6 Places Worth to See in Drama. 6 Places Worth to See in Drama. Agia Varvara Park, Lake of Kokkinogia, Mount of Menikio, Kefalari Sources of Drama, Nestos “The river of life”
Agia Varvara Park
A trademark of the city of Drama is Agia Varvara Park, which has been included in the 60 most beautiful parks of Europe, within the framework of the Culture 2000 program. It occupies an area of 6 acres in the heart of the city and has its name from the homonymous church of Agia Barbara, who is there. According to tradition, when the Turkish conquerors attempted to demolish it to build a mosque, the church was covered with water and thus rescued. The inhabitants believed it to be a miracle, and so far they honor Saint’s memory. Barbara on Dec. 4 by lighting candles on improvised boats floating on the lake, creating a stunning backdrop.
Lake of Kokkinogia
A huge road and about 15 km separate Prosotsani from Drama. Next to the town and on the way to Aggitis cave are Kokkinogeia. At the exit of the settlement and on the road is the artificial lake Kokkinogion. A beautiful water surface, with greenery, recreation areas, cafe, trees, birds and a lot of quiet. The place is idyllic for camping and picnicking and people honor the S / K and the holidays. You can combine your visit with the cave of Maara (Aggiti), the age-old Chestnut Forest of Mikropolis, the winery of Pavlidis and the wonderful microcosm of Menoiki.
Mount of Menikio
It is considered one of the most beautiful mountains in Macedonia, having been declared a “Monument of Nature”. It divides the prefectures of Drama – Serres. It is about 1.15 ΄ (120 km) from Xanthi. It has ideal moto-routes. You will start the tour immediately after Drama (towards Prosotsani) and going up to Kali Vrysi, overlooking the plain of Drama and the opposite peaks of Falakros.
South Menikio
You will move south, passing by the taverns of panoramic Kallithea, but also the unique beauty of the settlement Skopia, where you will discover one of the most beautiful villages, “balcony in Menikio”, with gurgling waters, winery, barbecue and plenty of grass. The descent will bring you to Alistrati, in the cool park – refreshment room with deer and shady trees, where you will gaze at the settlement. Outside the cave you will see the “Blue Waters” in the gorge of Aggiti, the mansion Voziki and you will eat well in the “Idonida Chora”. You will easily return to Drama following the E.O. coming from Serres.
North West
The second choice starts from Kali Vrisi and North West moves parallel to the foot of Menikio to Mikropolis. Next to the village is the KPE, the equestrian center and the age-old chestnut forest, with the chapel of Panagia Kastaniotissa becoming the focus of the big festival of the “Chestnut Festival” every October. On the way back to Drama you will definitely pass by the cave of Aggitis, the visitable winery Pavlidis and you will get noodles and sweets from the women’s cooperative in Kokkinogia.
Kefalari Sources of Drama
Between the road Drama-Kavala, is Kefalari-Drama with the beautiful river and the green vegetation with the plane trees. One of the most beautiful villages of the prefecture of Drama, with rich vegetation and many waters. Characteristic of the village is the river and the plane trees that surround it. In Kefalari there is a fish farm for trout production. On the mountain behind the village there are 4 chapels, in rich vegetation (of Agios Konstantinos and Eleni, Agios Nikolaos, Panagia and Profitis Ilias) which are surrounded by lush vegetation and flooded by many pilgrims on the days of the saints . Kefalari is famous for its springs and the quality of its drinking water. The water that gushes from the dozens of springs is abundant, as it supplies the entire city of Kavala and the area of Kalambaki. Finally, in the village there are remarkable taverns and cafes, where you enjoy the coolness, when they burn elsewhere!
Nestos “The river of life”
A water route of rare beauty and nature that reserves for the unprepared hiker (or traveler) unique emotions and experiences. Unprepared, because he had not realized that following the flow of the river either by car or by rail he would come in contact with the magic of nature in its purest form. In short, in the case of Nestos, it is the journey that matters, not the destination. The final destination of Nestos – and ours – where the river meets the sea forming a large Delta, is an area that is protected by any condition you can imagine: Ramsar, Natura 2000 and a lot more. Human intervention has left its mark here as well, but for a mysterious reason the area continues to remain enchanting.
With a total area of about five hundred thousand acres, the most important wetland in the country includes rich flora and fauna, sand dunes (sand hills), reeds, small ponds, wet meadows and the – also man-made – “Great Forest” (Kotza – Orman) ), to which birds and mammals seldom resort. An important part of the Delta fauna and one of the main attractions of nature lovers, is the Water Buffalo, a rare species of buffalo, which struggles to survive in its natural environment. The wetland formed in the Nestos Delta is inextricably linked to the mythical lagoon of Vistonida, whose wetland is also protected by the Ramsar Convention and is the ideal location to complete your trek. Serene images, which gather every year bird watchers from all over the world, who come to observe the migratory birds passing by the lake. In fact, the green carpet created by the plants that float on the surface of the lake, such as water lilies and water chestnuts, hosts the nests of rare birds, such as the mustache gull and the black gull.
Thesaurus and Platanovrisi Dams
The geographical locations of the dams are located in the north-northeast of Paranesti, from where there is the most convenient road access. The treasure of Thesaurus a high earthen dam with impenetrable clay core, started operating in 1997. Its height reaches 175 m., which makes it one of the highest dams in Europe. The artificial lake that is created penetrates the river valleys upstream of the dam to the Greek-Bulgarian border, holding a quantity of water of the order of 700,000,000 cubic meters. The dam of Platanovrisi has been built about 7.5 km (in a straight line – about 12 road kilometers) downstream and southeast of Thesaurus. It is a concrete dam and started operating in 1999. The artificial lake that is created holds a quantity of water of the order of 90,000,000 sq.m. The two dams complement each other as a single system. Specifically, in addition to the possibility of reusing the water released from the Thesaurus dam, there is a possibility of pumping water from the artificial lake of Platanovrisi to that of Thesaurus, a process that is usually repeated every 24 hours, during the night, using the excess load (reduced demand). The total generating power of the dams reaches 500 MW. An intergovernmental agreement has been reached with the Bulgarian side for the efficient operation of the dams, which has undertaken to allow the drainage of at least 29% of the river water into Greek territory.
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