The Tsiatsiapas Mansion: A window into 18th-century Kastoria

The Tsiatsiapas Mansion, built in 1754 in the Apozari district of Kastoria, is not simply a beautiful house. It is an entire world, preserving the history of an era that shaped the city. There are walls painted from end to end, with cities that look real but are not… with roosters, dragons and other curious symbols. There are coloured skylights and carved wooden decoration, all features that define the mansion’s splendour. But how did this splendour reach its owners? How did 18th-century trade, and fur in particular, become their ticket to Europe, bringing back elements of Baroque and Rococo style in woodcarvings and wall paintings? Entering the Tsiatsiapas Mansion of Kastoria, we look for the traces of a time that made this lakeside city in northern Greece renowned in the capitals of Europe.