Ioannina


Ioannina, also known as Ioannina or Giannina, is the capital and largest city of the prefecture of Ioannina and Epirus, with a population of 65,574 inhabitants for the city and 111,740 inhabitants for the expanded Municipality of Ioannina (2011). Ioannina is included in the Municipality of Ioannina, which includes the neighboring villages. The inhabitant is called Ioannitis, Ioannitissa, or, in common, Gianiotis and Gianiotissa. Ioannina is located in the north-western part of mainland Greece, in the center of the homonymous basin. It is one of the largest cities in Greece with a rich cultural tradition and modern development enterprises. Ioannina is home to the University of Ioannina, with 14 departments and over 20,000 students. Ioannina also hosts departments of TEI of Epirus, based in Arta. Among the diverse geographic features of the area, Lake Pamvotis, which lies adjacent to the city, is a special place. There are two hospitals in the city, the General State Hatzikosta and the University District Durout, which receive patients from the whole county.
It is worth mentioning the islet of the lake (island of Ioannina), in which there is a small settlement and various monuments and sights, such as the last residence of Ali Pasha. There are also six monasteries, the oldest of Agios Nikolaos (Dilios) or Stratopoulos of the 11th century, Agios Nikolaos (Spanos) or Philanthropins from 1292 AD, Agios Ioannis Prodromos (1506 AD), Eleoussis (1570 AD), St. Panteleimon (17th century) and the Transfiguration of the Savior (1851 AD). In the monastery of Agios Nikolaos (Spanos) or Philanthropins, the scholar Alexios Spanos, the Proklos and Komnenos monks and the brothers Apsarades, Theophanis and Nektarios taught during the Ottoman rule. Three kilometers from the city of Ioannina lies the cave Perama of Ioannina, about 830 meters long and about 14400 sq.m. The cave was discovered by residents of the city who tried to find shelter from the bombing of Italian airplanes in 1940. North of Ioannina, at a distance of some 50 kilometers, is the picturesque Konitsa and the Aoos river.
Ioannina has a wealth of attractions and museums, with the point that due to the city's traffic jams and the spatial fragmentation of the sights, the visitor finds it difficult to visit them all. The most notable attractions are:

  • Archaeological Museum of Ioannina, Litaritsia Square. It includes archaeological finds of all four provinces of Epirus. It was refurbished in 2008-2010 and has a high quality ergonomic arrangement of exhibits. With the establishment of the new archaeological museums of Arta, Nikopoli (Preveza) and Igoumenitsa, the question of the return of all exhibits of other Prefectures, except those of the prefecture of Ioannina, is now on the table.
  • Castle of Ioannina: It includes the Fetiche Mosque, Ali Pasha's tomb and the Byzantine Museum, as well as the silver-goldsmith's exhibition hall. The Fetish Mosque in the year 2012 is not visited. Its name means "Mosque of Conquest" and was built in 1430 on the ruins of a Byzantine temple. Originally it was wooden, but after 1611 it was rebuilt in stone. The final form was taken by Ali Pasha in 1795.The Byzantine Museum: It is housed in a building that was rebuilt in the ruins of the serpent Ali-Pasha, which was totally destroyed in 1870 by a fire. The Museum was inaugurated in 1995 to preserve the findings of the wider region of Epirus, which date back to the Early Christian, Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods. Besides the exhibition of its collections, the Museum is also a cultural center, since it hosts musical and theatrical events, periodical exhibitions, etc. Its collections include Early Christian and Byzantine sculptures, findings from Arta, ceramics, books, Christian icons and remarkable silverware collection.
  • Aslan Pasha Mosque (year 1618). Today it houses the Triple Municipal Museum. The Hellenic Department, the Jewish Department and the Muslim section. The Municipal Museum is housed in Aslan Tzami, located on the Acropolis of Ioannina within the Castle, built in 1618 by Aslan Pasha. The museum exhibits local costumes, woven, wood carvings, silversmiths and others, while the outstanding exhibit is the Georgian Karaiskakos Damascus sword. Also on the enclosure of the museum there are preserved tombs of eminent Turks, as well as the tomb of Aslan Pasha. Still outside the Museum are cannons and balls of that time.
  • The Phokouos Rapakousis Museum: It is located in the building of Temenos Aslan Pasha, on the northwestern citadel of the castle of Ioannina. The Municipality of Ioannina, with a mutual concession relationship between it and the collector, has been hosting the collection since 2000. It has thus incorporated it into its cultural potential and now operates alongside the Municipal Folklore & Ethnographic Museum, housed in Aslan Mosque. The entire collection includes 6,000 items, classified in four categories: Weapons with their accessories, jewelery of the 18th and 19th century, Miscellaneous, Ceramics (Islamic art, pottery art of the Greek area, Kanak Kale)
  • Ottoman Library, non-visiting abandoned building.
  • Hussein House Matei or House Despot. Today it is ruined.
  • Ottoman Mosque Veli Pasha
  • Museum of Pre-Revolutionary Period
  • Historic Center of Ioannina
  • Stoa Loulis: In this commercial center, the city's three religious nations, Christians, Jews and Muslims, coexisted for many years. Originally, the Lodge was a han and then turned into a shopping mall.

Best time to visit
It is famous for its tourism in winter without this meaning that you can not visit Ioannina and the summer months.
Weather
Ioannina is a Mediterranean climate that is tempered by altitude. Summer is warm and dry, while winter is wet and cooler than the seaside areas of Epirus. Ioannina is one of the most rainy cities in Greece (average annual rainfall: 1081.5mm - The highest recorded temperature is 42.4 ° C and the lowest -13 ° C.
Transportation
  • Urban Transport
  • Taxi
Know before visiting
Ioannina has a wealth of attractions and museums, with the point that due to the city's traffic jams and the spatial fragmentation of the sights, the visitor finds it difficult to visit them all.
Language
Greek
Currency
Euro(€)