Kastanitsa
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Kastanitsa Καστάνιτσα |
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 Kastanitsa
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| Coordinates: 37°15′N 22°38′E / 37.250°N 22.633°ECoordinates: 37°15′N 22°38′E / 37.250°N 22.633°E | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Peloponnese |
| Regional unit | Arcadia |
| Municipality | North Kynouria |
| Elevation | 840 m (2,760 ft) |
| Community | |
| • Population | 175 (2011) |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 221 00 |
| Area code(s) | 27550 |
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Kastanitsa (Greek: Καστάνιτσα) is a village in Arcadia in Greece, on the southern slope of Mount Parnon. It is considered a traditional settlement. It is noted for its production of chestnuts, from which it takes its name, and for formerly being a majority Tsakonian-speaking settlement.
Kastanitsa is first mentioned in writing in 1293, but the settlement is thought to be nearly two centuries older, founded by Tsakones fleeing the rule of Slavic tribes that had invaded the Peloponnese. According to Kastaniot tradition, the village was founded by two families called Pentalonas and Bezenikos.
A Byzantine fort called Koutoupou was placed on the nearby hill of Pyrgos while the restored Byzantine monarchy warred with the Frankish lords of the Peloponnese to recover territory lost in the wake of the Fourth Crusade.
Further documentary evidence is scant until the eighteenth century. In 1788, a French traveller named Villehouson wrote that Kastanitsa "...has four hundred houses." In 1808, an Englishman, Martin Leek, reported that "This was once a city of great note." On 21 July 1821 the inhabitants proclaimed their independence from Turkish rule from atop the old Byzantine tower and joined in the Greek struggle for independence.
Currently, the village contains around two hundred-fifty inhabitable houses, representing a significant shrinkage from Villehouson's figure of four hundred. This is not unusual in the area where many towns and villages were ruined by the depredations of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt and never fully recovered; those that were spared eventually lost population due to economic migration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Most houses are built from local stone, and the village is classified as a heritage site by the Greek government, which places controls on external renovations. Most roofs in Kastanitsa are made of slate, which, because of its low water absorption, is more resistant to frost damage during the winter snows.
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Wikipedia