Metsovo

Metsovo is one of the most picturesque and traditional towns in Greece. It is built like an amphitheatre at an altitude of 1.156m., on one of the highest peaks of the Pindos range at the junction of Epirus, Thessaly and Western Macedonia. It is the capital of the homonym province and it has a population of 6.000 inhabitants.

Municipality of Metsovo

The Municipality of Metsovo consists of the municipal districts of Metsovo, Anilio, Anthochori and Votonosi. It extends over an area of 200.000m2 and it has a population of ca. 6.000 inhabitants.

To the north it bounds to the Prefecture of Grevena, to the east and southeast to the Prefecture of Trikala and to the west and southwest to the Prefecture of Ioannina. Metsovo is the seat of the municipality, built at an altitude of 1200m., at the junction of Epirus, Thessaly and Western Macedonia.

Anilio is situated opposite Metsovo, Anthochori is located further to the south and Votonosi lies next to the Metsovitikos River, along the Ioannina-Trikala national road.

The municipality stands on the southern end of northern Pindos and extends between Mt Mavrovouni to the north (altitude 2.160m.) and Mt. Lakmos or Peristeri to the south (altitude 2.295m.), two of the highest mountains of Epirus.

The mountainous terrain consists of strong elevations while many species of the flora and fauna find refuge in the dense forests.

The area has a rich hydrographic network. Here rises the Aoos river, which flows to the north and through Albania into the Adriatic Sea and has created the homonym artificial lake, the Arachthos river that flows to the south and ends up to the Gulf of Amvrakikos, the Pineios river etc.

The continental climate brings a long and hard winter with heavy rain- and snowfalls.

The mountainous configuration of the region and the climate determine the occupation of the inhabitants. The majority deals with the wood processing (carvings, furniture, iconostases, barrels, beehives etc), the cattle breeding, the cheese making, tourism that shows a remarkable development in the last years and, up to a certain degree, the agriculture.

History

The first reference to Metsovo was made in 1380 A.D. in the chronicle of the Philanthropinos brothers Proklos and Komnenos.

At first, Metsovo used to be a small settlement of shepherds. Later, due to its important geographical location, Metsovo acquired a number of privileges that contributed to its survival and accelerated the development course in difficult times.

Such privileges were granted in 1430 A.D. by the Sultan Murat II as a reward for the good behavior of the Metsovite guards of Zygos to the Ottoman trοops of Sinan Pasha, who were heading for Ioannina. Τhe Sultan Mehmet IV renewed the privileges in 1659. Based on these privileges, Metsovo and the surrounding villages of Malakasi, Milia, Anilio, Votonosi, Palia Koutsoufliani (Platanistos) and Derventista (Anthochori) formed a federation, an autonomous, democratic state within the limits of the Ottoman Empire. The privileges granted to Metsovo, with the exception of the Patriarchal Hexarchy that was preserved until 1924, were abolished in 1795 by Ali Pasha. In 1700 A.D., a self-catering Greek school was founded in Metsovo to become one of the most important education centers, staffed with the eminent teachers of that time. Metsovo suffered considerable destruction on March 27, 1854 by the Ottoman troops of Abdi Pasha. This became known as the "Grivas disaster". Following the "Grivas disaster", Metsovo experienced a unique progress that was attributed to the large number of benefactors, who hailed from the town and offered substantial sums of money in order to contribute to its re-establishment.

Metsovo was liberated from the Turkish yoke on October 31, 1912 by forces of the Greek Army and Cretan and Epirot volunteers.

Decisive role in the economic and cultural development of Metsovo played the Baron Mihail Tossizza Foundation, established in 1948 by the Baron himself at the instigation and the encouragement of Evangelos Averoff Tossizza. Among the great men of Metsovo are: the Metsovian neomartyr Nicholaos (+May 17, 1617), the teachers of the nation during the Turkish occupation Nicholaos Tzartzoulis, Parthenios Katzioulis, Dimitrios Vardakas, Tryfon the priest-monk, Adam Tsapekos, the national benefactors George Averoff, Nicholaos Stournaras, Mihail Tossizza, Triantafyllos Tsoumagas, Kyriakos Flokas, Baron Mihail Tossizza, the freedom fighters Dimitrios Ipatros, Anastasios Manakis, Ioannis Gadelos, Apostolos Hatzis, Dimitrios Zamanis and the politician and benefactor Evangelos Averoff Tossizza.