Zagori

(Source: TOURISM PROMOTION COMMITEE OF THE PREFECTURE OF IOANNINA  & THE MUNICIPALITY OF IOANNINA)
 

The area known as Zagori is in the mountains of northwest Greece, in Epirus. It has an area of some 1000 square kilometers and 45 villages, and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral triangle. The southern vertex of the triangle is the provincial capital, Yannena (loannina); the south-southwest side is formed by the mountain Mitsikeli (1810m); the Aoos river and Mt Tymphe constitute the northern side, and the east-southeast side runs along the Varda river to Mt Mavrovouni (2100m) near Metsovo. According to the most recent figures (which are nonetheless a fairly dubious maximum) the population of the area is about 5000, which gives a population density of 5 inhabitants per square kilometer as opposed to an average of 73.8 for Greece as a whole.
 

The geographical position of Zagori, its altitude, morphology and soil composition have combined to endow it a number of rare features which have been decisive in its life and development over the centuries. It is to these characteristics —and their consequences— that Zagori owes its interest for the visitor today.

«Many a mountain... rising in lofty ranks» (Byron)
Where North meets South
Geomorphology
The Vikos Gorge
Zagori in its prime
Architecture
Decline
The revival
 
 

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«Many a mountain... rising in lofty ranks» (Byron)
 

It is not so long ago, the fact that an area was mountainous and difficult of access, far from being a disadvantage, was a factor conducive to security and stability. In contrast to the rest of Greece, which witnessed the passage of one conqueror after another, Zagori heard only the distant rumble of the rise and fall of petty kingdoms; there were no invasions or forcible changes in the compo-sition of its population.

 One result of this is that the Sarakatsan people, who occupy a part of the area, are, according to the archaeologists, direct descendants of the inhabitants of Zagori in Neolithic times, before the Dorian invasion.

Under the Byzantine Empire the security which Zagori could afford attracted from time to time groups of soldiers who built villages and settled there. The same process also occurred in Turkish times: the mountains were never really conquered by the Ottoman Empire and were a place of safety for Greeks on the run from the authorities. In more recent times, the refugees from the Asia Minor catastrophe never penetrated as far as Zagori; but that has certainly proved not to have been to the region's advantage.
Despite the undoubted passage of the Slavs —as testified to by numerous placenames— changes in the human element in Zagori have come about exceptionally slowly, and to talk of real continuity of population is no exaggeration.

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Where North meets South

This slow rate of change has affected more than just the human presence in the area; it also involves the fauna and flora, which isolation has protected over the centuries against pollution of various kinds. This is of great importance because Zagori lies at a meeting-point between the warm, dry climate of the Mediterranean and the wetter cooler climate of Central Europe. In practice what this means is that species adapted to cooler climates have interbred with others accustomed to warmer conditions, producing new varieties capable of adjusting to the specific conditions of the area.
 

Zagori is thus of considerable interest to naturalists: there are rare insects and reptiles, a unique species of beetle, unusual orchids and medicinal herbs, which are gradually dying out in the rest of Europe.

Many of the larger animals to be found in the Zagori area are protected to save them from the fate they have met in other places; these species include the chamois, the otter, the brown bear, the wild cat and a number of birds of prey.

 

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Geomorphology

Zagori does not consist solely of mountains, however. Among the features of its geomorphology is a large number of small upland basins surrounded by mountain masses. These flat areas are moist and fertile and enjoy a milder climate. 
 

The countryside is thus suitable not only for stock-breeding but also for crop cultivation. In better days, cereals, vines and pulses were grown there, and the butter beans of the area are still famous throughout Greece.

 

There are two features of the landscape of Zagori which usually impress the visitor. The first is its rivers with their crystal-clear water -the Aoos, the Voidomatis, the Vardas and the Zagoritikos, of which the Voidomatis is the cleanest river in Europe. The other is the appearance of the strata. The most common rock formations in Zagori are limestone schist —very light grey, almost white in color— and flysch, a sand stone schist of a much darker grey.

The marked gullying typical of the area provides abundant opportunity for observation of all the strata and their buckling during the folding of the Earth's crust which produced the Dinaric Alps and the Pindus range. Both inside and outside the gulleys and gorges, the mountains are covered with forests. Depending on the altitude, the most commonly encountered trees are the willow, the plane, conifers of various kinds, the cornel, the oak, the iles, the walnut and the beech. Above 2000m the vegetation is classically Alpine.

 

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The Vikos Gorge
 

There is one of the gorges of Zagori stands out from all the others for its dimensions and for its awe-inspiring beauty. This is the Vikos Gorge, which collects the waters of a number of small rivers   (the Bayiotikos, the Frangadiotikos, the Tsepelovitikos) and leads them into the Voidomatis which rises in the Gorge. The Vikos Gorge is more than 16 km long and reaches depths of 700 meters. As for its width, this varies between a few meters at the bottom to as much as 250m at the top. As a natural phenomenon, it has to be seen to be believed.

Over and above its grandeur, however, the Vikos Gorge is of a major scientific interest because it is in almost virgin condition and its ecosystems are many and various. This is one of the reasons for which it forms the heart of the Vikos-Aoos National Park, which is a refuge for many endangered species of animal.

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Zagori in its prime

All these geographical factors go some way towards explaining some points about the history of Zagori. Take, for instance, the history of the area's relations with the Ottoman Empire. When Epirus fell to the Turks in 1430, Zagori (which then consisted of 14 villages the others were founded at later dates) «bowed the knee», which meant in practice that there were obligations between delegations of the two sides and a sum in tax was agreed upon in exchange for very considerable privileges: autonomy, administrative,  independence, and a ban on Turks crossing the borders into the area. This solution suited the conquerors and was also the salvation of Zagori, for to the geographical factors which make it a natural refuge were now added statutory rules.

The consequences of this are not difficult to imagine. Zagori was never broken up and shared out among Turkish landowners; on the contrary, it gained a large population of merchants whose links were with Romania, Russia and Constantinople, who were con-stantly on the move and often absent, who came to be the ruling class of the area and contributed to the prosperity Zagori enjoyed throughout the period of Turkish rule. 
 

This prosperity reached its height during the 18th century; schools for both boys and girls were built, mills to grind the corn rose, the water supply was graced with ornamental fountains and medicine flourished in the form of «Vikos-doctors», who gathered the herbs for their preparations from the gorge. There was even talk of setting up a university.

 

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Architecture

One of the proofs of this prosperity, which is still to be seen, is the built-up environment. The pattern of the economy was that the locals made their money abroad and invested it at home. These investments were supplemented by donations — any money which they failed to spend during their lifetime was left to the village for the good of all.
 

The houses of Zagori were very far from being the cottages and hovels which one might expect. They were urban in design, large and with a number of storeys, strongly built and fully deserving the name of mansion. Stone, of course, was the basic material used, not only for the walls, but for the roofs as well. Wood took second place.

 

The builders were from other parts of Epirus, chiefly from the villages of Konitsa and the Tzoumerka mountains, where the masons were wise in the craft of building and designing houses to meet the requirements of a harsh climate. As for the wooden parts of the house, oak was the only material which the builders would deign to use.

From the outside, the houses are austere and even stark, and it takes practice to see that the masons were not entirely insensible to decoration. Inside, however, they were abundantly adorned, with carved ceilings and wall-paintings being the dominant mode. The parlour or «sala» would be painted from top to bottom like a church. Here, too, the artists were from outside the Zagori, the best-known being those from the village Chioniades.

These stone-built villages, clinging to the stony hillsides, are often difficult to pick out until one is dimost upon them. Each of them had two main social centers: the square with its plane tree and the stone-built church. Most of the churches were rectangular basilicas, like houses, with domes being used sparingly. There would, of course be a belfry and also a wide, deep verandah (the outside of the church was a meeting-place, too) and these are perhaps the most striking features of the churches of Zagori.

Apart from the villages, the wealthy Zagori villagers endowed their region with a network of roads, which was of amazing complexity and refinement for its time. Paved roads and paths crisscrossed Zagori in all directions, uniting the villages and refusing to be put off by any natural impediment. Flights of steps were built up steep mountainsides and bridges were built over the rivers —bridges which, with their soaring arches, are still among the glories of Zagori and even strike an optimistic note: perhaps, in the end, man has got something to offer the environment.
 

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Decline

Zagori went into decline during the 19th century. After the time of Ali Pasha of Yannina, it suddenly found itself part of an area in disfavor in a distant corner of an Empire which was itself on the verge of total collapse. It lost its privileges. How could it be expected to keep pace with the developments which were revolutionizing society? And why should its inhabitants stay there and not move further south, into free Greece?

Later, when Epirus became part of the free Greek state, there ceased to be any point in Zagori being a refuge for those escaping from «justice» —in other words, the area lost its most important reason for existence. Given the highly centralized nature of the Greek state and the disproportionate development of Athens, the rest of the story is a familiar one and happened rapidly: depopulation, neglect of agriculture, closing schools, and ageing population. During the Second World War, it is true, there was a certain degree of movement towards Zagori in search of safety from the occupying forces, but the mountains proved to be no safer than the towns. The Germans burnt 25 villages and the Civil War which followed the occupation was the last nail in the coffin.

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The revival

Who would have thought that. before the century of the two World Wars was over, people would be in need of shelter yet again! 
 

This time in order to escape both natural and man made conditions of city life. In the past, fleeing the city at the weekend, for a few days or for longer periods, was considered a luxury. Today, everybody needs to do so. And people have turned to the mountains once again. Zagori has responded to the challenge. In a number of villages, such as Papingo, Mo-nodendri, Ano Pedina, Vitsa and Tsepelovo, traditional houses have been converted to hostels. Elsewhere, new hostels and small hotels have been built, while some farm houses are now offering tourist accommodation.

Other facilities such as restaurants, taverns and petrol stations have now opened. Zagori is certainly no longer short of services. There are even two museums, one at Koukouli and the other at Elafotopos.

Present-day Zagori is therefore in the process of development — a development that is taking into consideration the necessity to preserve the traditional culture, natural beauty and superb scenery that attract visitors to Zagori in the first place. Mass tourism has been rejected, as have giant hotel units, and any building that might jeopardize the area's natural beauty and cultural character. This cautious development is yearly attracting increasing numbers of visitors to the area. As a result, jobs are being created for more local inhabitants, and there are already some young people who are not even considering moving to the city.