Papagiannis, Florina

Papagiannis Popozani Παπαγιάννης Ποπόζανη
Community
View of the village in 1917
Papagiannis Popozani
Coordinates: 40°50.30′N 21°29.88′E
Country	Greece
Geographic region	Macedonia
Administrative region	Western Macedonia
Regional unit	Florina
Municipality	Florina
Municipal unit	Meliti
Population  (2021)[1]
• Community	426
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Papagiannis (Greek: Παπαγιάννης, before 1928: Ποπόζιανη – Popoziani, alternative old name: Βακούφκιοϊ – Vakoufkioi;[2] Macedonian and Bulgarian: Пополжани, Popolžani), is a village in the Florina regional unit, Western Macedonia, Greece.

Demographics

The 1920 Greek census recorded 750 people in Popoziani.[3] In 1928, the Greek census recorded 930 village inhabitants.[3] Following the Greek–Turkish population exchange, Greek refugee families in Popoziani numbered 7 (31 people) in 1928.[3]

Papagiannis had 915 inhabitants in 1981.[4] In fieldwork done by anthropologist Riki Van Boeschoten in late 1993, Papagiannis was populated by Slavophones.[4] The Macedonian language was spoken in the village by people over 30 in public and private settings.[4] Children understood the language, but mostly did not use it.[4]

According to the 2021 census the village had 426 inhabitants.[1]

Notable people

• Trayan Stelovski (1920–1946) – fighter and activist of the National Liberation Front (NOF), perished with 4 others in a battle against the Greek army on 2 July 1946.
• Zhivko Popov (d. 1946) – fighter and activist of NOF, during the Greek Civil War he was betrayed and encircled by the Greek army, losing his life in a burning barn.

• 
  Stefan Skenderov
  (b. 1855) Exarchate priest and president of the village's IMRO committee. Murdered by the Greek guerrilla band of Captain Vardas.
• 
  Mitsko Solakov (1890 - 1928), prominent activist and member of the IMRO in the Florina and Bitola regions.

References

1. "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
2. Institute for Neohellenic Research. "Name Changes of Settlements in Greece: Popoziani – Papagiannis". Pandektis. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
3. Pelagidis, Efstathios (1992). Η αποκατάσταση των προσφύγων στη Δυτική Μακεδονία (1923–1930) [The rehabilitation of refugees in Western Macedonia: 1923–1930] (Ph.D.) (in Greek). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. p. 75. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
4. Van Boeschoten, Riki (2001). "Usage des langues minoritaires dans les départements de Florina et d'Aridea (Macédoine)" [Use of minority languages in the departments of Florina and Aridea (Macedonia)]. Strates (in French). 10. Table 3: Papayiannis, 915; S, M2; S = Slavophones, M = macédonien"