Iliochori
Encyclopedia
Iliochori is one of the Zagori
villages of Greece
. It is located in the municipal unit of Tymfi
in the northern part of the Ioannina
prefecture. It is also known as Dobrinovo (Ντομπρίνοβο). According to a local legend, the village was founded as Rasciana, on the river of the same name. However, that site was abandoned because of a lack of drinking water, and the inhabitants scattered to found Iliochori and the nearby town of Laista. Iliochori was traditionally an agricultural village, with husbandry and cultivation of barley and vetch being among its primary areas of economic activity. Viticulture
was also prominent, and the village produced a wine, Dobrovino, that gave it its original name. Caravans leaving from Iliochori carried products from the region to the Balkans for trade. The town suffered severe damage in both World War II
and the Greek Civil War
and lost a large portion of its population during the 1940s as a result.
In the 14th century the Monastery of Panaghia was constructed. In 1431, as the "Vrisochoritan" Nikolaos Exarchos reports in his book "To Ntombrinovo", the Turkish administration counts 1180 inhabitants. In the following years it kept developing either as number of inhabitants or as prosperity. It's learnt, from the evidences, of the existence of a document that contained a convention made with a doctor of Pades in order to offer medical assistance. The convention that in the period of one year established that the municipality of Dobrinovo would have paid only the wage to the doctor in order to offer free medical attendance to the inhabitants, who have only paid the medicines. The documents were signed in 1616 and were destroyed with the fire of the Municipality by the Nazis in 1943.
In 1812 the French consul Pouqueville visited the region and reported that in the town of Dobrinovo he found 750 inhabitants. After few years, since 1815 in Dobrinovo there was a continuation of Greek schools and lessons took place in the Monastery of Panaghia and later in some private houses. During the year there happened the first great destruction of the community of the inhabitants caused the bubonic plague disease. The town cries numerous victims and the inhabitants shelter themselves in the mountains in order to escape from the disease.
In 1819 the Metropolita of Ioannina Gabriel visits the communities suffering by the disease and in the town he meets 160 inhabitants. In a letter of Ath. Psalidis dated 12-02-1823, sent to Movrokordatos, describes the situation of the Epirus and Tessally, under the Turkish occupation, showing an Armed Struggle for the liberation. It reports that the town of Dobrinovo where people live, they were able to carry the weapons. The town of Dobrinovo in that period was in use the school separated for the boys and the girls and was constructed using the aqueduct that brings the water to the town and bridges that opens new roads. The inhabitants of Dobrinovo travel a lot and become traders but they do not forget their town and they contribute for its development. The Greek newspaper published in Constantinopolis, speaks about 1200 inhabitants in the town of Dobrinovo. Unfortunately for the town follows a period of economic decadence! Before the Balkans wars in 1912, then the first world War, block the trade activities that the Iliochorites had created with the countries like Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, until Russia. Later with the arrival of the Spanish flue is pulled down on all the towns like also Dobrinovo (Iliochori) with numerous victims.
From 1916 the population was decimated by Asian flu
. The inhabitants of Iliochori lived by breeding sheep and cows, and agriculture, cultivating grain, barley and vetch. They dedicated great care also to viticulture, producing a good wine. But they were also of the traders, in spring left in caravan with mules and horses, carrying of the goods that they above all sold in the countries of the Balkans, where many had constructed true and own economic fortunes. They come back to Iliochori at the end of autumn to spend the winter with the own families. In the winter months the shepherds dedicated to the handicraft, forming itinerant guilds of masons and sculptors in wood that traveled the Balkans selling their goods.
Until 1914 in Iliochori there was the school of the chassis situated over the road of the currently city hall where the girls learned to weave. The building belong to the Gianussi family that had donated it to the city council; beyond to the webbing school there were the elementary school, the primary and secondary schools that were found in the same building. In these schools there were teachers females for the girls and teachers males for the boys. In 1912 the building was burnt and in 1924 started its reconstruction, finished in 1927; first master was Papasisis.
are arrived to Iliochori in 1943 and have burnt great part of the houses of the town.
In 1926 the town change name from Dobrinovo was assigned the name to it of Iliochori that in Greek means "Town of the Sun".
In 1944 another battalion of German entered the town, searching carefully without damaging it. The town endured large damages during the civil war from 1946 to 1949 and many inhabitants emigrated. It followed the period of the civil War and the town suffered large damages and between 1946 to the 1949 many inhabitants migrate towards the east countries, the town did not offer many opportunities of joband many are moving in zones of greater cultivation like Thessally, the Macedonian, etc. The town has endured large damages during the Greek Civil War
from 1946 to 1949 and many inhabitants emigrated. Till World War II
, most Iliochorians used to emigrate mainly to Thessaly. Outside Greece, Iliochorians used to emigrate to Bulgaria, Wallachia and the U.S. Seem that in 1972 has been shot also a old Greek movie Oi xenitemenoi.
, Thessaloniki
, Ioannina
, Larissa
and also from Italy
, have begun to repopulate and re-evaluate the town, constructing new houses. In the period, are being born, many initiatives of building recovering like the renovation of the church of Aghios Nikolaos. In 1992 was completed the portion of the road from the locality Gyftokampos
to Iliochori, allowing a fast connection to the village. Always in this period has been born a small committee for the creation of the tourist attraction like waterfall of "Balta Stringa", in the locality Rascianà that attracts visitors also from France.
In 2002 has been launched the first website in English and Italian and later become also in French, Spanish and later in Greek version. In 2008 another website in Greek language has been launched, becoming the first village of Zagori
in 2009 with two website. The door of the church of Aghios Minas has been replaced with a new one in the summer 2009 by the donation of countryman Georgios Polimeris. In October 2009 the TV SKY set up a documentary in the waterfall of "Balta Stringa" and around Iliochori. In 2010, after many years on the initiative of the Cultural Association Iliochori "The Ntomprinovo, revived, successfully, the reunion of Iliochoriton everywhere in lakes of the pit ".
The morning of 20 July happens the religious holiday: The faithful cover by walking the road that from the town brings to the church of the prophet Elia: at the end of the function; they go to the houses of the people that celebrate the name day for the wishes. Always the same evening on the main square of the town there are again the traditional dances until the first lights of the morning. This holiday is occasion of many people urinary of this place but they live fairway, to go back to Iliochori. The holiday attracts even to many visitors from the towns; eager to teast typical dishes and wines of the region of Zagori.
in the northern part of the Ioannina
prefecture at 71 km from Ioannina, after the locality Gyftokampos
, built on a steep slope between a very tall trees in a green area with lots of running water and stone bridges. The village of Iliochori also has a small post office and a small school with a nice square re-made in plaka which every years during the panagyri of Prophet Elia it used to meet and celebrate the feast.
by the transit communications company KTEL (Greece)
, that is prequently operate and also from the other main Greek cities like Athens
and Thessaloniki
with the Via Egnatia
highway passes by Ioannina. The closer airport is the Ioannina National Airport
going out from Ioannina in direction of Coniza after 19 km; on the right we can find the cross-roads that after 50 km will bring at the town of Iliochori.
Zagori
Zagori , is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...
villages of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It is located in the municipal unit of Tymfi
Tymfi, Greece
Tymfi is a former municipality in the Ioannina peripheral unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zagori, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,493...
in the northern part of the Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
prefecture. It is also known as Dobrinovo (Ντομπρίνοβο). According to a local legend, the village was founded as Rasciana, on the river of the same name. However, that site was abandoned because of a lack of drinking water, and the inhabitants scattered to found Iliochori and the nearby town of Laista. Iliochori was traditionally an agricultural village, with husbandry and cultivation of barley and vetch being among its primary areas of economic activity. Viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
was also prominent, and the village produced a wine, Dobrovino, that gave it its original name. Caravans leaving from Iliochori carried products from the region to the Balkans for trade. The town suffered severe damage in both World War II
World 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...
and 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...
and lost a large portion of its population during the 1940s as a result.
Origin
The origin of the town is not completely clear. From some historical findings it seems that in the 11th century BC, were formed several small isolated communities, at the sites of "Rascianà", "Lipochori" "Koukourounzu" and "Souri", that later on, probably for several reasons like the search of a place, drinkable water, the inhabitants abandoned the place and constructed the town in the actual "Dobrinovo" (Slavic name of the AD 14th century) that means Dobri+Novo (Good + New). But not all the inhabitants moved to Iliochori, some of them settled in Laista (14 km distant) that in this period was called Lisinitza. During the period of the slavic hegemony in the Epirus, (AD 6th - 7th century) the town of Dobrinovo already existed, as it turns out from the slavic evidences.In the 14th century the Monastery of Panaghia was constructed. In 1431, as the "Vrisochoritan" Nikolaos Exarchos reports in his book "To Ntombrinovo", the Turkish administration counts 1180 inhabitants. In the following years it kept developing either as number of inhabitants or as prosperity. It's learnt, from the evidences, of the existence of a document that contained a convention made with a doctor of Pades in order to offer medical assistance. The convention that in the period of one year established that the municipality of Dobrinovo would have paid only the wage to the doctor in order to offer free medical attendance to the inhabitants, who have only paid the medicines. The documents were signed in 1616 and were destroyed with the fire of the Municipality by the Nazis in 1943.
In 1812 the French consul Pouqueville visited the region and reported that in the town of Dobrinovo he found 750 inhabitants. After few years, since 1815 in Dobrinovo there was a continuation of Greek schools and lessons took place in the Monastery of Panaghia and later in some private houses. During the year there happened the first great destruction of the community of the inhabitants caused the bubonic plague disease. The town cries numerous victims and the inhabitants shelter themselves in the mountains in order to escape from the disease.
In 1819 the Metropolita of Ioannina Gabriel visits the communities suffering by the disease and in the town he meets 160 inhabitants. In a letter of Ath. Psalidis dated 12-02-1823, sent to Movrokordatos, describes the situation of the Epirus and Tessally, under the Turkish occupation, showing an Armed Struggle for the liberation. It reports that the town of Dobrinovo where people live, they were able to carry the weapons. The town of Dobrinovo in that period was in use the school separated for the boys and the girls and was constructed using the aqueduct that brings the water to the town and bridges that opens new roads. The inhabitants of Dobrinovo travel a lot and become traders but they do not forget their town and they contribute for its development. The Greek newspaper published in Constantinopolis, speaks about 1200 inhabitants in the town of Dobrinovo. Unfortunately for the town follows a period of economic decadence! Before the Balkans wars in 1912, then the first world War, block the trade activities that the Iliochorites had created with the countries like Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, until Russia. Later with the arrival of the Spanish flue is pulled down on all the towns like also Dobrinovo (Iliochori) with numerous victims.
Under the dominion of the Turks
From 1463 until 1912, Iliochori was under the dominion of the Turks, that had granted to all the towns of Zagoria a governmental autonomy with the payment of taxes. The town has rich the maximum development between 1870 and 1900.From 1916 the population was decimated by Asian flu
Asian flu
Asian Flu may refer to:* The Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, or* Asian Flu, the H2N2 virus...
. The inhabitants of Iliochori lived by breeding sheep and cows, and agriculture, cultivating grain, barley and vetch. They dedicated great care also to viticulture, producing a good wine. But they were also of the traders, in spring left in caravan with mules and horses, carrying of the goods that they above all sold in the countries of the Balkans, where many had constructed true and own economic fortunes. They come back to Iliochori at the end of autumn to spend the winter with the own families. In the winter months the shepherds dedicated to the handicraft, forming itinerant guilds of masons and sculptors in wood that traveled the Balkans selling their goods.
Until 1914 in Iliochori there was the school of the chassis situated over the road of the currently city hall where the girls learned to weave. The building belong to the Gianussi family that had donated it to the city council; beyond to the webbing school there were the elementary school, the primary and secondary schools that were found in the same building. In these schools there were teachers females for the girls and teachers males for the boys. In 1912 the building was burnt and in 1924 started its reconstruction, finished in 1927; first master was Papasisis.
Second World War and name change
After the 1920 the houses inhabited were 160, during the Second World War the GermansGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
are arrived to Iliochori in 1943 and have burnt great part of the houses of the town.
In 1926 the town change name from Dobrinovo was assigned the name to it of Iliochori that in Greek means "Town of the Sun".
In 1944 another battalion of German entered the town, searching carefully without damaging it. The town endured large damages during the civil war from 1946 to 1949 and many inhabitants emigrated. It followed the period of the civil War and the town suffered large damages and between 1946 to the 1949 many inhabitants migrate towards the east countries, the town did not offer many opportunities of joband many are moving in zones of greater cultivation like Thessally, the Macedonian, etc. The town has endured large damages during 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...
from 1946 to 1949 and many inhabitants emigrated. Till World War II
World 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...
, most Iliochorians used to emigrate mainly to Thessaly. Outside Greece, Iliochorians used to emigrate to Bulgaria, Wallachia and the U.S. Seem that in 1972 has been shot also a old Greek movie Oi xenitemenoi.
Recent history
From 1990 many original of the place, coming from several parts, AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
, Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
and also from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, have begun to repopulate and re-evaluate the town, constructing new houses. In the period, are being born, many initiatives of building recovering like the renovation of the church of Aghios Nikolaos. In 1992 was completed the portion of the road from the locality Gyftokampos
Gyftokampos
Gyftokampos is an area ιn the Zagori region , 58 km north of Ioannina. Its name is derived from the Greek "gyftos" , gypsy and "kampos" that means "field", and could be rendered in English translation as "gypsy lea". There used to be a hamlet called Nouka on this location which was also used...
to Iliochori, allowing a fast connection to the village. Always in this period has been born a small committee for the creation of the tourist attraction like waterfall of "Balta Stringa", in the locality Rascianà that attracts visitors also from France.
In 2002 has been launched the first website in English and Italian and later become also in French, Spanish and later in Greek version. In 2008 another website in Greek language has been launched, becoming the first village of Zagori
Zagori
Zagori , is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some 1,000 square kilometres and contains 45 villages known as Zagoria , and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral...
in 2009 with two website. The door of the church of Aghios Minas has been replaced with a new one in the summer 2009 by the donation of countryman Georgios Polimeris. In October 2009 the TV SKY set up a documentary in the waterfall of "Balta Stringa" and around Iliochori. In 2010, after many years on the initiative of the Cultural Association Iliochori "The Ntomprinovo, revived, successfully, the reunion of Iliochoriton everywhere in lakes of the pit ".
Local main events
'20 July: (Prophet Elia)': This holiday was in honour of the Prophet Elia of the Patron Saint of Iliochori. It is a holiday of religion and folklore, in fact the women of the town few days before they go to the church situated in front of the town, to prepare it suitably for the holiday. The folklore holiday starts on the evening of the 19 July. At the center of the square the Iliochoriti start the traditional dances of the Epirus, and in particularly (peculiar) of the region of Zagori, with the music of the orchestra.The morning of 20 July happens the religious holiday: The faithful cover by walking the road that from the town brings to the church of the prophet Elia: at the end of the function; they go to the houses of the people that celebrate the name day for the wishes. Always the same evening on the main square of the town there are again the traditional dances until the first lights of the morning. This holiday is occasion of many people urinary of this place but they live fairway, to go back to Iliochori. The holiday attracts even to many visitors from the towns; eager to teast typical dishes and wines of the region of Zagori.
Location and climate
The village is located in the municipality of TymfiTymfi
Tymfi or Mt Tymphe, Timfi, also Tymphi is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and lies in the region of Zagori, just a few meters south of the 40° parallel...
in the northern part of the Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
prefecture at 71 km from Ioannina, after the locality Gyftokampos
Gyftokampos
Gyftokampos is an area ιn the Zagori region , 58 km north of Ioannina. Its name is derived from the Greek "gyftos" , gypsy and "kampos" that means "field", and could be rendered in English translation as "gypsy lea". There used to be a hamlet called Nouka on this location which was also used...
, built on a steep slope between a very tall trees in a green area with lots of running water and stone bridges. The village of Iliochori also has a small post office and a small school with a nice square re-made in plaka which every years during the panagyri of Prophet Elia it used to meet and celebrate the feast.
Transportation
The village of Iliochori is connected from IoanninaIoannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
by the transit communications company KTEL (Greece)
KTEL (Greece)
KTEL is a Greece coach service It started in 1896....
, that is prequently operate and also from the other main Greek cities like Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
with the Via Egnatia
Egnatia Odos (modern road)
Egnatia Odos is the Greek part of the European route. It is a motorway in Greece that extends from the western port of Igoumenitsa to the eastern Greek–Turkish border at Kipoi. It runs a total of...
highway passes by Ioannina. The closer airport is the Ioannina National Airport
Ioannina National Airport
Ioannina National Airport is an airport located four kilometers from the city center of Ioannina, Greece. Its new name is Ioannina National Airport - King Pyrrhus, from the former King Pyrrhus of Epirus.It mainly receives charter flights during the summer period.-History:*1953: Construction of...
going out from Ioannina in direction of Coniza after 19 km; on the right we can find the cross-roads that after 50 km will bring at the town of Iliochori.
Notable Iliochorites
- Iraklis Retos he was named of Mayor in Trikala from June 1946 until August 1950.
- Nikolaos Bellos from Iliochori in Zagori, died in Ioannina in 1948. He was one of the Benefactor of Ioannina.
- Giorgios Partalidis Candidate Deputy of Athens New Democracy
Tourism
- From Iliochori, following the path built by the Iliochorites (inhabitants of Iliochori), after 2 km in locality "Balta Stringa" are three great waterfalls, the largest of which is 25 meters high. In October 2009, one of the television of Ioannina has shot a documentary about this main attraction and in the village.
- In locality Gyftocambos, every year, on the first weekend of August the descendants of the ancient tribe of Sarachazani, great breeders, meet up for a great festivity that begins on Friday afternoon. They come from all Greece and other nations of the Balkans like Romania, Bulgaria etc. On their arrival they set up the tents and light large bonfires for the preparation of the roasts and in order to warm themselves because at night temperature goes down.
- What is interesting to see is the Rascianitis river that flows in the valley of the town where one can go fishing.
In popular culture
- The 1990 movie "Η τελευταία αρκούδα του Πίνδου" ("The last bear of Pindos") was about a migrant from Iliochori, returning to from Stuttgart to his home village.
External links
- www.iliochori.com, in Greek, English, Italian, French, Spanish
- www.iliochori.net, in Greek