The martyred village of Katafygi in Velvento Kozani, which was burned on December 20, 1943 by Nazi troops, but also the homeland of Alexis Zorbas, remains blocked due to precipitation since July 2020.

The five permanent residents of the village are forced to use two dirt roads in order to move around, but in the summer months, when the population increases, reaching even 1,000 people, access is impossible.

The mayor of Velventos Kozani, Manolis Stergios, speaking to protothema.gr, pointed out that the previous Regional Authority of Mr. Kasapidis, although he had declared the village in a state of emergency after the bad weather “Diomedes” in 2022, did not take any action to restore the road network, despite the constant pleas and requests of the mayor.

“In 2007 we paved the road because until then it was a dirt road. In 2010 at one point there was a landslide and the road was closed. In 2011 the municipality of Velventos was abolished and became a Kallikratic municipality. However, in 2017 the damage was repaired and the road was opened.

In 2020 a natural disaster caused landslides and the road was closed. Since then we have made efforts to convince the old district manager to do some work.

Shortly before his term expired and while he was not elected he put out an appropriation and now we are with the new Regional Authority at the point where we are going out to bid.

We hope by the summer to have the project done.”

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Stergios explained that at the moment access to Katafygi is by two dirt roads where one passes through the settlement of Agia Kyriaki and the other through Elatochori.

“The road needs to be fixed immediately.

What will happen in a fire. In 2020, when the village was blocked by snow, a helicopter came to evacuate the residents.”

Katafyio or Katafygi is the birthplace of Kazantzakis’ hero Alexis Zorbas, whose name was George Zorbas.

In the village, the plot of his house is also preserved, on the ruins of which a house has been built, and according to the mayor of Velventos, the purpose is to build and operate a Folklore Museum.