Western Macedonia is one of Greece’s poorest and least visited regions. Located in the north of the country, between Epeiros, Thessaly, and Central Macedonia, it is a wild and beautiful place, defined by mountains and upland plateaus, lakes and rivers, forests and fields. Despite being the energy centre of Greece, with lignite mines feeding numerous power stations, it remains largely underdeveloped and underappreciated. Yet things might be about to change. This year the Greek Ministry of Tourism has announced promoting Western Macedonia as a key priority, while the region’s local authority has launched a new plan to boost visitor numbers. Western Macedonia looks set to step into the limelight at last. For those willing to venture away from Greece’s premier sites, they will find a region as rich in history and culture as anywhere else in the country. Each of the four regional units – Kozani, Grevena, Kastoria, and Florina – has something different to offer, making it ideal for a clockwise round-trip.
The Egnatia motorway (or E90) now provides the quickest and easiest access to Western Macedonia. After travelling westwards from Thessaloniki, the road begins to rise steeply at the pretty town of Veroia, situated on the flanks of Mount Vermion. The rich agricultural plains of the lowlands vanish in the rear-view mirror. The Haliakmon, one of the great rivers of northern Greece, begins to fall away by the roadside, sinking into its rocky gorge. Across the waters, constellations of white houses can be seen gathered around the slopes of Mount Pieria, with folds of emerald-green pine forest shimmering in the distance. A series of tunnels mark the road’s upwards passage. Ears begin to pop with the change in altitude. Emerging from the dark for the final time, the curtain rises on Western Macedonia. There is open space, light, and crystalline air. The land lies flat, patterned with fields, and surrounded by a grandstand of grey mountains. To the north, the massive Ptolemaida power station ejects a column of steam into a sky steeped in blue. This region – known as Upper Macedonia in antiquity – was also an ancient powerhouse, producing fine horses and even finer fighters. In the early 350s BC, Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, managed to reunify the region under his rule. The formerly independent cantons of Elimeia, Tymphaia, Orestis, and Lynkestis (roughly equivalent to Kozani, Grevena, Kastoria, and Florina) were joined to his lowland kingdom, nearly doubling its size. The addition of highland battalions and a superb cavalry squadron to the army helped drive his success on the battlefield. Alexander too would come to rely on the competence of many friends and generals from this area. Men such as Harpalos of Elimeia, Polyperchon of Tymphaia, Perdikkas and Krateros of Orestis, Leonnatos of Lynkestis, and Ptolemy of Eordaia (this last being another canton situated at the juncture of upper and lower Macedonia). They shared in Alexander’s ambitious designs, contributed to his astonishing success, and turned on each other as soon as he was dead. This region also played a key role in myth and legend. It was regarded as the cradle of the Macedonian people, and this heritage may be echoed in the etymology of the word ‘Macedonian’. It can be translated as ‘highlander’.
Kozani
The archaeological exploration of Western Macedonia has lagged behind the coastal lowlands, but the past 40 years have seen huge advances and there are now many ancient sites to visit. Foremost among them is Aiani, capital of ancient Elimeia in Kozani. Located on a rocky hill, overlooking the Haliakmon and its dam-swollen waters, the site occupies a commanding position. The visitor’s path corkscrews up around the hill, passing numerous ancient private properties along the way. They have been named after the prevalence of certain finds or features discovered within them: House with the Staircases, House with the Pithoi (storage jars), and House with the Loom Weights. Three sets of public buildings have been unearthed on the upper terraces. The so-called ‘Building with the Stoa’ may have formed part of the agora or royal complex. The ‘Excavation of the Ashlar Masonry’ consists of a number of rectangular rooms, which probably housed workshops. These buildings have been dated to the 6th-5th centuries BC and are among the earliest examples of monumental public architecture found in Macedonia.
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