Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Macedonia

The Edessa waterfalls - Greece’s largest waterfalls - are quite exceptional. Centuries ago people made a bassin for their water supply, but in the 14th century the river changed it course ((perhaps after a geologic or weather phenomenon) creating first one waterfall but later on several other small waterfalls. The most impressive waterfall - called Karanos - has a height of 70 meters. The smaller twinfall is called Lamda. It is possible to walk behind the big Karanos waterfall where one has a perfect view with a water curtain (PiP 4).

Platamon Castle is dating back to the middle Byzantine period (10th century AD). It is situated at the location of the ancient city of Heraclia. The name “Platamon” appears for the first time in an imperial order of 1198 but, most probably, there was already a Byzantine castle there, since the 10th century. Following the fall of Constantinople during the 4th Crusade in 1204, Lombardian crusaders took over the land and built a castle on top of the remains of the old structure. The castle functioned as a strategic lookout point over the passage between Macedonia and southern Greece. Despite their efforts to retain control of the castle, it wasn’t long before the Byzantines took it over again. In 1218, the Komnenos, a Byzantine noble family, established dominion over the castle. The Turks captured the castle in 1385 and paid much attention to its maintenance because they needed the castle to control the strategically important area. After a short break between 1425 and 1427, when the Venetians managed to conquer the castle, the Turks returned and stayed until the beginning of the 20th century. During World War II, in April 1941, a unit of New Zealanders tried to defend Platamon but were forced to leave after the bombardment of the castle by the Germans. The Castle of Platamon is located southeast of Mount Olympus near the village of Platamon. The landmark of the castle is the well-preserved octagonal tower with a height of 16 meters.

The Church of Agios Georgios (Saint George) is located 20km southwest of the city of Kastoria, in the mountainous village Omorfokklesia. The church is one of the most popular Byzantine monuments of Macedonia. From this church the village also took its name, which was initially called Kallista or Ghalista (“kallisti” in Greek means “the most beautiful”). The cruciform church with a narthex is estimated to be built in 11th century. Its interior decoration has plenty frescoes dated in 13th century whereas its exterior frescoes are dated in the early of 14th century. The Church of Agios Georgios is most known for its wooden statue of St. George – wearing the traditional greek skirt “foustanella” – dating back to the 13th century. This oversized historical and cultural value picture is about 3 meters tall and is considered miraculous (PiP5). According to tradition some nuns were trying to carry this sculpture with a stretcher from Konstantinoupolis. As they were passing by the place that the church is nowadays located the stretcher stopped moving against their willing. Then the nuns thought it was St. George’s desire to be there and they decided to built a church to honor his name. Every year thousands of believers visit the church during St. George’s celebration day to pray and stick their coin on the glyph. Once the coin sticks means that the believer has a strong faith and his/her prayers may come true.

The Tsouka waterfall is the only waterfall that has been created by the Stenorema brook, whose waters flow into the Aliakmon River. The waterfall - also called Agia Anna waterfall - is about 20 meters high and has a pond at its base. It is the largest of the regional unit of Kastoria. We wanted to visit the waterfall from the Zoodochos Pigi church, which stands on the top of the cliff. Unfortunately, the path was closed due to restoration works on the church.

The monastery Panagia Mavriotissa was founded in 1082/83 by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos to commemorate the victory over the Normans and the recapture of Kastoria. It is referred to in documents dating back to the 13th century as the monastery of Panagia Mesonisiotissa (= in the middle of the island). In the second half of the 17th century the name changed to Panagia Mavriotissa, because the inhabitants of the village of Mavrovo (nowadays ‘Mavrochori’) ensured that it remained in good condition. The monastery played an important role in the history of the area, but remained closed for many years. It was reopened in 1998. Only a few buildings from the original monastery have survived. The church has a spacious narthex on the west side, which was added later. The interior is decorated with murals dating from the beginning of the 13th century. The icons on the outside date from the period 1259 - 1264. The murals and drawings were damaged - all eyes of saints were removed - during Ottoman period. Some of these old frescoes were restored in the 13th century, while the outer wall of the narthex was decorated with new ones.

Kastoria is well-known for its churches. It is also calles “city of 100 churches”. The amount of Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches proves the richness of the city through the different ages. Kastoria originally had 72 Byzantine and medieval churches, of which 54 have survived. Some of them have been restored and provide useful insight into trends in late Byzantine styles of architecture and fresco painting. Many of the churches are small structures, as they were built as private churches by wealthy fur traders or the katholika of small monasteries. They are either aisleless churches or three-aisled basilicas. Their façades often show rich masonry with decorative letters, geometrical patterns, bands of dentils and occasional sun motifs. The churches also have outstanding fresco decorations with diverse iconographic programmes, showing their donors’ and painters’.

In Ottoman times, Kastoria attracted a mass of people from all over the Balkans and beyond, resulting in a diverse, multi-ethnic community. The different ethnic communities, Bulgarian, Turkish, Greek and Jewish, were centred around separate neighbourhoods or 'quarters'. Two old lakeside Greek neighbourhoods "Doltso" and "Apozari" are among the best-preserved and last remaining traditional quarters of the city. Especially “Doltso” - with its cobbled alleys and streets - is characterised by historic traditional mansions so called archontika - and houses, built between the 17th and 19th centuries by wealthy Kastorian furriers. During this time, the processing and exporting of animal furs created wealth in Kastoria. Some of these mansions nowadays houses museums and hotels.

Kastoria is partly built on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Orestiada at an altitude of about 620 meters. The small city is tucked away in the mountains of Macedonia. The place was first mentioned in the 1st century AD of a town near a lake called Celerum, a town which was captured by the Romans during their war against Phillip V of Macedonoa in 200 BC. The name Kastoria was first referred to in the late 10th century, when it was held by Bulgaria during the Byzantine-Bulgarian wars. Most probably Kastoria derives from the Greek word kástoras , meaning beaver. Trade in the fur was traditionally an important element of Kastoria’s economy. The trade in beaver skins, which began over a thousand years ago, gave rise to the town’s chief industry. When the beavers from the lake ran out, the town imported furs. Nowadays the fur trade has almost stopped. Kastoria is well known for its many Byzantine churches and monasteries. From the 72 Byzantine and medieval churches there are still more than fifty in and around the city. Many of them have frescoes that are in very good shape. One of the most beautiful and interesting is Monastery Panagia Mavriotissa, located on the shores of Lake Orestiada. Lake Orestiada (or Lake Kastoria), the promenade and forests offer a perfect shelter for all kind of bird species. The lake is home for 200 different species, among them some rare and endangered ones. The most typical species are cormorants, pelicans, herons, swans, wild ducks and herons. Lake and surrounding wetlands also house frogs and Greek turtles.

The Holy Church of Saint Paraskevi (Agia Paraskevi) is a great example of post-Byzantine architecture. The church was built in 1677, in the shape of a domed three-aisled basilica. The hexagonal bell tower with a height of 25 meters was added in 1862. The building - a most precious monument of Byzantine art - dominates the central square of Geraneia district, one of the two city quarters. The church is considered being the most impressive of the years of the Turkish occupation in western Macedonia. The interior shows exquisite icons, a gilded wood-carved iconostasis and a gold plated pulpit. The stone built church, with oak transoms and beams, small windows, in Basilica order, is full with frescoes and precious icons.

The Poulko Mansion (also called Poulkidis Mansion) is located in the Geraneia neighbourhood in Siatista. According to an inscription over the entrance, its construction began in 1752 and probably completed in 1759. The building was commissioned by Theódoros Emmanouilídis, an Ottoman-era merchant from the town, and later purchased by tobacco merchant Lázaros Poúlkos (or Poulkídis). The mansion consists of a semi-buried ground floor and two upper floors overlooking a courtyard that includes an oven, a cistern and a garden. The ground floor was used for storage. The first floor was used as the family's winter residence, with bedrooms featuring fireplaces and cupboards richly decorated with frescoes. The top floor had the same layout as the middle floor and was used as a summer residence. The Poulko Mansion - a precious example of upper middle class daily life in 18th century western Macedonia - shows excellent decorative painting, stained glass windows and wood carvings. The plaster decorations on the mansion’s fireplaces are of amazing artistry. Its facade, in the section just under the roof, is decorated with stylized ornamental motifs (rosettes, stars) and a ship. After a restoration the Poulko Mansion - a juwel of the small city of Siatista - is open to the public again

The monastery of Timios Prodromos (Saint John the Baptist) is the most important of the monastic settlements ('sketai') in the area around Veria. The historic stone monastery has been operating since the 14th century. Known as the “Skete of Veria”, as the monastery was built in a Holy Skete that existed on the site since the 9th-10th century. The monastery was set on fire in 1822 by the Ottomans. The only structure that survived was the chapel of the Transfiguration of the Savior. In 1835 the monks rebuilt the cells, the new katholikon and a good part of the fortified wall; at this point the monastery assumed then the form it has today. Remains of several Saints are kept in the Monastery, while visitors can admire many works of hagiographic art, some of which have been saved from the period before the destruction of 1822. Its katholikon is also remarkable, in the type of the three-aisled basilica, with magnificent columns made of trunk trees and imposing images. Timios Prodromos is located at the verdant foothills of Pieria mountains, with an imposing view of the artificial lake of the Aliakmonas river; a fascinating landscape created by the river with the dense forests. The impressive entrance with the large, wooden medieval gates, the stone fountain, the relief of the buildings as they join the slope and the fresh air give visitors a warm welcome.

The Old Metropolis/Cathedral of Veria (officially transliterated Veroia) is one of the largest mid-Byzantine in the Balkans, which was erected between 1070 and 1080 by Nikitas, the then bishop of the city. It is an architectural masterpiece of three aisled basilicas with a timber roof. This impressive church shows the prosperity of the town during the middle Byzantine period. The church was dedicated to Saint Paul. During the Ottoman period of the city it became an Ottoman mosque (Hünkar Mosque). The distinctive features that bring added uniqueness, specific architectural, artistic and historical value to the Old Cathedral is the incorporation of early Christian templates that gives the impression of a premier temple compared with the relevant monuments of the same period, as well as the wall painting decoration that presents some of the greatest painting works of the 12th, 13th and 14th century. For this reason it is regarded as the gem of Byzantine Veria. After the completion of the restoration works in 2016, the church is accessible to the public again, offering a unique tour of the Byzantine history of Veria.

Nikiti is a popular tourist town on the west coast of the Sithonia peninsula. In the summer months, the terraces along the sea are crowded with tourists. In the port of Nikiti tourist boats, yachts and fishing boats moor (PiP1). The village offers many restaurants, bars, cafes - especially along the seafront - and shops. The northern part of Nikiti is the most traditional neighborhood (PiP2). The old houses from the beginning of the 19th century along the narrow streets are built of stone. The red tiles and gardens create a friendly atmosphere in this (quiet) part of Nikiti.

The (old) monastery Agios Dionysios is located in the Enipeas gorge at an altitude of 850 meters in the Olympus Mountains (PiP5). The monastery was directly subordinated to the patriarch of Constantinople. The monastery was founded in 1542 by Saint Dionysios. Its name was Agia Triada, which means Holy Trinity. Surrounded by strong high walls and equipped with a watchtower, it looked like a small fortress. During various conflicts the monastery served as a refuge for civilians, but also for military personnel. In its history, the monastery has been plundered and burned, but also rebuilt several times. In April 1943 the monastery was attacked by the German army. Assuming that the building could be a refuge for Greek resistance fighters, the Germans first bombed it and then destroyed it with explosives. After the destruction of their monastery in 1943, the monks moved to an annex fifteen kilometers from the old monastery and much lower on the slope of the Olympus. That complex, dating from 1650, grew in the following years into the (new) Dionysios monastery. The remains of the old monastery and the walls that surrounded it are still visible. The main church has been restored and renovated. Its location and the mixtures of ruins and the renovated katholikon (= main church of the monastery) made it for me a special and very charming site.

The church of Saint Demetrius is named and devoted after the patron saint of Thessaloniki: Saint Demetrius or Agios Dimitrios. It is by far the most important church of the city for religious, historical and artistic reasons. The first chapel on the current spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later this little chapel was replaced by a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634; the form of the church much as it is today. During the Ottoman occupation of Thessaloniki the church was turned into a mosque. Frescoes were plastered, which were again revealed after the 1913 Greek reconquest of the city. Due to a great city fire in 1917 it took decades to restore the church. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949. Nowadays the cathedral is still a fine sample of Byzantine religious architecture. It is one of the largest – if not the largest - churches in Greece. Since 1988 the church is - with other Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments in Thessaloniki - on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

The White Tower is the most well known monument of Thessaloniki and a famous landmark of the city. The tower, which once guarded the eastern end of the city's sea walls, was for many years attributed to Venice, to which the Byzantines ceded Thessaloniki in 1423. It is now known that the tower was constructed by the Ottomans sometime after their army captured Thessaloniki in 1430. The Tower was used by the Ottomans successively as a fortress, garrison and a prison. In 1826 here was a massacre of the rebellious prisoners. After that the tower acquired the name "Tower of Blood" or "Red Tower". When Thessaloniki became a part of Greece in 1912 the tower was whitewashed as a symbolic gesture of cleansing and it was named “White Tower”. The Tower has now a buff colour, but has retained its name. The tower is located on Thessaloniki's waterfront boulevard at the Thermaic Gulf. Nowadays it houses a museum dedicated to the history of Thessaloniki.

The Arch of Galerius - locally known as Kamara - is certainly one of the most important monuments in Thessaloniki. The arch was probably built by the city of Thessaloniki between 298 and 305 A.D. to commemorate Galerius’ victorious campaign against the Persians. Originally it was a triple arch and four main and four supporting pillars. The central arched opening was 9,7 meters wide and 12,5 meters high; the secondary openings on the other side were 4,8 meters wide and 6,5 meters high. Only parts of the masonry symbols of the arches and three of the eight pillars survived. The reliefs on the two pillars depict scenes from Galerius’ victories against the Persians in 297 A.D. Among others one can see scenes of war, mounted battles and victories, triumphs and ceremonies, separated by relief flowers and branches. The arch - standing right in the middle of the city along Egnatia Street - is one of the landmarks of Thessaloniki.

Kastoria is partly built on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Orestiada at an altitude of about 630 meters. The small city is tucked away in the mountains of Macedonia. The place was first mentioned in the 1st century AD as Celerum, a town which was captured by the Romans during their war against Phillip V of Macedon in 200 BC. The name Kastoria was first referred to in the late 10th century, when it was held by Bulgaria during the Byzantine-Bulgarian wars. Most probably Kastoria derives from the Greek word kástoras , meaning beaver. Trade in the fur was traditionally an important element of Kastoria’s economy. The trade in beaver skins, which began over a thousand years ago, gave rise to the towns chief industry. When the beavers from the lake ran out, the town imported furs. Nowadays Kastoria still is an (international) center for the fur trade and offers many fur and leather shops/showrooms. Kastoria is well known for its many churches and monasteries. From the 72 Byzantine and medieval churches there are still 52 in and around the city. Many of them have frescoes that are in very good shape. One of the most beautiful and interesting is Monastery Panagia Mavriotissa ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/47511956 ), located on the shores of Lake Orestiada. Lake Orestiada (or Lake Kastroria), the promenade and forests offer a perfect shelter for all kind of bird species. The lake is home for 200 different species, among them some rare and endangered ones. The most typical species are cormorants, pelicans, herons, swans, wild ducks and herons. Lake and surrounding wetlands also house frogs and Greek turtles.