Kaloskopi (, before 1927: Κουκουβίστα - Koukouvista) is a mountain village in the municipal unit of Gravia, northeastern Phocis, Greece. It is situated in the northeastern foothills of Mount Giona, 8 km west of Kastellia and 19 km north of Amfissa. In 2011 its population was 358.
Population
Location
The village is located in the middle of a dense fir forest, while on the south side it seems that the forest of the hill of Lyritsa with the plane trees, walnuts, oaks, cherries and apple trees completes the green landscape. Nestled at the foot of Gkiona, the village is surrounded by Mount Kallidromo in the east, Vardousia in the west, Oiti in the north and Parnassos in the south. Kaloskopi has plenty of spring water that overflows the stone-curved founts and irrigates the gardens of the houses.
Kaloskopi can be accessed by road from the 200th kilometer of the New Athens-Lamia National Highway at the exit of Thermopylae, by train from the station of Bralos and then by taxi or bus only from Amfissa and Lamia.
History
7th Century - 14th Century
The original name of Kaloskopi was Koukouvista, a name that is Slavic and means "Cuckoo's Nest" because it was located in the dense spine on the mountain slope of the highest ridge. The first settlement of Kaloskopi occurred in the 7th century, when the Slavic tribes descended into the Greek territory. As a result, the indigenous population moved to Kaloskopi where nomadic settlements already existed, in order to protect themselves from invaders. The middle of the 14th century was followed by the descent of the Serbs. The name Koukouvista was given during the first or second Slavic invasion.
1450-1800
The first houses of the village were built in the area of Ai Nikolas, where you can currently find vineyards, and they were huts covered with clay. According to the Ottoman census of 1456, 78 hearths were recorded in Koukouvista. There is also another reference to Koukouvista that was made in 1704, when there was a dispute between the people of Koukouvista and the people of Segditsa regarding the ownership of the meadow of the Gkiona saddle mountain. The Ottoman judges sided with the people of Koukouvista and finally gave them the ownership of the pasture of the Giona saddle mountain. In 1750, an unknown but serious epidemic broke out and it almost decimated the population.
1800-1900
Puckeville, the French traveller, stated in his book Travels in Greece (1820) that Koukouvista had 75 families. During the Greek Revolution of 1821, the contribution of Koukouvista was important to fighters, with Papandrias (Papandreas Moris) being the one who led the way fighting next to Athanasios Diakos in the Battle of Alamana and Odysseas Androutsos at the Hani of Gravia who participated in the battle of Vassilika, Fthiotida. In the area of Koukouvista called Polemistra, the militants fortified themselves with Papandrias and the Kontogiannis and set up an ambush on the Turks who had earlier burned the huts of the people of Koukouvista. At the area of Koukouvista called Mnemata, people of Dermissa, Agoriani and Koukouvista, led by Gouras and Papandrias, clashed with the Turks, defeated them and buried the dead there. Then, at the Traka site, Komnas Trakas destroyed the enemy remnants who tried to escape.
1900-2020
In 1927, owing to the law on the change of Slavic local names, the name Koukouvista was changed to Kaloskopi, as had been suggested by the teacher Giannis Laiou. The name Kaloskopi has to do with the Good View of the village and because of this view the place is often referred to as "the Balcony of Giona".
Kaloskopi was badly damaged during the German occupation. The contribution of the village to the resistance struggle is worth mentioning, as well as the large number of fighters that died during that period. On August 15, 1942 in Kaloskopi, Aris Velouchiotis took an oath with Papamiltos in the ELAS team. Kaloskopi came against the conquerors in frequent raids and bombings and it was a Martyr village. The village was burned down twice in the same year by the German occupiers, at Easter and in August 1944. The ensuing civil war also left its mark on Kaloskopi. The inhabitants were displaced for three years, while in October 1947 a clash took place in the village between sections of the Democratic Army of Greece and the Mountain Commando Unit. At that time, many locals emigrated abroad (America, Australia) or to large urban centers (Athens, Lamia, Thessaloniki) in search of better living conditions.