Iliochori

Iliochori (Greek: Ηλιοχώρι, "Village of the Sun") is one of the Zagori villages of Greece. It is located in the municipal unit of Tymfi in the northern part of the Ioannina prefecture. It is also known as Dobrinovo (Ντομπρίνοβο). According to a local legend, the village was founded as Rasciana, on the river of the same name. However, that site was abandoned because of a lack of drinking water, and the inhabitants scattered to found Iliochori and the nearby town of Laista. Iliochori was traditionally an agricultural village, with husbandry and cultivation of barley and vetch being among its primary areas of economic activity. Viticulture was also prominent, and the village produced a wine, Dobrovino, that gave it its original name. Caravans leaving from Iliochori carried products from the region to the Balkans for trade. The town suffered severe damage in both World War II and the Greek Civil War and lost a large portion of its population during the 1940s as a result.

History

Origin

The origin of the town is not completely clear. From some historical findings it seems that in the 11th century BC, were formed several small isolated communities, at the sites of "Rascianà", "Lipochori" "Koukourounzu" and "Souri", that later on, probably for several reasons like the search of a place, drinkable water, the inhabitants abandoned the place and constructed the town in the actual "Dobrinovo" (Slavic name of the AD 14th century) that means Dobri+Novo (Good + New). But not all the inhabitants moved to Iliochori, some of them settled in Laista (14 km distant) that in this period was called Lisinitza. During the period of the slavic hegemony in the Epirus, (AD 6th - 7th century) the town of Dobrinovo already existed, as it turns out from the slavic evidences.

In the 14th century the Monastery of Panaghia was constructed. In 1431, as the "Vrisochoritan" Nikolaos Exarchos reports in his book "To Ntombrinovo", the Turkish administration counts 1180 inhabitants. In the following years it kept developing either as number of inhabitants or as prosperity. It's learnt, from the evidences, of the existence of a document that contained a convention made with a doctor of Pades in order to offer medical assistance. The convention that in the period of one year established that the municipality of Dobrinovo would have paid only the wage to the doctor in order to offer free medical attendance to the inhabitants, who have only paid the medicines. The documents were signed in 1616 and were destroyed with the fire of the Municipality by the Nazis in 1943.

In 1812 the French consul Pouqueville visited the region and reported that in the town of Dobrinovo he found 750 inhabitants. After few years, since 1815 in Dobrinovo there was a continuation of Greek schools and lessons took place in the Monastery of Panaghia and later in some private houses. During the year there happened the first great destruction of the community of the inhabitants caused the bubonic plague disease. The town cries numerous victims and the inhabitants shelter themselves in the mountains in order to escape from the disease. In 1819 the Metropolita of Ioannina Gabriel visits the communities suffering by the disease and in the town he meets 160 inhabitants. In a letter of Ath. Psalidis dated 12-02-1823, sent to Movrokordatos, describes the situation of the Epirus and Tessally, under the Turkish occupation, showing an Armed Struggle for the liberation. It reports that the town of Dobrinovo where people live, they were able to carry the weapons. The town of Dobrinovo in that period was in use the school separated for the boys and the girls and was constructed using the aqueduct that brings the water to the town and bridges that opens new roads. The inhabitants of Dobrinovo travel a lot and become traders but they do not forget their town and they contribute for its development. The Greek newspaper published in Constantinopolis, speaks about 1200 inhabitants in the town of Dobrinovo. Unfortunately for the town follows a period of economic decadence! Before the Balkans wars in 1912, then the first world War, block the trade activities that the Iliochorites had created with the countries like Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, until Russia. Later with the arrival of the Spanish flue is pulled down on all the towns like also Dobrinovo (Iliochori) with numerous victims.

Under the dominion of the Turks

From 1463 until 1912, Iliochori was under the dominion of the Turks, that had granted to all the towns of Zagoria a governmental autonomy with the payment of taxes. The town has rich the maximum development between 1870 and 1900.

From 1916 the population was decimated by Asian flu. The inhabitants of Iliochori lived by breeding sheep and cows, and agriculture, cultivating grain, barley and vetch. They dedicated great care also to viticulture, producing a good wine. But they were also of the traders, in spring left in caravan with mules and horses, carrying of the goods that they above all sold in the countries of the Balkans, where many had constructed true and own economic fortunes. They come back to Iliochori at the end of autumn to spend the winter with the own families. In the winter months the shepherds dedicated to the handicraft, forming itinerant guilds of masons and sculptors in wood that traveled the Balkans selling their goods.

Until 1914 in Iliochori there was the school of the chassis situated over the road of the currently city hall where the girls learned to weave. The building belong to the Gianussi family that had donated it to the city council; beyond to the webbing school there were the elementary school, the primary and secondary schools that were found in the same building. In these schools there were teachers females for the girls and teachers males for the boys. In 1912 the building was burnt and in 1924 started its reconstruction, finished in 1927; first master was Papasisis.

Second World War and name change

After the 1920 the houses inhabited were 160, during the Second World War the Germans are arrived to Iliochori in 1943 and have burnt great part of the houses of the town.

In 1926 the town change name from Dobrinovo was assigned the name to it of Iliochori that in Greek means "Town of the Sun".

In 1944 another battalion of German entered the town, searching carefully without damaging it. The town endured large damages during the civil war from 1946 to 1949 and many inhabitants emigrated. It followed the period of the civil War and the town suffered large damages and between 1946 to the 1949 many inhabitants migrate towards the east countries, the town did not offer many opportunities of joband many are moving in zones of greater cultivation like Thessally, the Macedonian, etc. The town has endured large damages during the Greek Civil War from 1946 to 1949 and many inhabitants emigrated. Till World War II, most Iliochorians used to emigrate mainly to Thessaly. Outside Greece, Iliochorians used to emigrate to Bulgaria, Wallachia and the U.S.^[1] Seem that in 1972 has been shot also a old Greek movie Oi xenitemenoi.

Recent history

From 1990 many original of the place, coming from several parts, Athens, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Larissa and also from Italy, have begun to repopulate and re-evaluate the town, constructing new houses. In the period, are being born, many initiatives of building recovering like the renovation of the church of Aghios Nikolaos. In 1992 was completed the portion of the road from the locality Gyftokampos to Iliochori, allowing a fast connection to the village. Always in this period has been born a small committee for the creation of the tourist attraction like waterfall of "Balta Stringa", in the locality Rascianà that attracts visitors also from France.

In 2002 has been launched the first website in English and Italian and later become also in French, Spanish and later in Greek version. In 2008 another website in Greek language has been launched, becoming the first village of Zagori in 2009 with two website. The door of the church of Aghios Minas has been replaced with a new one in the summer 2009 by the donation of countryman Georgios Polimeris. In October 2009 the TV SKY set up a documentary in the waterfall of "Balta Stringa" and around Iliochori. In 2010, after many years on the initiative of the Cultural Association Iliochori "The Ntomprinovo, revived, successfully, the reunion of Iliochoriton everywhere in lakes of the pit ".

Local main events

'20 July: (Prophet Elia)': This holiday was in honour of the Prophet Elia of the Patron Saint of Iliochori. It is a holiday of religion and folklore, in fact the women of the town few days before they go to the church situated in front of the town, to prepare it suitably for the holiday. The folklore holiday starts on the evening of the 19 July. At the center of the square the Iliochoriti start the traditional dances of the Epirus, and in particularly (peculiar) of the region of Zagori, with the music of the orchestra. The morning of 20 July happens the religious holiday: The faithful cover by walking the road that from the town brings to the church of the prophet Elia: at the end of the function; they go to the houses of the people that celebrate the name day for the wishes. Always the same evening on the main square of the town there are again the traditional dances until the first lights of the morning. This holiday is occasion of many people urinary of this place but they live fairway, to go back to Iliochori. The holiday attracts even to many visitors from the towns; eager to teast typical dishes and wines of the region of Zagori.

Location and climate

The village is located in the municipality of Tymfi in the northern part of the Ioannina prefecture at 71 km from Ioannina, after the locality Gyftokampos, built on a steep slope between a very tall trees in a green area with lots of running water and stone bridges. The village of Iliochori also has a small post office and a small school with a nice square re-made in plaka which every years during the panagyri of Prophet Elia it used to meet and celebrate the feast.

Transportation

The village of Iliochori is connected from Ioannina by the transit communications company KTEL (Greece), that is prequently operate and also from the other main Greek cities like Athens and Thessaloniki with the Via Egnatia highway passes by Ioannina. The closer airport is the Ioannina National Airport going out from Ioannina in direction of Coniza after 19 km; on the right we can find the cross-roads that after 50 km will bring at the town of Iliochori.

Notable Iliochorites

• Iraklis Retos he was named of Mayor in Trikala from June 1946 until August 1950.
• Nikolaos Bellos from Iliochori in Zagori, died in Ioannina in 1948. He was one of the Benefactor of Ioannina.
• Giorgios Partalidis Candidate Deputy of Athens New Democracy

Tourism

• From Iliochori, following the path built by the Iliochorites (inhabitants of Iliochori), after 2 km in locality "Balta Stringa" are three great waterfalls, the largest of which is 25 meters high. In October 2009, one of the television of Ioannina has shot a documentary about this main attraction and in the village.
• In locality Gyftocambos, every year, on the first weekend of August the descendants of the ancient tribe of Sarachazani, great breeders, meet up for a great festivity that begins on Friday afternoon. They come from all Greece and other nations of the Balkans like Romania, Bulgaria etc. On their arrival they set up the tents and light large bonfires for the preparation of the roasts and in order to warm themselves because at night temperature goes down.
• What is interesting to see is the Rascianitis river that flows in the valley of the town where one can go fishing.

In popular culture

• The 1990 movie "Η τελευταία αρκούδα του Πίνδου" ("The last bear of Pindos") was about a migrant from Iliochori, returning to from Stuttgart to his home village.

External links

• www.iliochori.com, in Greek, English, Italian, French, Spanish
• www.iliochori.net, in Greek

References