    • Local community Aetopetra (Konitsis) - Τοπική Κοινότητα Αετοπέτρας Κονίτσης (Αετοπέτρα) - 124 inhabitants
    • Local community Aidonochori - Τοπική Κοινότητα Αηδονοχωρίου (Αηδονοχώρι) - 45 inhabitants
    • Local community Amarandos - Τοπική Κοινότητα Αμαράντου - 44 inhabitants
      • Amarandos - Αμάραντος - 44 inhabitants
      • Loutra - Λουτρά - uninhabited
    • Local community Armata - Τοπική Κοινότητα Αρμάτων (Άρματα) - 30 inhabitants
    • Local community Elefthero - Τοπική Κοινότητα Ελευθέρου (Ελεύθερο) - 75 inhabitants
    • Local community Exochi - Τοπική Κοινότητα Εξοχής - 41 inhabitants
      • Exochi - Εξοχή - 29 inhabitants
      • Trapeza - Τράπεζα - 12 inhabitants
    • Local community Ganadio - Τοπική Κοινότητα Γαναδιού (Γαναδιό) - 32 inhabitants
    • Local community Iliorachi - Τοπική Κοινότητα Ηλιορράχης (Ηλιορράχη) - 112 inhabitants
    • Local community Kavasila - Τοπική Κοινότητα Καβασίλων (Καβάσιλα) - 37 inhabitants
    • Local community Kallithea - Τοπική Κοινότητα Καλλιθέας (Καλλιθέα) - 154 inhabitants
    • Local community Klidonia - Τοπική Κοινότητα Κλειδωνιάς - 136 inhabitants
      • Kalyvia - Καλύβια - 125 inhabitants
      • Klidonia - Κλειδωνιά - 11 inhabitants
    • Local community Mazio - Τοπική Κοινότητα Μαζίου (Μάζιο) - 187 inhabitants
    • Local community Melissopetra - Τοπική Κοινότητα Μελισσόπετρας - 41 inhabitants
      • Kalovrysi - η Καλόβρυση - 10 inhabitants
      • Melissopetra - Μελισσόπετρα - 31 inhabitants
    • Local community Molista - Τοπική Κοινότητα Μολίστης (Μόλιστα) - 23 inhabitants
    • Local community Molyvdoskepasto - Τοπική Κοινότητα Μολυβδοσκεπάστου (Μολυβδοσκέπαστος) - 43 inhabitants
    • Local community Monastiri - Τοπική Κοινότητα Μοναστηρίου (Μοναστήρι) - 17 inhabitants
    • Local community Nikanor - Τοπική Κοινότητα Νικάνορος (Νικάνωρ) - 38 inhabitants
    • Local community Pades - Τοπική Κοινότητα Πάδων (Πάδες) - 31 inhabitants
    • Local community Paleosellio - Τοπική Κοινότητα Παλαιοσελλίου (Παλαιοσέλλιο) - 45 inhabitants
    • Local community Pigi - Τοπική Κοινότητα Πηγής (Πηγή) - 101 inhabitants
    • Local community Pournia - Τοπική Κοινότητα Πουρνιάς (Πουρνιά) - 35 inhabitants
    • Local community Pyrgos - Τοπική Κοινότητα Πύργου (Πύργος) - 50 inhabitants
  • Municipality of Mastorochoria - Δημοτική Ενότητα Μαστοροχωρίων - 930 inhabitants
    • Local community Asimochori - Τοπική Κοινότητα Ασημοχωρίου (Ασημοχώρι) - 42 inhabitants
    • Local community Chionades - Τοπική Κοινότητα Χιονάδων (Χιονάδες) - 42 inhabitants
    • Local community Drosopigi - Τοπική Κοινότητα Δροσοπηγής (Δροσοπηγή) - 103 inhabitants
    • Local community Gorgopotamos - Τοπική Κοινότητα Γοργοποτάμου (Γοργοπόταμος) - 29 inhabitants
    • Local community Kastania - Τοπική Κοινότητα Καστανέας (Καστανιά) - 79 inhabitants
    • Local community Kefalochori - Τοπική Κοινότητα Κεφαλοχωρίου (Κεφαλοχώρι) - 153 inhabitants
    • Local community Langada - Τοπική Κοινότητα Λαγκάδας (Λαγκάδα) - 124 inhabitants
    • Local community Oxya - Τοπική Κοινότητα Οξυάς, 51 inhabitants
      • Oxya - Οξυά - 18 inhabitants
      • Theotokos - Θεοτόκος - 33 inhabitants
    • Local community Plagia - Τοπική Κοινότητα Πλαγιάς (Πλαγιά) - 50 inhabitants
    • Local community Plikati - Τοπική Κοινότητα Πληκατίου (Πληκάτι) - 70 inhabitants
    • Local community Pyrsogianni - Τοπική Κοινότητα Πυρσόγιαννης (Πυρσόγιαννη) - 119 inhabitants
    • Local community Vourbiani - Τοπική Κοινότητα Βούρμπιανης (Βούρμπιανη) - 68 inhabitants

Infrastructure, economy

Konitsa's economic focus was agriculture. Despite the dense forest cover, the timber industry played a subordinate role compared to agriculture. Both agriculture and the timber industry have decreased in importance in favor of tourism. The importance of agriculture has been declining since 1970. 54% of all employees in Konitsa are now employed in the service sector.

Konitsa is an important stopover on the way from Ioannina in the south to Kozani in the northeast. The National Road 20 uses this route along the valley of Sarandaporos River to reach between the Smolikas massif in the south and the Grammos mountain range in the north of the city of Kozani. Until the planned completion of Autobahn 2 in 2010, this national road will be the direct link between West Macedonia and Epirus. From this point in time, Autobahn 2 also takes on the function of European route 90 for this area.

Culture, sights and personalities

Attractions

  • Large Ottoman pointed arch bridge over the Aoos River
  • Ottoman stone arch bridge over the Voidomatis River (Klidonia Bridge)
  • The Bourazani watermill
  • Ottoman stone arch bridge from Topolitsa
  • House of Houssein Sisko
  • House of Hamkos
  • Ruins of the mosque from 1536
  • Mount Tymfi with the Drakolimnes (summit lakes)
  • Vikos-Aoos National Park

Picture gallery

  • View of the village of Konitsa

  • Ottoman arch bridge over the Aoos near Konitsa

  • Central square of Konitsa. Mount Tymfi in the background

  • Abandoned Pindos Hotel in Konitsa

  • Ruins of an Ottoman mosque in Konitsa

  • Klidonia stone arch bridge over the Vidomatis River

  • Main church of Konitsa

Personalities

Web links

Commons : Konitsa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΛ.ΣΤΑΤ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)
  2. ↑ a b K. Papageorgiou, K. Kassioumis, V. Blimoumis, A. Christodoulou. Linking quality of life and forest values ​​in rural areas: an exploratory study of stakeholder perspectives in the rural community of Konitsa, Greece. Forestry 2005; 78 (5).
  3. ↑ a b c d Website of the Konitsa municipality - history - page 2 . Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  4. ^ Website of the Konitsa municipality - history - page 1 . Archived from the original on December 9, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  5. ↑ a b c d Website of the Konitsa municipality - history - page 3 . Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  6. ^ Harry T. Norris: Islam in the Balkans. Religion and society between Europe and the Arab world. Columbia, SC 1993, pp. 127-128. ISBN 0-87249-977-4
  7. ↑ a b Website of the Konitsa municipality - history - page 4 . Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  8. ↑ a b Website of the Konitsa municipality - history - page 5 . Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  9. ^ New York Times newspaper article, July 14, 1947, p . 1 .
  10. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, July 14, 1947, p. 3.
  11. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, July 15, 1947, p. 2.
  12. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, December 27, 1947, p. 6.
  13. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, December 27, 1947, p. 1.
  14. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, December 28, 1947, p. 4.
  15. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, December 29, 1947, p. 1.
  16. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, December 30, 1947, p. 1.
  17. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, December 31, 1947, p. 9.
  18. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, Jan. 1, 1948, p. 1.
  19. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, Jan. 2, 1948, p. 2.
  20. ^ New York Times newspaper article, Jan. 3, 1948, p. 4.
  21. ↑ New York Times New York Times article, Jan. 11, 1948, p. 7.
  22. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, Jan. 26, 1948, p. 9.
  23. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, March 24, 1948, p. 3.
  24. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, April 29, 1948, p. 7.
  25. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, June 22, 1948, p. 18.
  26. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, June 25, 1948, p. 14.
  27. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, June 27, 1948, p. 17.
  28. ↑ New York Times newspaper article, July 12, 1948, p. 9.
  29. ↑ a b Website of the municipality of Konitsa - bridges and mills . Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  30. ^ Website of the Konitsa municipality - Houssein Sisko mansion . Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  31. ^ Website of Konitsa Municipality - Hamkos Manor . Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  32. ^ Website of the Konitsa community - mosque . Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2009.