Bizani


Bizani is a village and a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ioannina, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 91.372 km2, the community 11.660 km2. In 2011 its population was 5,124. The seat of the municipality was in Pedini. The municipal unit is situated in the plains and low hills south and southwest of Ioannina. The Greek National Road 5, the Greek National Road 17 and the Egnatia Odos motorway pass through the municipal unit.

Subdivisions

The municipalunit Bizani is subdivided into the following communities :
YearPopulation
19913,052
20014,241
20115,124

History

Bizani was the location of the Battle of Bizani that took place in February 1913 as part of the Balkan Wars as the last stronghold for Ioannina and the remainder of Epirus before ending almost five centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule.
The village and former municipality, gets its name from the nearby fort built by the Ottoman Empire which in turn may have been inspired by the nearby mountain range. Fort Bezhani, as referenced by some groups like the US Congress Committee on Military Affairs, is known in Greek as "Bizani". It was the key fort protecting the city of Ioannina, most likely taking its name from the mountain range that dominates the area and was an important part of the Battle of Bizani