Kozani Prefecture
Encyclopedia
Kozani is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia
. Its capital is the city of Kozani
.
) to the southeast, and Grevena to the south.
The main mountain ranges are Askio
in the northwest, Voio
in the west, Vermio in the northeast and the Pierian Mountains
in the southeast. The river Aliakmon flows through the southern part, and through the large reservoir Lake Polyfytos. Lignite
is mined in the north, around Ptolemaida
.
in 1915. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Kozani was created out of the former prefecture Kozani. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
:
, it was later ruled by the Kingdom of Macedonia and later, the Roman Empire
after the Third Macedonian War
, it later became a part of the Byzantine Empire
after the breakup into the West
and the East, in the early 14th to the 15th century, it was ruled by the Ottoman Empire
and lasted until the Balkan Wars
of 1913. The modern prefecture was created later on and included the modern Florina
, Grevena
and the Kastoria
prefecture.
and Pontus
during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919 to 1922
brought refugees to the area including Kozani and villages and towns that removed the Turkish population to the country which later became only known as Turkey. The economy boomed and was disrupted later on. After World War II
and the Greek Civil War
, most of the buildings were repaired. Kozani opened its airport and later its hospital.
of the Balkan peninsula
, expanding their trade activities to the north and along the Danube
. Kozani nowadays is still among the most prosperous areas of the Greek province, but for a different reason, its rich mining
industry
. Kozani produces lignite
, which is the main source of the electric power
produced in Greece, nitrous salts
which are processed into fertilizer
s, and chromium
. There was also an asbestos
mine that remained operational until the mid-1990s, which has now ceased its operation. In the prefecture of Kozani there is also the artificial lake and hydroelectric dam of Polyfytos, which further contributes to the electricity production of Greece. The region's vast industrial advancement in a short period of time has raised environmentalist
concerns.
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:...
. Its capital is the city of Kozani
Kozani
Kozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of West Macedonia region. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley...
.
Geography
Kozani borders the regional units of Kastoria to the west and northwest, Florina to the north, Pella to the northeast, Imathia and Pieria to the east, Larissa (part of ThessalyThessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
) to the southeast, and Grevena to the south.
The main mountain ranges are Askio
Askio
Askio is a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 5,130 . The seat of the municipality was in Kaloneri. It was named after the Askio mountain...
in the northwest, Voio
Voio
Voio is a mountain range in the southwestern Kastoria and western Kozani prefecture in Greece. The mountain is part of the Pindus mountain ranges. Its peaks stand over 1,802 m and is located in the south-central part....
in the west, Vermio in the northeast and the Pierian Mountains
Pierian Mountains
The Pierian Mountains are a mountain range between Imathia, Pieria and Kozani Prefecture, south of the plain of Kambania in Central Macedonia. The village of Vergina, where the archaeological site of ancient Aigai lies, is built at the foot of these mountains...
in the southeast. The river Aliakmon flows through the southern part, and through the large reservoir Lake Polyfytos. Lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
is mined in the north, around Ptolemaida
Ptolemaida
Ptolemaida is a town and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
.
Climate
Its climate ranges from continental to mountainous. Kozani has warm to hot summers and cool winters, cooler than Thessaloniki, the mountainous, the western and the eastern portion receives cold winters and features snow. Its sunshine days are days shorter than the south and by the coastline, it is rainier than the south. Temeperatures ranges from 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 F) during the summer months.Administration
The regional unit Kozani is subdivided into 4 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):- EordaiaEordaiaEordaia is a municipality in the Kozani peripheral unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Ptolemaida.-Municipality:The municipality Eordaia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:*Agia...
(4) - KozaniKozaniKozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of West Macedonia region. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley...
(1) - Servia-Velventos (2)
- VoioVoio (municipality)Voio is a municipality in the Kozani peripheral unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Siatista. It was named after the Voio mountains.-Municipality:...
(3)
Prefecture
Kozani was created as a prefecturePrefectures of Greece
During the first administrative division of independent Greece in 1833–1836 and then again from 1845 until their abolition with the Kallikratis reform in 2010, the prefectures were the country's main administrative unit...
in 1915. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Kozani was created out of the former prefecture Kozani. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Eordaia Eordaia Eordaia is a municipality in the Kozani peripheral unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Ptolemaida.-Municipality:The municipality Eordaia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:*Agia... |
Ptolemaida Ptolemaida Ptolemaida is a town and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit... |
Ptolemaida |
| Agia Paraskevi Agia Paraskevi, Kozani Agia Paraskevi is a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia, of which it is a municipal unit. The population in 2001 was 1,977. The seat of the municipality was in Agios Christoforos.... |
||
| Vermio | ||
| Vlasti Vlasti Vlasti is a former community in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia, of which it is a municipal unit. Vlasti is about 24 km from Ptolemaida... |
||
| Mouriki Mouriki Mouriki is a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia, of which it is a municipal unit. The population in 2001 was 4,896. The seat of the municipality was in Emporio.... |
||
| Kozani Kozani Kozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of West Macedonia region. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley... |
Kozani Kozani Kozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of West Macedonia region. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley... |
Kozani |
| Aiani Aiani Aiani or Kalliani is a town and a former municipality in the Kozani peripheral unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kozani, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies 20 km south of Kozani city... |
||
| Dimitrios Ypsilantis Dimitrios Ypsilantis (municipality) Dimitrios Ypsilantis is a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kozani, of which it is a municipal unit. It was named after Demetrius Ypsilanti, a 19th century leader of the Greek struggle for... |
||
| Elimeia Elimeia Elimeia is a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kozani, of which it is a municipal unit. The population is 6,429 . The seat of the municipality was in Krokos... |
||
| Ellispontos Ellispontos Ellispontos is a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kozani, of which it is a municipal unit. The population is 7,966 . The seat of the municipality was in Koilada.... |
||
| Servia-Velventos | Servia | Servia |
| Velventos Velventos Velventos is a town and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Servia-Velventos, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies at the foot of the Pierian Mountains, 33 km northeast of the city... |
||
| Kamvounia Kamvounia Kamvounia is a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Servia-Velventos, of which it is a municipal unit. The population is 2,257 . The seat of the municipality was in Tranovalto.... |
||
| Livadero Livadero Livadero is a village and a former community in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Servia-Velventos, of which it is a municipal unit. The population in 2001 was 1,645. The postal code is 50500.-External links:***... |
||
| Voio Voio (municipality) Voio is a municipality in the Kozani peripheral unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Siatista. It was named after the Voio mountains.-Municipality:... |
Siatista Siatista Siatista is a town and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It lies 28 km southwest of the city Kozani. It was built on the austral... |
Siatista |
| Askio Askio Askio is a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 5,130 . The seat of the municipality was in Kaloneri. It was named after the Askio mountain... |
||
| Neapoli Neapoli, Kozani Neapoli is a town and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is a municipal unit. It has a population of 5,121 . It was known as Nasliç during Ottoman rule and was a part of... |
||
| Pentalofos Pentalofos, Kozani Pentalofos is a village and a former community in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located at 1060 meters elevation to the base of mountain Voio near Smolikas.... |
||
| Tsotyli Tsotyli Tsotyli is a village and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,753 . It is a famous western Greek area, especially known for its old housing... |
Provinces
Kozani had three provincesProvinces of Greece
The provinces of Greece were sub-divisions of some the country's prefectures. From 1887, the provinces were abolished as actual administrative units, but were retained for some state services, especially finance services and education, as well as for electoral purposes...
:
- Kozani ProvinceKozani Province-References:* http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/Επαρχίες_της_Ελλάδας...
- Kozani - Eordea Province - Ptolemaida
- Voio ProvinceVoio Province-References:* http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/Επαρχίες_της_Ελλάδας...
- Siatista
Early years
The area was made up of several kingdoms including the ancient EordaiaEordaia
Eordaia is a municipality in the Kozani peripheral unit, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Ptolemaida.-Municipality:The municipality Eordaia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:*Agia...
, it was later ruled by the Kingdom of Macedonia and later, the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
after the Third Macedonian War
Third Macedonian War
The Third Macedonian War was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC King Philip V of Macedon died and his talented and ambitious son, Perseus, took his throne. Perseus married Laodike, daughter of King Seleucus IV Keraunos of Asia, and increased the size of his army...
, it later became a part of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
after the breakup into the West
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
and the East, in the early 14th to the 15th century, it was ruled by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and lasted until the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
of 1913. The modern prefecture was created later on and included the modern Florina
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...
, Grevena
Grevena Prefecture
Grevena is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Grevena.-Geography:Grevena borders the regional units of Ioannina to the west, Kastoria to the northwest, Kozani to the north and east, Larissa to the southeast and Trikala to...
and the Kastoria
Kastoria Prefecture
Kastoria is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Kastoria.-Geography:...
prefecture.
Modern times
Refugees from Asia MinorAsia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919 to 1922
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
The Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, known as the Western Front of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey and the Asia Minor Campaign or the Asia Minor Catastrophe in Greece, was a series of military events occurring during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I between May...
brought refugees to the area including Kozani and villages and towns that removed the Turkish population to the country which later became only known as Turkey. The economy boomed and was disrupted later on. After 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...
, most of the buildings were repaired. Kozani opened its airport and later its hospital.
Economy
Kozani has been a prosperous area in the course of its history. Its merchants are known to have dominated the commerceCommerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
of the Balkan peninsula
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, expanding their trade activities to the north and along the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. Kozani nowadays is still among the most prosperous areas of the Greek province, but for a different reason, its rich mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
. Kozani produces lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
, which is the main source of the electric power
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
produced in Greece, nitrous salts
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
which are processed into fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
s, and chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
. There was also an asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
mine that remained operational until the mid-1990s, which has now ceased its operation. In the prefecture of Kozani there is also the artificial lake and hydroelectric dam of Polyfytos, which further contributes to the electricity production of Greece. The region's vast industrial advancement in a short period of time has raised environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
concerns.
Transport
- National Roads
- Greek National Road 3Greek National Road 3Greek National Road 3 begins from Eleusis and heads north, passing Larissa, Florina and terminates at the border with the Republic of Macedonia in Niki, which from there links with the M3. The road is part of the E65. In the late 1980s, motorway bypasses have been constructed for the towns...
, SE, Cen., N - Greek National Road 15Greek National Road 15Greek National Road 15 is a national highway of Greece. It passes through Kalambaka, Grevena, Neapoli and Kastoria....
, SW, W - Greek National Road 20Greek National Road 20The Greek National Road 20 or the Diagoniki Odos? is a highway or route that links the city of Kozani and Ioannina via Siatista and Konitsa. The highway is entirely the E92 for its entire length...
, SW, W, Cen. - Via EgnatiaEgnatia 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...
- Greek National Road 3
- Air transport:
- Kozani National Airport "Filippos", 4 km from KozaniKozaniKozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of West Macedonia region. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley...
(flights to KastoriaKastoriaKastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria peripheral unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains...
, AthensAthensAthens , 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...
).
- Kozani National Airport "Filippos", 4 km from Kozani
- Rail transport:
- Kozani-Amyntaio railway lineKozani-Amyntaio railway lineThe Kozani–Amyntaio railway line is a long railway line of OSE connecting Kozani and Amyntaio in Greece.Construction of the line for the former Hellenic State Railways started in January 1951 and was completed in 1954. It is a branch of the Thessaloniki-Amyntaio-Florina-Bitola line, which began...
- Kozani-Amyntaio railway line