The mansions of the wealthy fur merchants of the city constitute the most important architectural element of old Kastoria, and an indelible sign of the city’s prosperity. They are mainly located at the districts Apozari and Doltso and most of them were built during the 17th and the 18th century, when the fur merchants turned wholeheartedly to the markets all over the world.
The mansions usually had three or four floors, possess internal yards and were protected by tall stone fences and windows with bars. On the lower floors there were usually storage areas, as well as a fur workshop. Their interior decoration is also impressive with the wall paintings and the elaborate woodworks on the ceilings and fireplaces.
The people who constructed them were stone craftsmen usually from Epirus and to a lesser extend Macedonia, who travelled the entire Balkan peninsula in order to find work. The Nerantzis-Aivantzis mansion houses today the Folklore Museum of Kastoria.
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Address: Kapetan Lazou 10 52100
