Fortress town of Osdina opens to public

The abandoned fortress-town of Ouzdina, that is built on a hill over the exit of Kalamas river canyon, was restored and constitutes an example of a settlement that survived through the centuries and keeps architectural remnants of the classical-Hellenistic up to post-Byzantine period. The settlement is densely built with narrow and cobblestone streets.
The houses are made of dry-stone with many rooms and most of them have two floors. A 450m fortress wall encloses protects the settlement from north, south and the east side while the west side is protected by a natural rock.
The fortification was constructed in three periods at least. On the top of the hill is, probably, the acropolis. At this point was the ancient settlement's main entrance gate which was fortified in Byzantine times with a strong tower.
Tradition says that ten churches existed in Ouzdina. Today we can see eight churches and a skete (hermitage).
The name of the settlement may derive from the old Slavic ozdbna that means furnace for cereals drying. Today, the specific name is observed in many different versions and is met outside the Greek territory as Uzdin in Serbia, and Oyzdino in Fyrom. However, British scholar of ancient Greece Nicholas Hammond identifies the name Ouzdina with Ophtini of ancient springs. The settlement flourished possibly during the post-Byzantine period and mostly in the first years of the Ottoman rule. Osdina was abandoned, for unknown reason, in the first half of the 18th century.