Drosopigi, Florina
Encyclopedia
Drosopigi is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
, Greece
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
, as part of the Perasma
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
, archways made from granite
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
) in Epirus
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
, and Greek
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
, and Lechovo
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
from Florina
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
, Christmas
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
hit Europe
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
between the Democratic Army of Greece
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
, Canada
, West Germany
, and Australia
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Image:Construction in Drosopigi, Florina.JPG
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Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Drosopigi ' onMouseout='HidePop("51325")' href="/topics/Arvanitika">ArvanitikaArvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Drosopigi ' onMouseout='HidePop("48454")' href="/topics/Arvanitika">ArvanitikaArvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Drosopigi ' onMouseout='HidePop("63355")' href="/topics/Arvanitika">ArvanitikaArvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Drosopigi ' onMouseout='HidePop("59227")' href="/topics/Arvanitika">ArvanitikaArvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Drosopigi ' onMouseout='HidePop("62639")' href="/topics/Arvanitika">ArvanitikaArvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Drosopigi ' onMouseout='HidePop("11653")' href="/topics/Arvanitika">ArvanitikaArvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Drosopigi ' onMouseout='HidePop("44150")' href="/topics/Arvanitika">ArvanitikaArvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Drosopigi ' onMouseout='HidePop("42535")' href="/topics/Arvanitika">ArvanitikaArvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
: Бελκαμενι, Belkameni; ; from the Slavic: Bel Kamen, meaning "White Rock") is a village in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It lies in the central part of Florina Prefecture
Florina Prefecture
Florina is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Florina.-Geography:Florina borders the regional units of Pella to the east, Kozani to the south and Kastoriá to the southwest...
, as part of the Perasma
Perasma
Perasma is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Florina, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in a plain, 6 km southeast of Florina...
municipality. The village's year round population is estimated at 225 people, but in the summer it grows to nearly 400. In the surrounding area many other villages can be found, including Flambouro, Skopia, Kato Idroussa, and Ano Idroussa. The Village of Drosopigi lies on eastward slope of Mount Bitsi at an elevation of 1050 meters approximately 13 km from Florina.
The Old Village
The original village, known as Belkamen or Belkameni, was beautiful with walkways paved in cobblestoneCobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
, archways made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and beautiful gardens decorated with flowers and water fountains. A French soldier, who came to the village during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, would call the village "Petit Paris", translated "Little Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
". The original village was established in 1843 by villagers (mostly masons and other tradesmen) who came from Plikati
Plikati
Plikati a village in the Ioannina peripheral unit in Greece and the municipal unit of Mastorochoria. It is one of the northernmost villages in Epirus. Its 2001 population was 150 for the village. The GR-20 , the old road is approximately 2 km northwest.The village is elevated at 1,240 m on...
and other villages from Mastorohoria (a region around Mt. Gramos
Gramos
Gramos is a village and a former community in Kastoria peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestorio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 28 . The village is an old Aromanian settlement, named after the nearby...
) in Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. To the outside world, the villagers were known as Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, as most of them spoke Arvanitika
Arvanitika
Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...
. Many of the villagers were actually multi-lingual, speaking some permutation of Arvanitika, Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
, and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. They settled in an area of West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
that was almost exclusively populated by Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
. There are now three villages in the area that were settled by Arvanites. They are Drosopigi, Flampouro
Flampouro (Florina)
Flampouro is a village in the central part of Florina prefecture, northern Greece, part of the Perasma municipality. The original indigenous name for the village of Flambouro is Negovani and means "cold water" The village's year round population is estimated at 500 people, but in the summer it...
, and Lechovo
Lechovo
Lechovo is a village and a former community in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,227 . The picturesque village is set amongst the mountains of Northern...
. In 1842, leading families from Plikati, Epirus purchased the land and forest after negotiating with Osman Ismael Pasha, the Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
from Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
. The general area was known as Balkmen . As a result, the original village came to be known as Belkameni. From 1843 to 1926 the village name would remain Belkameni and from 1926 until present as Drosopigi. Of course some people still referred to it as Belkameni and the people as Arnaouts
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
. Upon the purchase of the plot of land the people started to build enormous houses made from the materials in the surrounding area. The village inhabited many families. The total population at 1900 had reached 1,500.
Life in the Old Village
Life for the villagers of Drosopigi was very difficult at times. The village was built on the side of the mountain so it could be hidden from the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Many of these villagers had massive gardens on which they grew their crops. These included potatoes, carrots, lettuce and other varieties of crops. The sun only hit the village a certain time of day, which made the production of prosperous crops a tremendous challenge. During the late 19th century, many men from the village went to the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to work, make money, and bring it back with them. As many other men did, Nikolaos Manou and Vasilios Dedes worked in Romania, were very prosperous, and sent great amounts of money back to the village for their families.
With the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Romania these men lost everything they had in the Romanian banks. One man said “I had so much money that even you great grand children did not have to work.” Many families suffered from that loss.
The village itself was a mini city. Holidays like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
were great events for the villagers as was Agia Triada, a special celebration to honor the village church. Agia Triada was celebrated forty days after Easter, over the span of three days, and is an event that is celebrated to this day in modern Drosopigi.
Historical Significance of Belkameni
The Village of Belkameni was one of the very first villages in its area to have underground tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s for the Greek Revolutionaries during the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Many great revolutionaries stopped at Belkameni as place to heal, rest, or hide. The Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
leader who most symbolized the Macedonian Struggle, Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, other army leaders, and their troops, used these underground tunnels for a quick escape from their enemies.
The Burning of the Old Village
When the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hit Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Greece suffered a lot, as did Drosopigi. In the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(6–30 April 1941), the country faced three Axis powers: Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
. Their alliance won the conflict and established an Axis occupation of Greece. They divided Greece into occupation zones. Drosopigi was included in the German occupation zone. On April 3, 1944 the Germans sent a routine Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
patrol to the surrounding area of Drosopigi, outside the village itself. Local members of the Greek Resistance
Greek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
captured five soldiers and executed them - three of them were outside the village, one in the cemetery and one on the road (Kangeli) leading to the village. The women of the village went to where the Nazi soldiers were shot and cleaned up the blood. The people from the village took the dead bodies and hid them in fertilizer. The Germans quickly concluded that Drosopigi was the place where their soldiers went missing. They demanded an explanation from the villagers and they refused to say anything. Many, fearing reprisals, fled Drosopigi. The men went hiding in the forest and most of the women and children went to Elatia, a small village near Drosopigi. When the Germans arrived seeking retribution they found mostly old people. They killed one elderly lady and one male. On April 4, 1944 the village of Drosopigi was burned by the Germans in reprisal.
Following the German devastation of Drosopigi, the people of the village set out to rebuild it to its original glory. From April 1944 till April 1947 the villagers would be rebuilding. The end of World War II was followed in Greece by the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
between the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
and the Hellenic Army. In the first stages of the civil war many communist-led guerrillas stopped at the village as a hiding place. On April 7, 1947, the Greek government under Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.Maximos was born in 1873 in Patras. He began his career in banking. Between 1933 and 1935, he became Foreign Minister of the government of Panagis Tsaldaris. He was Prime...
adopted a policy of forced relocation for certain villages that were strategic for the guerrillas, and ordered the inhabitants of Drosopigi to gather their belongings and to vacate the village. It was decided to move most of the inhabitants to the village of Skopia, Florina.
The Great Move
After the Greek Government adopted a policy of forced relocation of certain villages, the National Army of Greece,on April,1947, moved the villagers from Drosopigi to the village of Skopia were they would stay till late 1950/1951. By 1951, most villagers moved yet again to another village known as Kato Idroussa (Kotori). It was at this time that a final decision was made to build a new village at the current location of Drosopigi. Life at Skopia was very hard for everyone from Drosopigi. In Skopia, an entire family, often as many as 8 people, was assigned to one room to live in. Also constant conflict was going on in the mountains around Skopia between the two factions of the civil war. With Greece at this all-time-low, there was very little hope.In Skopia many families received aid from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that originated from the Truman Doctrine
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere...
, which would allow 100 million dollars in aid to go to Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Families all across Greece received some sort of aid. In Skopia families received aid through food rations, clothing, and other important items. During the Greek Civil War, many Greeks would lose their lives and many people from the village of Drosopigi fought on both sides. A total of eleven Drosopigites died in the Greek Civil War. On the National Army side 4 died including Evangelos Harisis (Εύαγγελος Χαρισης), Anastasios Harisis (Αναστάσιος Χαρισης), and Konstantinos Stathopoulos (Κωνσταντινος Σταθοπουλος) and Dimitios Theodorou (Δἠμἠτριος Θεοδῶρου). On the partisan side 7 died including Anastasios Styliades (Αναστάσιος Στυλιαδης), Antonis Zikos (Αντώνης Ζηκος), two brothers of the Nastou family (Δύο άδελφοί Νάστου), and Sotirs Theodorou ( Σωτηριος Θεοδώρου).
After a course of two years the people from the old village wanted to move on. From 1951 until 1952 many families started to build their new homes so they could have some sort of shelter to live in. As the new home construction finished, people began to move into the new village, and shortly thereafter it came to be known as the new Drosopigi. Many of the original families from the old village established themselves in the new village.
Drosopigi Present
From the time the new Drosopigi was built(1951/1952) the people worked hard to make it beautiful but would not reach the beauty of the old village.In the 1950s and 1960s a new era was coming about in Greece, it was the time of moving. Many families, because of economic conditions, from all around Greece started to emigrate, becoming part of the Greek diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
. Individuals and families who emigrated from Drosopigi mostly went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in search of a new life. Some went with the intention to make money and return, but many did not return to Greece and left their villages in their past.
At present, the city of Rochester, New York has the largest concentration of immigrants and families that trace their roots to Drosopigi. Many people still visit Drosopigi to this day and always keep it their hearts as many Drosopigiotes (people from Drosopigi) say. There are still people who live there but not as many as there were in 1900. The old village lies in ruins never to be touched. Family members long buried there have not been touched. The village that was once a mini city now lies in ruins and oversees the new village were the people of Drosopigi now live.
While Greek has been the primary language of Drosopigiotes for decades, Arvanitika and Aromanian are still spoken proudly by many of the older village residents. A study conducted in 1993, indicates that most villagers over 30 could speak Arvanitika and most villagers over 60 could speak Aromanian.
Drosopigi Society
The Society was organized in the year 1951 by immigrants who came over from Drosopigi. These were among the first to settle in the Rochester area. The initial goal of the membership was to assist in the rebuilding of the town of Drosopigi that was completely destroyed during the War between the Germans and Civil War. Among the projects that were supported were the reconstruction of the public school and of the Church of the Αγια Τριας or in English the Holy Trinity. Another projects were to supply the village with water supply and electrical power. In addition, the members supported relatives and friends back home in Drosopigi through financial help and other types of aid. In Rochester, the Drosopigi Society has been and still is one of the most active community organizations within the Greek Community in Rochester. One strong quote from the Drosopigi people is as follows, "What we inherited from our forefathers, we have given to our children and they are ready to hand it to their children so that they, in turn, will continue our customs and traditions into the future with zeal and enthusiasm."Till this day the society is very strong and hosts many special occasions such as Αγια Τριας one of the most important tradition held by the drospigiotes till this day. They also host Christmas Parties and Picnics to help bring together all the families of Drosopigi. They have assisted in successfully rebuilding the town of Drosopigi in Greece and still sends aid to help the village in the many projects which help make the village beautiful. The society also helps in many projects here in America such as contributing to the addition of new Mosaics in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Rochester New York. Today the Society is led by Δημητρη Καρρα (Dimitri Karras) and many other elected officials.
Demographics
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 1,364 |
| 1920 | 770 |
| 1928 | 752 |
| 1940 | 765 |
| 1951 | 0 |
| 1961 | 581 |
| 1971 | 421 |
| 1981 | 364 |
| 1991 | 327 |
| 2001 | 355 |
Gallery
Image:Construction in Drosopigi, Florina.JPG
File:Drosopigi, Florina.JPG
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