Nymfaio
Encyclopedia
Nymfaio is a predominantly Aromanian
village and a former community
in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia
, Greece
. After the 2011 local government reform it became a member of the municipality Amyntaio
. Located 16 km south-southeast of Florina
, the village had a population of 413 according to the 2001 census, however in 1985, as village records suggest, the population in 1895 was closer to 3,500. Urbanization in Greece left a vacuum, and Nymfai has an estimated fifty permanent residents as of 2008. The village is protected by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture in order to preserve its architectural integrity.
There are currently 6 functioning hotels in Nymfaio as well as a cultural museum and an Orthodox Church. Next to the church is an old cemetery dating to the 18th and 19th centuries.
in 1481, the village, then known as Neveska, had only six households. The name of the town in Aromanian
(Vlach) is Nevesca from the Slavic
Nevesta meaning bride.
for about 1,400 years and later fled from the mountains after the grievous battles with the Ottomans
. The warrior settlers of Nymfaio were capitulated later over the mountains. They remained armed and autonomous, directly ruled by Valide Sultan
, due to the mother of the Sultan
in which paid more reduced times. Until the early 17th century, they lived with ferocious invaders in the cifliks of the field. In 1690*, they began to deliver bronzeware and kicked out from the village to a renowned silvery from all of Macedonia for the next three centuries.
During the Albanian invasions in the late 18th century and after the Orlov revolt
, Nymfaio accepted Vlach refugees from Moschopoli, Nikolitsa, Linotopi and other Vlach parts which was ruined by the raiders. It was an important populated settlement which moved to eastern Macedonia in the villages including Ano Poroia
, Kato Tzoumagia, Alistati, Nigrita
, Serres
(Serrai) and others. In the Macedonian film of 1878 during the Treaty of San Stefano
, the same form of Nymfaio belonged to the gunman Vassilikos Zourkas which headed to the areas of Varnounta and Morihovo and made important benefits, between thest split Mihas Tsirlis.
The area features an organization known as Arktouros which manages an environmental protection center for brown bears and wolves one and a half kilometre from the village. The center is home to 13 bears along with bear trainers and zoo. The center is also home to several wolves - animals wbich were thought to be too weak to survive in the natural environment. The information centre is open to the public (with a ticket) for several months of the year.
The area has many new visitos, as it was under appreciated in the past. The village is home to the war-torn battlefield of Pavlos Melas
, as well as an old school, the Nikeios Skoli. The school was a gift from Nymfaioti Ioanni Jean Nikou (1875–1930). He was a student for many years, and eventually completed his education at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki.
Nymfaio is 7–8 km away from the main road, located in the town of Aetos
; the road was not paved until the 1950s.
A street in the city of Skopje
is named after the village (Neveska) in gratitude to the village's prominent role in the Ilinden Uprising of 1903.
Aromanians
Aromanians are a Latin people native throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and as an emigrant community in Serbia and Romania . An older term is Macedo-Romanians...
village and a former community
Communities and Municipalities of Greece
For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...
in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. After the 2011 local government reform it became a member of the municipality Amyntaio
Amyntaio
Amyntaio is a town and municipality in the Florina peripheral unit of Macedonia, Greece. The population of Amyntaio proper is 4,407, while that of the entire municipality is 18,975...
. Located 16 km south-southeast of Florina
Florina
Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...
, the village had a population of 413 according to the 2001 census, however in 1985, as village records suggest, the population in 1895 was closer to 3,500. Urbanization in Greece left a vacuum, and Nymfai has an estimated fifty permanent residents as of 2008. The village is protected by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture in order to preserve its architectural integrity.
There are currently 6 functioning hotels in Nymfaio as well as a cultural museum and an Orthodox Church. Next to the church is an old cemetery dating to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Nearest places
- AetosAetos, FlorinaAetos is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 18 km southeast of Florina...
, east - Agrapidies, east
- Sklithro, south
- Asprogeia, SSW
- Drossopigi, northwest
Origins of the name
First mentioned in an Ottoman defterDefter
A Defter was a type of tax register in the Ottoman Empire. The information collected could vary, but tahrir defterleri typically included details of villages, dwellings, household heads , ethnicity/religion , and land use.The defter-i hakâni was a land registry, also used for tax...
in 1481, the village, then known as Neveska, had only six households. The name of the town in Aromanian
Aromanian language
Aromanian , also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe...
(Vlach) is Nevesca from the Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
Nevesta meaning bride.
History
Nymfaio was first settled around 1385 by the Vlach travellers, the latinophony Macedonian inhabitants kept the nearby Via EgnatiaVia Egnatia
The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed the Roman provinces of Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thrace, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey.Starting at Dyrrachium on the...
for about 1,400 years and later fled from the mountains after the grievous battles with the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. The warrior settlers of Nymfaio were capitulated later over the mountains. They remained armed and autonomous, directly ruled by Valide Sultan
Valide Sultan
Valide Sultan was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish pronunciation of the word Valide is . The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.The position was perhaps the most important...
, due to the mother of the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
in which paid more reduced times. Until the early 17th century, they lived with ferocious invaders in the cifliks of the field. In 1690*, they began to deliver bronzeware and kicked out from the village to a renowned silvery from all of Macedonia for the next three centuries.
- very likely this date should be 1690, cf. "the next three centuries" (which would bring it to approx. 1990).
During the Albanian invasions in the late 18th century and after the Orlov revolt
Orlov Revolt
The Orlov Revolt was a precursor to the Greek War of Independence , which saw a Greek uprising in the Peloponnese at the instigation of Count Orlov, commander of the Russian Naval Forces of the Russo-Turkish War...
, Nymfaio accepted Vlach refugees from Moschopoli, Nikolitsa, Linotopi and other Vlach parts which was ruined by the raiders. It was an important populated settlement which moved to eastern Macedonia in the villages including Ano Poroia
Ano Poroia
Ano Poroia is a village in Greece, located in Macedonia. The population was 1,529 people...
, Kato Tzoumagia, Alistati, Nigrita
Nigrita
Nigrita is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Visaltia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is situated between the Strymonian plain of the Strymon river and the Vertiskos...
, Serres
Serres, Greece
Sérres is a city in Macedonia, Greece. It is situated in a fertile plain at an elevation of about 70 m, some 24 km northeast of the Strymon river and 69 km north-east of the Macedonian capital, Thessaloniki. The Rhodope Mountains rise to the north and east of the city...
(Serrai) and others. In the Macedonian film of 1878 during the Treaty of San Stefano
Treaty of San Stefano
The Preliminary Treaty of San Stefano was a treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire signed at the end of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78...
, the same form of Nymfaio belonged to the gunman Vassilikos Zourkas which headed to the areas of Varnounta and Morihovo and made important benefits, between thest split Mihas Tsirlis.
Modern Nymfaio
Nymfai remains in a forested area and features stone sidewalks and stone built houses. The later years with the contributions of famous people which descended from the village, as the president Nikolaos Mertzos and the Boutaris family have become an attraction for local tourism.The area features an organization known as Arktouros which manages an environmental protection center for brown bears and wolves one and a half kilometre from the village. The center is home to 13 bears along with bear trainers and zoo. The center is also home to several wolves - animals wbich were thought to be too weak to survive in the natural environment. The information centre is open to the public (with a ticket) for several months of the year.
The area has many new visitos, as it was under appreciated in the past. The village is home to the war-torn battlefield of Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
, as well as an old school, the Nikeios Skoli. The school was a gift from Nymfaioti Ioanni Jean Nikou (1875–1930). He was a student for many years, and eventually completed his education at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki.
Nymfaio is 7–8 km away from the main road, located in the town of Aetos
Aetos, Florina
Aetos is a village and a former municipality in Florina peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amyntaio, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 18 km southeast of Florina...
; the road was not paved until the 1950s.
A street in the city of Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
is named after the village (Neveska) in gratitude to the village's prominent role in the Ilinden Uprising of 1903.
External links
- A photographic council with a Creative Commons licence Νυμφαίο