Antiquity Antiquities from the prehistoric to the Byzantine period have been unearthed in many sectors of the city. In the east part of Kozani, an ancient
necropolis has been found, dating to the early
Iron Age. During
Philip II of Macedon's reign, the region was named
Elimeia, which was part of
Upper Macedonia and probably in the same place there was a town named Tyrissa (Greek: Τύρισσα). In the south-west of the modern city, on Siopoto hill, there was a settlement named
Kalyvia, between 1100 and 1300, traces of which are still preserved.
Ottoman period Kozani was probably founded by Christian settlers who, after the
Ottoman conquest, withdrew from the plains of
Macedonia into the mountains, during the 14th and 15th centuries. Its secure position soon attracted other
Christians expelled from
Epirus, in 1392. Together with the settlers from Epirus, many cattle-breeders moved in the region. The first recorded mention of Kozani is in an Ottoman register of 1528, as a settlement with 91 houses, 23 singles and 15 widows. In the Ottoman
tahrir defter (number 167) of 1530, the settlement is recorded as a village with the name , and was within the
kaza of
Serfice. One of the most important colonizers of Kozani was the chief shepherd Ioannis Trantas, who settled about 100 families. His son, Charisios Trantas, managed to obtain a Sultan's
firman in 1664, according to the terms of which the town came under the protection of the Sultan's mother, was endowed with many privileges, and became forbidden for the Turks to settle in. (
Mamatsios), landmark of the city, in 1916. In 1664, the magnificent
church of (St. Nicholas Cathedral) was built. In 1668, the
library and the famous school of Kozani were founded. During the 17th and 18th century, commercial relations with the countries of
central Europe gave the opportunity for the city to flourish economically. During the 19th century, as foreign travellers relate, the population of the town was
Greek, and was growing. The town's growth was disrupted in 1770, because of conflict that erupted between Kozani's local inhabitants and Kozanite merchants in central Europe, who contributed to the town's prosperity; even more catastrophically, the city was pillaged by
Turkish beys in 1770. A subsequent incursion by Arslan Bey, in 1830, ravaged the city immensely. In 1855 next to St. Nicholas Church a 26 meters high bell tower was built, which would become the symbol of the city. In 1939, a clock was added to the top of the tower, donated by Greek-American, Konstantinos Mamatsios. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Kozani was part of the
Manastir Vilayet of the
Ottoman Empire. In the
1881–1893 census, the
kaza of had a total population of 27,652; consisting of 15,017 Muslims, 12,633
Greek Orthodox, and two
Armenians. According to the 1904 population census of the
Greek Kingdom's consulate, 12,000
Greeks and 350
Aromanians were living in Kozani at the time.
Balkan wars The
Greek army entered Kozani on 11 October 1912, during the
First Balkan War, after its victory against the Ottoman army in the
Battle of Sarantaporo. By this time, the population of the town was 12,000
Orthodox Greeks. In 1923, during the
population exchange between Greece and Turkey, about 1,400 Greek families from
Pontus and
Asia Minor were settled in Kozani.
Modern times during WWII In the 20th century, the city grew tremendously, as lignite reserves in the area started being used by the
Public Power Corporation, making Kozani the foremost producer of electrical power in Greece. An
earthquake that occurred in the region on 13 May 1995, with a magnitude of 6.6 on the
Richter scale, caused only property damage. The city now combines modern with old architecture. Some magnificent buildings are the clock tower, the town hall, the
folklore museum, the "Valtadoreio"
Gymnasium, the
National Bank of Greece building, the "Ermioneion" Hotel and the mansions of
Georgios Lassanis and
Grigorios Vourkas. The Municipal Library of Kozani called "Kovendareios" is the second biggest in Greece, and it has 150,000 books, rare publications, valuable documents, and one of the rare copies of
Rigas Feraios' charter. For this reason Kozani was included in the National Cultural Network of Cities with object the promotion of the Book and Reading. The Institute of Book and Reading was established and Kozani is now known as
City of Books. Kozani is the administrative, commercial, economic, and transport centre of the region of
West Macedonia. ==Economy==