Makrochori

This article is about the village of Western Macedonia in Greece. For the village on the outskirts of Istanbul, see Bakırköy.

Makrochori (Greek: Μακροχώρι, before 1928: Κωνομπλάτη – Konomplati;^[2] Bulgarian and Macedonian: Кономлади, Konomladi), is a village of Kastoria regional unit in Western Macedonia, Greece.^[3]

Makrochori
Community
Makrochori
Coordinates: 40°40′24″N 21°15′48″E
Country	Greece
Geographic region	Macedonia
Administrative region	Western Macedonia
Regional unit	Kastoria
Municipality	Kastoria
Municipal unit	Korestia
Elevation	930 m (3,050 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Community	93
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

History

According to a local legend, the village was founded by three brothers who fled from the Ottoman Turks in the village of Tser.

The castle of Makrochori is located 4 km west of the village, is considered a large organized facility. The settlement developed on the bank of the present river Livadopotamos [el], reaches up to a point, its citadel, and hosted an important mining center of Orestis since in many places volumes of iron ore were found.^[4]

A village in Petrich Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria, is named Novo Konomladi (Bulgarian: Ново Кономлади, "New Konomladi"). This is because it was mostly populated by Bulgarian refugees from Makrochori who moved to Bulgaria after the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913.^[5]

The 1920 Greek census recorded 1,031 people in the village and the 1928 Greek census recorded 802 inhabitants.^[6] Following the Greek–Turkish population exchange, Greek refugee families in Konomplati numbered 2 (11 people) in 1928.^[6]

In 1945, Greek Foreign Minister Ioannis Politis ordered the compilation of demographic data regarding the Prefecture of Kastoria.^[7] The village Makrochori had a total of 1,031 inhabitants, and was populated by 1,000 Slavophones with a Bulgarian national consciousness.^[8]

Νotable natives

• Mitre the Vlach (1873–1907), Aromanian IMARO revolutionary
• Stoyan Christowe (1898–1995), American writer
• Nikos Gioutsos (1942–2023), Greek football striker^[9][10]

References

1. "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
2. Institute for Neohellenic Research. "Name Changes of Settlements in Greece: Konomplati – Makrochori". Pandektis. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
3. "Μακροχώρι ΚΑΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ, Δήμος ΚΑΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ | buk.gr". buk.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2021-12-12.
4. "Τυρρηνοί: Κάστρα φρούρια και ακροπόλεις της Π.Ε. Καστοριάς (του Σταύρου Π. Καπλάνογλου)". OlaDeka (in Greek). 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
5. Balkansko ezikoznanie. Vol. 36. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. 1993. p. 46. ... by the new settlers of Novo Konomladi, the region of Blagoevgrad, who moved from Konomladi, the region of Kostur...
6. Pelagidis, Efstathios (1992). Η αποκατάσταση των προσφύγων στη Δυτική Μακεδονία (1923–1930) [The rehabilitation of refugees in Western Macedonia: 1923–1930] (Ph.D.) (in Greek). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. p. 77. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
7. Alvanos 2005, p. 518.
8. Alvanos, Raymondos (2005). Κοινωνικές συγκρούσεις και πολιτικές συμπεριφορές στην περιοχή της Καστοριάς (1922–1949) [Social conflicts and political behaviors in the area of Kastoria (1922–1949)] (Ph.D.) (in Greek). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. p. 516. Retrieved 16 June 2024. "Μακροχώριον, Πληθυσμός: 1031, Σλαυόφωνοι: 1000, Συνείδησις Βουλγαρική: ναι"
9. ""Έμπαινε Γιούτσο". Πώς ο Ολυμπιακός τον "έκλεψε" από την ΑΕΚ, με τη βοήθεια του Μανώλη Γλέζου. Αρνήθηκε να παίξει στην Εθνική Ουγγαρίας". ΜΗΧΑΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ (in Greek). 2018-01-09. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
10. "Ουγγαρία, ούζο, Ολυμπιακός: "Έμπαινε Γιούτσο, έμπαινε"". Sport-Retro.gr (in Greek). 2018-04-15. Retrieved 2021-12-12.