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Agrotourism

Agrotourism (25)

The rural life and its activities, the variety of local products, the traditional cuisine, the observation of the rich ecosystem of the region and even the adventure sports or the rejuvenating walks in nature await the friends of agrotourism. In the region of Kilkis, the visitor has the opportunity to explore the rural areas, the local products, the cultural elements and the original characteristics of this area, in respect to the environment and the tradition.

One can experience the customs through the multitude of cultural and folk events that are held throughout the year in the entire region of Kilkis, such as the celebrations in various towns on St. John’s Day. On January 8 the custom of "Mpampo" revives in Aspros, in Kalindria, in Terpyllos etc, when women impose absolute power for this one day. Honored person is the midwife ("mpampo”) of the village, and the finale of the celebration is a feast accompanied with traditional dances and songs.

The visitors can also enjoy the traditional cuisine and wines of exceptional quality, such as the wonderful wines with Designation of Origin of Superior Quality "Goumenissa". One can also taste the famous grappa and tsipouro, fine cheeses, delicious local meat, sausages with leek, huntings, pies, traditional sweets, pure honey, pontian cheeses and pasta in Ragian in Kilkis and Vathi, and a plethora of delicious products and traditional dishes of Pontians, Stenimachites and Anatolikoromyliotes.

To enjoy the taste of carp in the fish restaurants of Doirani, while in the local cooperatives the women put all their creativity into their products. In the homes, every season, traditional flavors and aromas beautify the atmosphere. The prefecture of Kilkis is justly proud of its rich culinary activity. Here, each family prepares pickles throughout the year, while local and delicious original recipes give their taste to every festive day of the year.

At Kilkis, one can find amazing farm houses where there is the opportunity to get acquainted with agricultural activities, enjoy homemade traditional cuisine and the everyday life of the residents in a beautiful natural environment. This way, one can come in contact with the nature and outdoor activities, in which one may be involved, be entertained and feel the joy of touring, learning and discovering.

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Gastronomy

Gastronomy (71)

The local cuisine, as well as the entire prefecture, is intensely multicultural. The Greek diaspora is concentrated on the table with all its features! In the homes, every season, traditional flavors and aromas beautify the atmosphere. The prefecture of Kilkis is justly proud of its rich culinary activity. Here, each family prepares pickles throughout the year, while local and delicious original recipes give their taste to every festive day of the year.

King of all ... the Pontian cuisine! Here, the famous pontian cheeses and pasta "Ragian" are produced in the village of Vathi, in an amazing, visitable production facility. Fine dairies, such as the cheese Doirani, dairies from Koukakis, Lykas and Kolios are also produced in this region. Parparas produces homemade pickles. Goumenissa is the center of the wine production with OPAP wines from the varieties Ksinomavro and Negoska. Wineries made with care, like Boutari and Aidarini, small wine museums, real gems, such as the Eftichides and Tatsis, traditional cauldrons like Archontakia, exceptional units with organically grown vines like Akrothea winery, but also new, modern and well-equipped ones like Hatzivaritis, are all waiting to guide you and accompany you to the wine roads, with aromas of grappa and tsipouro.

In this region you will try traditional dishes and sweet preserves in Filiria, in the home of Mr. Alekos, in Gerakona, in the corner of Mr. Vassilis with the genuine honey and in Fanos, in the traditional oven of Costas you will taste homemade bread and pasta made from traditional organic cultivation and stone-crushed cereals. From the taverns in Kroussia to the restaurants in Kilkis and from Livadia in Paiko to the scenic Kastaneri and the lush Kotza Ntere, exquisite meats from local free-range animals promise you unforgettable culinary delights. Fresh fish at Doirani, cooked in every way, supplements the list for the lovers of "Well Living".

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Nature

Nature (25)

Blessed with a particularly rich and diverse natural environment, the prefecture of Kilkis is ideal for excursions and naturalistic trips from the nearby Thessaloniki for those who seek a beautiful and peaceful destination for their vacation.

It features beautiful landscapes with rivers and lakes and idyllic mountain paths, which can delight the simple hikers and the demanding mountaineers equally.

From the only cave in the hill of St. George, which is one of the most remarkable caves of Greece (and ideal for cave-therapy) to the monument of Nature "Hilia Dentra" in Lake Doirani or the Lake Pikrolimni which has medicinal properties, as well as many other natural sites, the visitor will be impressed and calmed.

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Culture

Culture (68)

At Kilkis, trails of culture lead the visitor to significant archaeological sites, folklore museums with wonderful exhibits of folk tradition and refugee chests filled with memories, uniquely preserved buildings and traditional houses, countless churches and chapels, many of which date back centuries, along with historical monuments that remind us of the important role that Kilkis and its surrounding villages have played in Greek history. The past and its long history are etched across this region and are spurting from every place like water.

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Saint George of Metalliko - Chorygi-AgiaParaskeui

Saint George ofMetalliko is an earlier church thanSt. George in Kilkis, dating back to 1821. Its pictorial decoration is attributed to the family of the painter Zosimafrom Kolakia (todayHalastra). A little further,in Chorygi, there is a post-Byzantine church of Saint George, which dates back to 1805.

One more historic church of St. George, which dates back to 1800, is located in the village of AgiaParaskeui at the foot of Mount Belles. Characterized by the rich interior decoration, in which the traditional iconography of the early 19thcentury dominates.

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Sanctuary Retreat of Saint George in Anydro,Goumenissa

In the ruins of the deserted settlement of Anydro, in a quiet hilly area centered aroundthe old church of St. George, the visitor can see the sacred retreat of St. George, which was founded in August 1991 and is relatively self-contained with a high superintendence from the Bishop of Goumenissa.

The human power of the retreat is 10 nuns. The church, a classic basilica was built between 1800 and 1830 and retains a highly valued Byzantine decor with wood carvings and images of the era on its temple and roof. The complex of the monastery also houses the new church Panagiaof Paramythia with two chapels. There also operates a two storey guesthouse with two rooms, an exhibition of images and artifacts from the nuns and a room for accommodation and food. The new wing includes the workshops and the nuns’ cells.

The nunnery of Anydrois also nearby, which makes for an interesting pilgrimage.

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Monastery of Panagia (Virgin Mary) in Goumenissa

The Holy Monastery of Panagia in Goumenissa is one of the most important monasteries in Macedonia while historically it constituted the largest religious center of the region throughout the period of Ottoman rule (1430-1912).

Furthermore,around the monastery, the homonymous small town was built which is the seat of the newly established (since 1991 AC) Metropolis ofGoumenissa, Axioupoli&Polykastro.

The church of Panagiain Goumenissawith its miraculous icon is located in the town of Goumenissa and is worth the visit.

It is believed that it was a Catholic monastery, which during the 14th century was given to the Monastery of Mount Athos. The present church was built in 1802. The temple was renovated in 1837, while in the 19th century it was extended to the west. Inside the church, which belongs to the type of three aisle basilica with polygonal apse sanctuary of carved stone, there is a great wooden set (box temple altar, shrine).

On the shrine the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary is placed, which makes the temple an important religious center.

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Monuments of the First World War

In the village ofSkraone can locate the Memorial to the Fallen on the historic Battle of Skra, which was held during the First World Warand determined its development up to a degree. Every year on May 17, there isa memorial to the fallen officers and soldiers of those battles, who belonged to the so-called Greek Division of Cretans and Archipelago. In Skra, the WWI - Battle SkraMuseum also operates since May 2002 in a specially designed area. The museum exhibits artifacts, photographs and historical documents from the Macedonian Front of World War I, along with the instrumental for the Greeks victorious battle of Skra on 17th May 1918. In the settlement of Kristoni, 5 km. south of Kilkis,theSargkiol Graves are located; the British military graves of the fallen during the First World War. Also, in an imposing hill from where the view is breathtaking, especially at sunset, one can find the Allied British Military Cemetery of the fallen in the deadly battle of Doirani, which took place during the First World War. A monument of lions - symbols of the erstwhile British Empire dominates in the area.

Monuments dedicated to the fallen of this war can be found both in Doirani and Mouries. These monuments are in memory of the fallen Cretans. Another impressive monument is located south of the city of Kilkis, in a stunning natural environment, and it is dedicated to the fallen of the murderous and decisive Battle of Kilkis. This battle took place on 21st June 1913, while on the same location the War Museum of Kilkisoperates since 1966, exhibiting rare artifacts from the Balkan wars.

On a hillside on the outskirts of the city of Polykastro 1918 dead soldiers of allied countries rest, who died in this region on which the bloodied Macedonian Front of World War I spanned. Lastly, in the settlement Fanos in Mount Paiko there is the cemetery of the fallen officers and soldiers of the French and Greek army who fought heroically as allies in the surrounding hills, during the First World War. The fallen Greeks that rest here were all of Cretan origin.

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Europos, Archaeological Site

Europosis locatedSouthwestof NeoGynaikokastro. The ancient city of Europos has been inhabited since the 6th century BC and is located at about 1 km southwest of the present one. Here, significantly funerary monuments of the late Roman period were found, as well as the famous Kouros of Europos, which is unique in the Northern Greece. Today you can see Kouros in the Archaeological Museum of Kilkis.

The nearby Toumpa is believed to have been a center of Macedonian domination of that time, since interesting Macedonian tombs have been foundthere, that attest to the Greek character of the area for 2500 years.

The data for the city of Europos come mainly from the cemetery of the ancient city. The exposure of a section of the necropolis of Europos turned the graves of its citizens in "lalounta" monuments / symbols of development, culture and history of their city. The oldest evidence of habitation of the city comesfrom the prehistoric settlement in the heart of the current Municipality of Europos.

Top of the archaic findings, not just for the site of Europos, but for the entire prefecture is Kouros. It is a colossal sculpture of a young man, a statue of the type Kouros. It is a product of an islander and possibly a Cycladic laboratory, as evidenced by the origin of its marble. Dating back to the late 6th century BC and can be viewed as one of later examples of the range of Kouros, because its hands and feet are almost detached from the body. The young man is depicted with short hair, without the characteristic headdress of the others. It was obviously giving an "Epitaph label", according to the customs of the time, of a prominent European (from the city of Europos) citizen or local settler from South Greece, living in the city. Its finding confirms the early commercial and socio-economic relations between Europos and the rest of the cities. Witnesses of these relationships are the shellfish-pieces or vases – of Korinthian or Attic black-figure and red-figure pottery that the excavation revealed. During the 5th-4th century BC, it seems to have been one of the most developed and fortified cities of Bottiaia. For this reason,Sitaklis endeavored to capture it and thus ensure the military control of the area. The unsuccessful attempt of the Thracian intrudersuggests the existence of a strong wall that enhanced the bastion of the city.

The majority of the graves are “akteristoi” (graves without any goods for the dead inside). There are tombs “kterismenoi” with vases, weapons, tools, figurines, jewelry and coins, pit-shaped and covered with tiles, which show homogeneity withthe burial customs and practices with the rest of Macedonia. The variety of grave goods offersus an impression on the everyday life, occupations and metaphysical beliefs of the people. Findings of the graves reveal coquetry, a timeless female characteristic: pyxides- a kind of clay vases- in which women placed their jewelry, leaden pouches for cosmetic creams "Psimithia", jewelry of every type made from gold or silver.

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Palatiano, Archaeological Site

An important archaeological site for the prefecture of Kilkis is the one uncovered in Palatiano, a small village north of Kilkis. Remains of a large Macedonian city of the Hellenistic and Roman periods were found in the region. The city might be identified with the ancient Ioron.Excavations at Palatiano began in 1961 and so far have brought to light four impressive statues that are on display in the Archaeological Museum of Kilkis, while copies exist in the area that they were discovered. Ruins of buildings, chapels, and the cemetery of the city were found there. The area of Palatiano can only be visited after consultation with the Archaeological Service.

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Kolchida, Archaeological Site

Just a few kilometers south of Kilkis lies the archaeological site of Colchida, that stretches on the east bank of Gallikos River. Its foundation dates back to the 4th

AC century and it was probably preserved during the Ottoman rule, since the Turks called the villages of ColchidaAktse-Klise (Asproklissi, i.e.White church).

In the area there are traces of fortification of uncertain chronology, but also ruins of a Christian basilica of the 5thor early 6thcentury, that was converted to a Catholic monastery during the 9th or 10th century. The complex was destroyed and later rebuilt during the 11thcentury.The church has some of the best examples of Byzantine painting of the late 12thcentury.

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Palaio Gynaikokastro, Byzantine Castle

Gynaikokastro dominates between the Rivers Gallikosand Axios, just 35 km. away from Thessaloniki. The castle was founded by the Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos. It was a powerful fortress. It is also known by Kantakouzinos’ dynastic struggles and civil wars of 1342.

In this castle, the Governor of Thessaloniki, Theodore Sinodinosthe FirstBuilderresorted in the summer of 1342, along with Kantakouzinos, his soldiers and a thousand noble people when they were endangered by an uprising. During 1350 Andronikos III Palaiologos visits AvretHissarand after 1350 Gynaikokastrowas held by the Emperor of Serbs, Stephen Dushan.

According to the tradition, the Avret-Hissarwas surrendered by Maroulia (wife of the Commander) toEvrenos, after several months of siege and resistance. This is the reason why it was named Gynaikokastro (Avret-Hissar); because it was so powerful that even a woman could defend it.

The fort stands on a hill, 201m high, with an area of ​​25 acres and it is surrounded by stone walls. The total length of the walls reaches 1601m. The gates of the castle are situated on the south side and on the northeast side. The Defense tower is located at an altitude of 201m,has an area of ​​126 sq.m and consists of a basement and ground floor. In the western part of the fortress and inside the walls, there is a well. Pre-Christian graves were also foundwith directionto the south, confirming the existence of settlements in the last three thousand years.

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