byzantine watermills

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Just a 5 minute car ride from my house, lies one of Thessaloniki’s treasures that few people even know about. It is the archeological park of byzantine watermills in the area of Polichni. In the past people would come here for small getaways, as the area was remarkably beautiful (water, trees, fauna and flaura at their best).  Today five watermills and a press have been saved and they have been named “monuments of the byzantine and post-byzantine era”.

The watermills are part of a 12-watermill system that was developed in byzantine times along the stream, which sprang from mountain Hortiatis and ended up in Thermaikos gulf. In 1996 the municipality of Polichni began efforts to upgrade the area, which was filled with waste over the years, aiming to turn it into an urban park with an archeological and a cultural character.

The stream has water all year round depending on the season and the quantity of rain. The natural vegetation is varied and rich. According to a study that was made by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, there is a habitat for rare species with over 194 different native plants.

Source: Skepseis and Parallaxi