Kastoria in the context of "New Democracy (Greece)"

Andrea II Muzaka (c. 1318–1372), or Andrew II, was an Albanian nobleman of the Muzaka family and the ruler of the Principality of Muzaka in the 14th century. He inherited the principality from his father, Teodor I Muzaka, who died around 1331. Andrea II is known for having expanded the Principality of Muzaka to its greatest extent, from the southern Adriatic coastline of Albania in the west to Kastoria in the east by the time of his death in 1372.

He was recognised as Despot of the Kingdom of Albania and as Marshal of Albania by the Angevin Kingdom of Albania in 1336-37. In the next decade, he led the resistance against the Serbian invasions of Albania, and after the fall of the Serbian Empire, he regained his former territories and began to expand again. During his wars against the Serbian successor states, Andrea II succeeded in defeating both Vukašin of Serbia and his son, Prince Marko, solidifying his family's principality. He was recognized as Despot of Epirus by the Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos for his victories against the Serbians.

Kastoria (Greek: Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Καστοριάς, Perifereiakí Enótita Kastoriás) is one of the 74 regional units of Greece and is part of the region of Western Macedonia. Its capital is the homonymous city of Kastoria.

The Vilayet of Janina, Yanya or Ioannina (Ottoman Turkish: ولايت يانیه, romanized: Vilâyet-i Yanya) was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, established in 1867. In the late 19th century, it reportedly had an area of 18,320 square kilometres (7,070 sq mi). It was created by merging the Pashalik of Yanina and the Pashalik of Berat with the sanjaks of Janina, Berat, Ergiri, Preveze, Tırhala and Kesriye. Kesriye was later demoted to kaza and bounded to Monastir Vilayet and Tırhala was given to Greece in 1881. With the end of the Ottoman rule, the southern area of the vilayed became part of Greece and its northern area became part of Albania.

The Kostur dialect (Macedonian: Костурски дијалект, Kosturski dijalekt) is a member of the Southwestern subgroup of the Southeastern group of dialects of the Macedonian language. This dialect is mainly spoken in and around the town of Kastoria, known locally in Macedonian as Kostur, and in the surrounding Korešta region, (Macedonian: Корешта; in the Kostur dialect: Korèshcha/Корèшча) which encompasses most of the area to the northwest of the town. The Kostur dialect is also partially spoken in Albania, most notably in Bilisht and the village of Vërnik (Vrabnik). The dialect is partially preserved among the ″people of Bulgarian origin in Mustafapaşa and Cemilköy, Turkey, descending from the village of Agios Antonios (Zhèrveni) in Kostur region (Aegean Macedonia)″.

The Kostur dialect shares strong similarities with the Nestram-Kostenar dialect and the Korča dialect. Bulgarian linguist Stoyko Stoykov regarded the Nestram dialect as a subgroup of the Kostur dialect, part of Bulgarian dialects. Other Bulgarian linguists also regard the dialect as a Bulgarian dialect.

David (Church Slavonic: Даві́дъ Bulgarian: Давид; died 976) was a Bulgarian noble, brother of Emperor Samuel and eldest son of komes Nicholas, member of the Cometopuli dynasty. After the disastrous invasion of Rus' armies and the fall of North-eastern Bulgaria under Byzantine occupation in 971, he and his three younger brothers took the lead of the defence of the country. They executed their power together and each of them governed and defended a separate region. He ruled the southernmost parts of the realm from Prespa and Kastoria and was responsible for the defence the dangerous borders with Thessalonica and Thessaly. In 976 he participated in the major assault against the Byzantine Empire but was killed by vagrant Vlachs between Prespa and Kostur.

Chasia (Greek: Χάσια) is a forested mountain range in the northern Trikala (Thessaly) and the southern Grevena (Western Macedonia) regional units, northern Greece. It is an eastern extension of the Pindus mountain range. The elevation of its highest peak, Kratsovo, is 1,564 m (5,131 ft). It stretches from the village Korydallos in the west to Kerasoula in the east, over a length of about 35 km (22 mi). The nearest mountains are the Antichasia to the south, the Kamvounia to the northeast and the Lygkos (northern Pindus) to the west. It is drained by tributaries of the Aliakmonas to the north, and by the Pineios and its tributary Mourgkani to the south.

Two municipal units were named after the mountains: Chasia, Grevena and Chasia, Trikala. Villages in the Chasia mountains include Kakoplevri and Oxyneia in the west, Agiofyllo, Trikokkia and Achladea Skiti in the central part and Asprokklisia and Kerasoula in the east. The A2 Egnatia Odos motorway (Igoumenitsa - Ioannina - Kozani - Thessaloniki) runs west of the mountains, and the Greek National Road 15 (Kalambaka - Grevena - Kastoria) passes through the central part of the mountains.

Nestorio (Greek: Νεστόριο, Nestório; Macedonian: Нестрам and Bulgarian: Нестрам, Nestram or Нѐсрам, Nésram) is a village and a municipality in the Kastoria regional unit of Western Macedonia, Greece. Nestorio is approximately 28 km (17 mi) southwest of Kastoria, at the banks of the river Aliakmon.

The University of Western Macedonia (UoWM; Greek: Πανεπιστήμιο Δυτικής Μακεδονίας) is a multi-campus university in Western Macedonia region of Greece. It was founded in Kozani in 2003 (Presidential Decree 92/11-4-2003). The University of Western Macedonia (UoWM) operates with 7 Schools and 22 Departments, located in 5 cities (Kozani, Florina, Kastoria, Ptolemaida, Grevena) in the Region of Western Macedonia.