By Nicolas Bard

At an altitude of 535 meters, the city of Grevena is built amidst the imposing massifs of Pindos.

In 2007 it was officially proclaimed as the “city of mushrooms”, and there are 12,293 permanent residents there. The opening of the Egnatia Road was saving, as it facilitated travel to and from Thessaloniki and Ioannina, but the area still remains in “obscurity” and is known only for the Pindos National Park and the protected Valia Calda.

Grevena is located in the southwestern part of Macedonia, in the western Basin of the Aliakmonas River, north of its largest tributary, Venice. Today’s city was built right next to the sites of two ancient – Roman settlements, one of which was located west, and the other east of the last houses of the city. Also, on the hill of “Tuba”, about 3 kilometers north of Grevena, remains of another ancient settlement, dating from prehistoric to Roman times, were found. Part of ancient Elimia, the cradle of the Dorians and part of ancient Macedonia, Grevena have a long history and have influenced both Macedonia and Epirus and Thessaly, while the region deleted a creative course of intense cultural and historical life.

City name may be of Latin origin, from the word graviswhich means difficult, sharp or rough. But another version, which is the dominant one, wants the name to come from the Vlach words grovinum and grovina, which means riverbed, with sandball and mud. In various written and historical sources the name of Grevena appears with more than six variants! In 1922, after the Asia Minor disaster, they settled in the wider area of ​​Grevena Asia Minor and Thracian refugees.

In Grevena there are two large central squares, Emilianou Square with the cannons and his square Clockand between them are joined by a pedestrian street. The protagonists are of course the mushrooms, which the pioneer researcher George Konstantinidis put in the life of Grevena. There you will find mushrooms scattering all over the city, a restaurant dedicated to mushrooms, while residents are fully familiar with mushroom sports and have opened many shops that sell very good mushrooms dried, as well as various freaks, and various pastries!

About 35 kilometers south of the city, on the border with the prefecture of Ioannina, is the great National Park of Pindos, also known as Valia Calda, which means “warm valley” in Vlachika. The total area of ​​the park is 68,990 acres and includes the valley of Valia Calda and Arkoudorema, as well as the mountains of Ligos and Mavrovouni. Characteristic of the area are morphological contrasts, with steep cliffs and rushing torrents, and of course the dense and rich forests extending along the mountain peaks.

This Park is one of the most important and virgins in our country, and is an important habitat for the brown bear, wildcat and wild boar. In this area they resort to the most important species of Greek fauna and many travelers visit it to admire the splendor of nature and wildlife.