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ERATIRA (Small town) KOZANI
Built in an advantageous position at the foot of Mount Siniatsiko,
Eratyra lies on the road between Siatista
and Kozani. The town
was founded in the 16th century by people from the plains of western Macedonia
seeking a safer
home in the mountains. Also known as Selitsa, the town was populated solely
by Greeks and enjoyed relative autonomy and certain privileges.
From 1804 to 1820 it was one of Ali Pasha's chiftliks, whereupon it
was declared a royal estate, but later (1846) obtained its independence within
the context of the Tanzimat
reforms. Its prosperity made it prey to the raids of Turkish Albanian irregulars
from the 17th to the 19th century.
The residents of Selitsa worked at farming, stock
breeding, craft industries (especially tanning), vine cultivation and trade
with Constantinople,
the northern Balkans and central Europe. Many of them, organized into guilds
of builders, worked all over the Ottoman Empire.
In later years, the business activity and emigration (both seasonal
and permanent) of its inhabitants contributed to the cultural development of the
town, which boasted a school as early as the 17th century. The commercialization
of the economy beginning in the 18th century created a new class of urban
merchants who erected mansions up until the early 20th century in order to
display their wealth.
By kind permission of:Ekdotike Athenon
This text is cited Nov 2003 from the Macedonian Heritage URL below, which contains image.
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