Listed 12 sub titles with search on: Main pages for wider area of: "FLORINA Prefecture GREECE" .
AGIOS GERMANOS (Village) PRESPES
Tel: +30 23850 51419
Fax: +30 23850 51419
The most traditional village of the area, with houses built in the
local architectural style. The homonymous Byzantine church that formed the nucleus
of the present village dates to the beginning of the 11th c. It has very interesting
frescos painted in three different phases. Nearby, the aisle less church of Agios
Athanassios was built at the end of the 18th c. Beside the post office, there
is the Information Centre ready to help the visitors with useful information on
the area, bird watching sites, hikes and the restrictions imposed in the area.
There, one can also see permanent exhibitions about the cultural and environmental
aspects of the region. On the northeast of the village, there is the Agios Germanos
small river with falls and purling waters hosting the Trout Salmo trutta peristericus,
an endangered endemic subspecies. This species has extremeiy iow populations,
so fishing is not allowed in the area. One can also see the restored water mills
along the river. Following the paths, one can reach the impressive mixed fir-beech
forests,and the summits of Kitsevo or Despotiko (2,177m).The Sarakatsani, pastoralists
from Thessaly, have the tradition of bringing their herds to graze on these mountains
every year from May to October.
LEMOS (Village) PRESPES
Lemos, Presra's largest village with nearly 250 permanent inhabitants, is the
administrative centre of the area. The visitor may enjoy a splendid view of both
lakes from the hill of Ayios Ioannis with its picturesque chapel. The church of
Ayia Paraskevi, in the centre of the village was build in 1896 probably on the
site of an earlier church aw well. The church of the Ipapandi is locaded at the
south edge of the village. It dades to the 15th c according to the frescosin the
sanctuary.
MEGALI PRESPA (Lake) FLORINA
A unique landscape for a visitor. From the mountain Col sinking into
Megali (Large) Prespa, we can see the village
of Psarades on the left and in the north Megali Prespa with its crystal-clear
blue water.
Finally in the background there is a high mountain range being snowy
all year long with the historic village of Aghios
Germanos nesting at its foot.
Right ahead we can see a wide stretch of land above the surface of
Mikri (small) Prespa. Here
the banks are swampy and full of water-lilies and reed with the rarest species
of birds nesting in it.
On the contrary, the banks of Megali Prespa are absolutely clean and
pebbly exactly the same as its bottom. Besides, the fish living in it (trout,
petaloudes, chubs, tsironia) differ from the ones living in Mikri
Prespa (grivadia, skoubouzia, gouliani, tsironia, trout and eel).
Prespes National Park is one of the ten National Parks in Hellas,
created mainly to protect the rare species of birds - pelicans, cormorants, herons,
vultures - nesting within it, as well as in a clump (unique in Europe) constisting
of perennial mountain cedars and cypresses.
Apart from the above, the creation of the National Park is justified
fro the following reasons:
• The landscape around the lakes and the surrounding mountains
are of exceptional beauty.
• Within the limited are of the National Park the habitat is
of great diversity.
• The species of flora and fauna existing in the area - that
is to say, its natural variation - are with regard to its extension, of the highest
number in Hellas and Europe
itself.
• The traditional villages as well as the Byzantine and post-Byzantine
monuments of Prespa are of high aesthetic and scientific value.
Spring is the best time of the year for one to see those rare water
birds (pelicans, herons and cormorants) during their reproduction procedures.
Except for the magnificent panoramic view of the lake a visitor can
have, all sights are characterized by a small, discrete scale and if one wants
to really enjoy them, one should come to them, "recognize" them, lean
over them and "feel" them.
Each place within the National Park has its own beauty and its own
special features.
(text: Andreas Andreou)
This text (extract) is cited October 2003 from the Prefecture
of Florina - Florina
Prefecture Tourism Committee tourist pamphlet.
MIKRI PRESPA (Lake) FLORINA
A unique landscape for a visitor. From the mountain Col sinking into
Megali (Large) Prespa, we
can see the village of Psarades
on the left and in the north Megali
Prespa with its crystal-clear blue water.
Finally in the background there is a high mountain range being snowy
all year long with the historic village of Aghios
Germanos nesting at its foot.
Right ahead we can see a wide stretch of land above the surface of
Mikri (small) Prespa. Here the banks are swampy and full of water-lilies and reed
with the rarest species of birds nesting in it.
On the contrary, the banks of Megali
Prespa are absolutely clean and pebbly exactly the same as its bottom. Besides,
the fish living in it (trout, petaloudes, chubs, tsironia) differ from the ones
living in Mikri Prespa (grivadia, skoubouzia, gouliani, tsironia, trout and eel).
Prespes National Park is one of the ten National Parks in Hellas,
created mainly to protect the rare species of birds - pelicans, cormorants, herons,
vultures - nesting within it, as well as in a clump (unique in Europe) constisting
of perennial mountain cedars and cypresses.
Apart from the above, the creation of the National Park is justified
fro the following reasons:
• The landscape around the lakes and the surrounding mountains
are of exceptional beauty.
• Within the limited are of the National Park the habitat is
of great diversity.
• The species of flora and fauna existing in the area - that
is to say, its natural variation - are with regard to its extension, of the highest
number in Hellas and Europe
itself.
• The traditional villages as well as the Byzantine and post-Byzantine
monuments of Prespa are of high aesthetic and scientific value.
Spring is the best time of the year for one to see those rare water
birds (pelicans, herons and cormorants) during their reproduction procedures.
Except for the magnificent panoramic view of the lake a visitor can
have, all sights are characterized by a small, discrete scale and if one wants
to really enjoy them, one should come to them, "recognize" them, lean
over them and "feel" them.
Each place within the National Park has its own beauty and its own
special features.
(text: Andreas Andreou)
This text (extract) is cited October 2003 from the Prefecture
of Florina - Florina
Prefecture Tourism Committee tourist pamphlet.
MIKROLIMNI (Village) PRESPES
Mikrolimni is a small riparian village, with a long fishing tradition.
At the entrance of the village stands the large stone church of Ayios Athanassios,
dating from 1908. By walking carefully along the wet meadows next to the reed
beds, or from the observation tower nearby, in the north of the village, one can
see and fhotograph the rare herons that feed in the shallow waters on frogs, snakes,
fish, insects ahd other aquatic organisms. Please keep distant from the animals
to avoid disturbing them. Setting off on foot from Mikrolimni and following a
path to the south, the visitor can reach the fabulous bay of Latsista with its
amazing view of the lake and aquatic birds. The building next to the path is the
Elliniki Etairia's Biological Station, used by scientists working in the area
in the past. After a nice walk the visitor can enjoy fresh fish at the local tavernas
near the lake.
OXYA (Settlement) PRESPES
Oxia is a small settlement with few permanent residents. On the road from Mikrolimni
to Oxia, stands the church dedicated to Ayia Paraskevi, dated from 1868. In the
village's cemetery, the church of Ayios Athanasios has frescos and icons dated
to the 19th Century. Towards the east, in spring, one can admire and photograph
the narcissus fields.
PLATY (Village) PRESPES
Tel: +30 23850 51208
One kilometer east of the village of Platy is the church of Ayios
Nikolaos, which according to the local tradition is dedicated to the Transfiguration
of the Saviour and is called Ayia Sorita. Its simple exterior contrasts strongly
with the lavishily painted interior decoration, which belongs to the end of the
16th c. Nearly Mikpi
Prespa the visitor may see the ruins of the village of Opayia, which was abandoned
before the 2nd World War due to malaria. The area limited by opayia, the Koula
site and the asphalted road, includes the most sensitive part of the National
Park core. Vromolimni ("Stinking Lake") is an internal body of water that communicates
with the waters of Mikri Presra. Here large colonies of Pelicans and Cormorants
can be found .Being such a delicate area, admission here is strictly forbidden.
The visitor can watch the birds with binoculars or telescope from the observation
post of the north, next to the road. This is one of the best places in Prespa
for bird watching in spring.
PSARADES (Village) PRESPES
Tel: +30 23850 46207
The chapel of Agios Yeorgios lies at the highest point of the road
Koula-Psarades. The place is surrounded by a stand of centenary Lunipers ( Juniperus
foetidissima and J. excelsa), unique in Europe. This is so because they grow in
an area considered holy and were therefore left undisturbed by the locals along
the centuries. This is the second nucleus of complete protection of the National
Park. In Psarades, the visitor may eat fresh fish from lakes in the local tavernas.
Fishermen can take the visitor to the blue- green beaches of the lake and its
steep rocky shores.
In these, natural and carved cavities in the rocks were places often
used as hermitages and retreats, with frescos painted on the rocks and two churches.
There is a path from Psarades one of them, the 'Metamorphosis'(Transfiguration),
which dates from the early 13th c. The other is only reachable by boat-'Panayia
Eleoussa' (The Virgin of Charity), dating to the end of the 14th c. and with remarkable
wall paintings. According to the locals, this church is dedicated to Agios Petros
(Saint Peter). Between these two monuments, is the hermitage of the Mikri Analipsi
located high up in a small cavity in the rocks, dating to the 15th c. Kape Roti
is at the end of the very nice footpath beginning from Psarades and heading north.
At this point the visitor stands before the borders with Albania and FYROM found
into the lake and above the deepest point of Lake Megali Prespa.
PYLI (Village) PRESPES
On the way from Agios Achilios to Pili, an Information Centre has
permanent exhibitions about Birds and the Lakes, including Fish and Fishing. Southwest
from the village of Pili, the visitor will find the ruins of a church dedicated
to Agios Nikolaos, standing among the fields of beans and clovers and the wild
lakeside plants. This church has many interesting architectural and decorative
singularities, and there are many discussions on its dating (12th - 14th c ).
After about an hour's walk from Pili to the south, the visitor will
arrive at the deserted village of Dasseri. The stone building at the highest part
of the village, near the dirt road, used to be the school before its desertion
in the civil war. The visitor also enjoys the beautiful view of the lake, the
oak tree forests next to the reed beds and flooded green meadows. At the west
of Pili, there is the "cave of Zachariades", used as the partisans? headquarters
during the civil war.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Municipality of Prespes URL below, which contains images
VERNO (Mountain) FLORINA
The mountainous complex of Vitsi with the dense beech forests, the
rare fauna and flora, constitute one of the most interesting destinations of the
visitor in Kastoria. The
region has remained untouched by the human activity and maintains the unique beauty
of the wild nature. The area, with its exquisite geomorphology and its picturesque
neighbourhoods, is a treat place ofro walking and sightseeing. Vitsi is protected
on a national level as a shelter for games and constitutes an ideal biotope for
the menaced species of bear.
On the mountain Vitsi and in a distance of 22 km from the city
of Kastoria there is an organised ski centre. The ski centre is situated on
the road that leads from Kastoria
to Florina, on the north
side of the village Polykerasos.
The road asphalt paved and it is cleared from the snow.
This text (extract) is cited June 2003 from the Prefecture
of Kastoria tourist pamphlet.
VRODERO (Village) PRESPES
Tel: +30 23850 46132
The road to the west of Pili
leads to the ruined village of Pyxos, just before dedicated to Agia Paraskevi
is standing proudly on the hill opposite the village. Dated from 1899, it is a
typical example of the 19th c. basilicas in the Prespa, region. Located at the
very western side of Prespa, Vrodero is a village of long stock-farming tradition.
The Information Centre has exhibitions on the Animal Husbandry in the whole area
and the Forests. From Vrodero there is a path that leads south to Agathoto, which
is a ruined village on the shore of Lake Mikri
Prespa with another church dedicated to Agia Paraskevi. Nearby the path, there
is a cave, which sheltered the 'hospital' during the civil war.
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