Location information

FLORINA (Town) MAKEDONIA WEST
  Built on a lush plateau, the border town of Florina is split in two by the picturesque Sakoulevas river. It has been inhabited continuously since prehistoric times, as archaeological finds show, though its present name is perhaps related to the Byzantine settlement, Chloro.
  Throughout the Ottoman occupation a large number of Muslims lived in the town, but by the early 18th century the Greek element had begun to increase and develop, thanks to trade and crafts, principally that of the silversmith.
  The linking of Florina by rail with Thessaloniki and Monastir in 1894 gave a new boost to the town's economy; Florina evolved into an urban center with an active cultural and educational life, helped by the remittances of prosperous emigrants.
  From 1878 the activity of its guerrilla bands was on the increase, while its strategic location made it a key center in the Macedonian Struggle and a base for Greek operations in the Balkan Wars (1912-1913).
  A major factor in the development of the contemporary town was the settlement of many residents from Monastir (now Bitola) after 1912, who made a great contribution to the intellectual and cultural renewal of the district.

By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.

• http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/HellenicMacedoni... (1 img.)

NYMFEO (Village) FLORINA
  According to tradition, the Vlach village of Nymfaio (Neveska), which was one of the headquarters in the Macedonian Struggle, was founded in the 14th century. Its merchants and silversmiths had brought considerable wealth to the village as early as the 17th century. The famous travelling jewelers ('chrysikoi') from Neveska plied their wares all over the Balkans.
  From the 19th century the wealthy residents of Nymfaio were involved in trading cotton from Egypt and tobacco from eastern Macedonia and Thrace. These prosperous emigrants (e.g. Tsirlis, Sossidis) financed public buildings in their birthplace (churches, schools).
  They built their grand mansions around the end of the 19th and in early 20th century according to the neoclassical style in fashion (a porch in front of the house crowned with a pediment and closed with a glass-in entrance).
  Painters from Kleisoura and Drosopigi embellished the interiors. Ancient gods and goddesses (Athena, Ares, Demeter), Alexander the Great, philosophers, and landscapes reminiscent of the owners' places of work (e.g. the Pyramids of Egypt), allegorical representations of the four seasons, copies of Renaissance works (e.g. the Dance of the Muses by Giulio Romano) formed the impressive interior decoration together with lavishly ornamented frames and ceilings.

By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains images.

• http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/HellenicMacedoni... (2 img.)

PRESPES (Municipality) FLORINA
  So far, the earliest archaeological findings in Prespa date from the Bronze and Iron Ages. However, since Neolithic pile houses have been found in the neighboring countries, it is very likely that the Geek part of the area has also had permanent settlements from the Neolithic or over before. In the sixth century B. C nomadic groups lived in the area, and it seems that Illyrian tribes inhabited the lands at the western part of this region.
  From about 500 to 200 B. C, Prespa belonged to the Macedonian kings, being ruled by the successors of Alexander the Great until the end of their empire.
  Buildings at Agios Achillios and graves located between Lemos and Miliona are remains of the early Christian and Roman periods. A funerary altar at Pyli is dated to the early Byzantine era, when Prespa belonged to the province of Illyrian. From the end of the ninth century many parts of Macedonia, including Prespa, became part of the Bulgarian kingdom ruled by Simeon. Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire dominated the area intermittently until the end of the tenth century, when the region fell under Samuel, Czar of the Bulgarians. Prespa and later Ochrid were then used as the centers of his kingdom and base for the attacks against Byzantium. It is known that Samuel erected at Prespa a palace and a Basilica, to where he brought the remains of Agios Achillios. After constant wars, Samuel was defeated by Basil II. The new conqueror retook all the territory captured by Samuel, and later built two forts, Vasilidha and Konstantio, whose locations are still being investigated. Until about the middle of the fourteenth century, the Prespa region was under the intermitted occupations of Pechenegs, Bulgarians, Normans, Alamans, Franks, Serbs and Byzantines. When the Byzantine Empire began to collapse, the Ottoman Turks ruled the regions west of the city of Veria. Due to its remoteness, the Prespa region was not so severely influenced by the Ottoman domination, what allowed it to continue to be controlled by the local leaders and also attracted, during the subsequent five centuries, Christian believers that left their mark in the form of many churches, monasteries, chapels, monastic communities and hermits' cells.
  From the middle of the nineteenth century onwards both Bulgarians and Greeks demanded freedom from the Ottoman Empire at the same time they were disputing other Macedonian grounds. Important leaders in the Greek nationalistic struggle against the Ottoman domination were N. and S. Dalipis, from the mountain village of Sfika, Captain Kotas, from the valley of Korestia, and S. Paraskevaidis from Lemos, as well as many other combatants from Prespa. Being very close to the one of the main centers of the Macedonia Struggle, Prespa suffered the consequence of its position. During these times many Prespiots emigrated to Romania, America and Canada.
  The Balkan Wars followed the Macedonia Struggle, and the Greek frontiers, including the Greek part of Prespa, were finally secured with the Treaty of Bucharest, signed in 1913.
  During 1914-18, French troops were at Prespa as a bridgehead against the possibility of penetration by Bulgarian - German forces. In 1924, the Prespian villages of Lefkonas, Lemos, Agios Germanos and Pyli received refugee families from the Black See. Many of them emigrated once more to America and Australia, drawing along many of the locals. As they started sending money to their families, many houses were built and Prespa was reconstructed.
  In the second World War occupation, Prespa was under jurisdiction of the Italian troops. In the beginning of the fifties very few people remaining in the area.

This text is cited September 2004 from the Municipality of Prespes URL below

• http://www.prespes.gr/istoriaen.html