Kastoria is a town situated in the mountains, by the beautiful Lake Orestiada. It occupies its coastal part and a narrow peninsula that cuts into the water. It is known for its picturesque old town with numerous monuments from the Byzantine period and the possibility of practicing water sports.
Thanks to archaeological excavations, it is known that the first people in the vicinity of today's Kastoria appeared around 5500 BC. They lived in houses on stilts in the waters of the lake. A short distance from the city today, you can see the archaeological park of Dispilio, where the appearance of such a settlement has been recreated.
The ancient history of Kastoria begins in the 9th century BC. The city was under Macedonian rule and was a center of trade and craftsmanship. In its place in the Byzantine times a fortress and the old town of Kastoria were erected. Several churches from the 10th to the 14th centuries have survived to this day, the most important of which is the church of St. Kosma and Damian, the Church of St. Stephen, the Church of Our Lady, where paintings from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries adorn both the interior and exterior walls, and the Mavriotissa monastery by the lake. Valuable Byzantine monuments can be seen in the Byzantine Museum.
In the modern era, Kastoria was known for the production of fur. This industry began to decline only at the end of the 20th century. These traditions are reminded by the Ethnographic Museum with a collection devoted to furrier making, located in the home of one of the most important 17th fur traders.
The attraction of Kastoria is its location on Lake Orestiada. In summer, you can practice water sports here, and the promenade allows for long walks with beautiful views of the surrounding area. In the vicinity of the city, there is also the Dragon's Cave, known for its nice dripstones and underground lakes.
