Zitsa
Ζίτσα
Monument to Lord Byron in Zitsa
Monument to Lord Byron in Zitsa
Zitsa is located in Greece
Zitsa
Zitsa
Location within the region
Coordinates: 39°45′N 20°39′E / 39.750°N 20.650°E / 39.750; 20.650
CountryGreece
Administrative regionEpirus
Regional unitIoannina
Area
 • Municipality565.6 km2 (218.4 sq mi)
 • Municipal unit65.87 km2 (25.43 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Municipality
14,766
 • Municipality density26/km2 (68/sq mi)
 • Municipal unit
1,332
 • Municipal unit density20/km2 (52/sq mi)
Community
[1]
 • Population676 (2011)
 • Area (km2)29.17
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registrationΙΝ

Zitsa (Greek: Ζίτσα) is a village and a municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Eleousa.[2] The municipality has an area of 565.566 km2, the municipal unit 65.868 km2, the community 29.169 km2.[3]

History

The first reference to Zitsa is in the Chronicle of Ioannina in 1382. It developed into a prosperous village in the Ottoman era and became a centre of wine production, something for which it is still renowned. During this period, it appeared in the travelogues of various Western Europeans, including William Martin Leake (1809), Lord Byron (1809) and Henry Holland (1813). Byron, who spent two nights in Zitsa's monastery, was so enamoured with the village that he later included a stanza about it in his Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.

Zitsa became part of Greece in 1913. It was the site of fierce battles during the Greek Civil War. In the post-War era, the construction of new roads and reorientation of the economy diminished the influence of Zitsa in the wider region. Wine production and tourism remain the two main economic activities.

Municipality

The present municipality Zitsa was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets):[2]

Notable people

Landmarks

References

  1. ^ a b "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
  2. ^ a b "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
  3. ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece.
  4. ^ Papaioannou, Achilleas Io. (2005). Ο αληθινός Γράμμος (in Greek). Thessaloniki: Mpimpis. p. 65.
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