Chania, a beautiful town on the island of Crete, is a heavenly and pure land brimming with natural beauty, history, memory and culture. It is a land whose visitors will experience nature in all its glory and will encounter breathtaking sights. Endless stretches of seashore bordered in frothy lace, inlets and islands of exotic beauty and sandy beaches tucked away at the foot of forbidding mountains. Impenetrable but yet such majestic gorges, holy caves, blessed rivers and lush, green plains thickly covered with olive and citrus trees. It is a self-sufficient land in every way that is rich in endemic and rare flora and fauna. The works of art produced by man will also not leave any visitor indifferent. He will bow with awe in respect for the intimidating remains of past civilizations which still stand proud, examples of creative spirit and signs of human futility, vigorous warriors of bitter and ravenous time. He will relive moments of legend, history and glory since memories of the past will awaken and resurrect themselves in his passing. Here he will satiate his hunger for colour and aroma, he will savour original and unique tastes, he will overhear stories about experiences taken from the passion and wisdom of a people whose roots and endurance are embedded deep in history. He will live intense contrasts and feelings, he will juxtapose the old with the new and he will respect modern life through the eyes of wisdom gained from tradition. Perhaps most importantly, the visitor will encounter a people who recognize life’s gifts and value. The Cretan soul will infuse him with the feeling of true hospitality and will leave him mesmerized and forever partial to its beauty.

Christina suggests Milos, a beautiful island of the Cyclades

Milos island in Greece, with its unique horse shoe-shape, set in the blue waters of the Aegean, boasts several of the best hotels in Cyclades bathed in radiant sunlight and scattered with small white houses. Milos, the place with the most hospitable islanders. With fine touristic organisation, clear waters, noteworthy monuments. Milos, steals the hearts of all those who come to visit …and now will steal yours!

Kyriakos suggests the island of Thasos

Thassos is a green greek island in the Aegean Sea and it is far famed for its clean beaches, its hospitality, its tasty vine and the magnificent honey. The history of Thassos is lasting back into the antiquity. At that time, Thassos was famous for its goldmines and marble. Until today, you can see much archaeological treasures, which will make your journey to something special. Also the giant marble factories, which are exporting the marble in the whole world, will amaze you.

Fotini suggests the island of Santorini

Santorini is the currently first runner up nominee for the 7 Wonders of Nature due to its impressive wildlife. Voting will take place via the World Wide Web by fall 2010.
Santorini is the last of the Cyclades islands to the South. The closests islands are Ios, Folegandros, Sikinos to the North, Anafi and Amorgos to the East and Crete to the South. We refer to it as one, but actually it is a complex of five islands. Santorini (Thira) is the main island and around it Thirasia and Aspronisi (parts of the ancient Stroggili) and the two volcanic islands Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni.
It was one island named Stroggili (circle in Greek) until about 1645 BC, when the volcano in the middle of the island erupted and Caldera was created. Many reasons made this island famous worldwide and more or less we all have seen a picture of it (it was that picture the travel agency used for Greece). There is a talk about the connection between Thira and mythical Atlantis. Also Jules Verne made Santorini famous with its books “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” and “The mysterious island” where captain Nemo and his crew watch the volcano eruption. He was one of the visitors and scientists that came to Thira during the eruptions of 1866 - 1870 and wrote the well known book just after it. It is realy the mysterious island, the volcano rules, the caldera view is the most breathtaking one on the planet!
If you are after the caldera view have a look at Fira, Oia, Imerovigli, Firostefani, Akrotiri. For the best beaches check Perissa, Kamari, Perivolos, Vlihada and Red beach.

Kostas suggests Ammouliani, an island of Halkidiki

Ammouliani is the only inhabited island of Halkidiki that charms every visitor since it’s the place where everyone can find anything they dream of in an area of only 4,5 km2. Ammouliani is located 120 km from Thessaloniki and is connected by frequent ferryboat routes that last only 10 minutes to Tripiti, the beach located across the island.
With very little luggage, you will find in Ammouliani a heaven on earth to be carefree and relaxed. This island is an idyllic combination of fine, golden sand, aquamarine sea, vegetation and giant rocks. Its isolated bays are the ideal destination for those that desire peace and relaxation, while you can get involved in all sorts of water sports at its sandy beaches.

Theodoros suggests the island of Rhodes

One of the most beautiful islands of Greece is Rhodes. Because of her natural beauties, her historical monuments and the exceptional tourist infrastructure constitutes one of the leading summer destinations. When the gods of Olympus won the legendary Giants, Zeus decided to share the ground. However, at the time of division god Sun was absent. So he remained without his own ground. As fair head, Zeus promised that he would give him the first piece of land that would emerge from the sea. At the moment a gorgeous island, Rhodes peeped out of the waters. The sun fell in love and since then to make her distinguish, blazes down on the island with his beams. According to the mythology, this is the explanation that Rhodes is the island with the biggest sunlight.
Rhodes, the biggest island of Dodecanese, is particularly encouraged by nature. Apart from her memorable natural beauties, the island is also found in a preferential geographic place (in the south-eastern side of Aegean and opposite from the coasts of Mikra Asia) that contributed in the economic and cultural growth of the island in each historical period. Also, in the past, that was the cause of battles among motley civilizations from East and West. While touring in the island every visitor is impressed by its beauties. The Medieval city with the brilliant buildings that accommodated the Knights and the imposing buildings, bequests of Italian possession, characterize the city of Rhodes. The out of city monuments that are also very important and belong to different historical periods, gain the admiration of visitors. The sources of Kallithea, the antiquities of Ialissos, Monte Smith, Kamiros, the Acropolis of Lindos and her mansions, all reveal aspects of the island’s past. And naturally the long sandy beaches and the dark blue waters of Aegean Sea will accompany your walks. Also the pinewoods or the vineyards that colour your travel to the country, will give you many sweet memories. Nowadays, Rhodes exploiting this important past, has evolved to a cosmopolitan resort of international fame. Luxurious hotels, restaurants and shops of all types, satisfy all sort of tastes. The island is also famous for the night life. The famous Casino of Rhodes and the high standard clubs and bars hold the first place.

Maria suggests the island of Andros

 Andros is one of the closest Greek Islands to Athens (only an hour and a half away) and next to Tinos. Andros is a very attractive island of the Cyclades whith some traditional and very picturesque villages. The fortified capital of the island is a real jewel which combines Venetian and Cycladic architecture, narrow stone paved alleys, arcades and bright coloured flowers. Andros is a great holiday destination.

Touristic attractions of our Prefecture and Town

Kostas P. suggests Kerkini Lake

Inn the flat and semi-mountainous area, important hydrobiospheres are developing which are of great international significance and acceptance. The most essential hydrobiosphere is the one in Kerkini lake. It is a miracle of nature which came about by man’s technical intervention on the natural characteristics of Strymon river. The water extent, which varies from time to time from 54 km2 to 72 km2, works out to be useful in two ways: as a technical work of great agricultural utility and as a hydrobiosphere for thousands of water fowls.

This wonderful biosphere is recouped by the Internetional Convention of Ramsar and presents numerous admirable elements. Thousands of birds, both rare and protege, riverside forests, water-lilies in a large area, fish variety and fantastic panoramic view from the mountains of Beles and Krousia give it a characteristic tone. Actually the lake hosts 227 kinds of birds, especially non-migrants. 76 of them are recorded in the National Red Catalogue, while at least 31 of them are protected by EEC’s Directive concerning wild life. What makes an exceptional presence is the buffalo’s herd in the area, plus the one of the jackelo in the area of Kerkini lake. In the surrounding area of Kerkini lake there are at least 10 amphibian species (frogs, salamanders, tritons), 5 snail species, 19 reptile species (lizards, snakes, turtles) and a great variety of insects which play an important part in the food chain and contribute towards the biological resources of the lake. The lake was created where Kerkini lake was by making embankments on the eastern and western sides and a dam was constructed near the village of Lithotopos, which started functioning in 1932. The main water provider of the lake is Strymon river. Additionally, there is Kerkinitis river from Krousia that flows into the lake. After the construction of the dam, the form of the initial hydrobioshere changed completely. The human intervention usually retracts or takes negative action against the natural processes, Kerkini lake is a rare example, where the gentle human handling had the exact opposite result. As time went by, the lake’s capacity was reduced because of the substances that were washed up by Strymon river. So the rising of the embankments and the construction of a new dam was necessary, which was started operating in 1982. Its natural beauty, its high ecological significance and its contribution to the agricultural production of the valley of Serres, act as a main promoter of well-being and development. It is worth visiting as well as making any possible effort in order to preserve its wealth.

Fotini suggests the Lion of Amfipolis

The colossal animal, reassembled from fragments, has been mounted on a pedestal built on the ancient foundation with blocks of the 2nd century BC dredged from the Strymon river bed, where they may have been reused in a medieval dam.In 1912-13, Greek soldiers found the base and some fragments of the statue. Later, during WW1, English soldiers discovered more pieces and more others were revealed in 1930-31, during works for the re-arrangement of Strymon riverbed.

Kyriakos suggests Rupel fortifications

The Rupel fortifications are not far from the Serres-Promahona national road which leads to the Greek-Bulgarian border. They are just a short distance from the border in a narrow gorge through which the River Strimonas flows. This place is of strategic importance for entry to Greek or Bulgarian territory and was fortified in 1914 when Fort Rupel was built there. This fort became the most renowned in the whole of Greece, and not unjustifiably so. With World War I raging, the advance of the German and Bulgarian armies was stopped in front of this fort. On the eve of World War II a new line of defence was built to repel an invasion into Greece from Bulgaria. For three days the fort held out against German and Bulgarian attack and was only abandoned by its men after the surrender of the Greek army in Thessaloniki.
Today one of the fortification galleries is open to visitors, as is a small museum and the visitors’ pavilion. In the gallery visitors can see dioramas, life-sized models arranged in tableaux representing the Greek troops in the Battle of the Forts (the gunner, the doctor in his surgery treating a wounded soldier, the sergeant in the lieutenant’s office). In the museum, which is only open on the anniversary of the Battle of the Forts (6th-9th April) and in the pavilion, which is open throughout the year, the visitor can see firearms, uniforms, medals awarded for bravery, personal belongings and a map detailing the Battle of the Forts in 1941.

Athanasia suggests Alistrati’s cave

Alistrati cave lies about 6 km southeast of the village of Alistrati at a place called “Petroto” in Serres . The expanse of the area is almost 14.000 square meters. At a distance of 250 km from the southern part of the entrance of the Alistrati cave it passes the railway line from Serres to Drama. As a result of the water flow of the river the limestone layers of the mountain has been corroded and the ravine of Aggitis river has been shaped. Because of the thin limestone layers above (10-30m) the temperature of the Alistrati cave is quite high (15-17oC). Temperature is stable even in the winter because the airing of the Alistrati cave is less than the proper. In May humidity is high (95-105%) and it’s quite stable all year long. According to a study of the atmospheric conditions of the cave all chambers are sufficiently air-filled. The temperature inside the cave is stable all year long for the formation of a cubic centimeter of a stalactite it will take at least 100 years. According to Dr. Seeman, the Austrian official researcher of the Alistrati cave, the last time a rock fell was 700.000 years ago. Very impressive is the big variety of stalactites and stalagmites inside the cave mostly because of the difference of their shapes and their age. The biological interest in the ecosystem of the Alistrati cave is extremely high, because of its size and its impressive bat populations. Some of the kinds which have been found: Amphibians, Mammals, Rhinolophus Mehelyi, Rhinolophus Euryale, Myotis Myotis, Myotis Blythi, Myotis Capaccini, Miniopterus Schreibersi. Thousands of bats more into the cave in order to nest and being reproduced, mainly in the summer. Some other mammals that have been found in the cave accidentally are: rabbit, mouse, fox and weasel.
The explored surface of the cave is of 25000 m and length of 3000 m, with parts of different breadths. These parts as those of all of the caves in Greece, belong to the quaternary period and consequently the faunae too, belongs to the same period , dated at 2.000000 years ago.

Christina suggests Agios Ioannis

In the eastern part of the city of Serres, only 2 km away, you can see the picturesque suburb of Agios Ioannis, which constitutes another jewel for the city. The first image that visitors get is of the age-old, deep-shaded plane-trees and the abundant water that forms small waterfalls flowing from everywhere. In an artificial lake made by the Municipality and taking advantage of these waters can see many ducks swimming. The rural restaurants in the area of Agios Ioannis offer their shade to the visitor. Every year during the hot months (spring-summer) thousands of visitors enjoy the beauty of its surrounding nature. Excursion coaches cannot pass through Serres without visiting Agios Ioannis resort. In fact it constitutes a custom, so that the visitors refer to Serres-Agios Ioannis and not to Agios Ioannis-Serres.

See an official guide for information of Serres : www.serrestown.com

 

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Geographical And Political Description

The Curonian Spit is a unique monument, light multisided strip of a land, uniqueness of which is comprised of relief created by the sea and wind, the highest spit in the whole Northern Europe, Lagoon marl prints, remains of former Lagoon‘s forest and soil brought by the wind and constant interesting eolic processes.

A considerable contribution for formation of the existent uniqueness was made by human, who after unmerciful extermination of the spit‘s forests personally started the works of forests‘ regeneration. The process of regeneration was long and hard; therefore, current natural and introduced vegetation, rare plants that are typical for this region only, their communities, and their growth locations request special care. Such care is also necessitated by tracks left by humans in this region, since “the most important task is to preserve and propagate the region‘s culture together with its creators – local residents – and with the natural environment, where the culture had blossomed and left its tracks.“

The natives of the spit, who had created an original ethnic community of fishermen, disappeared during the War and post-War period. Only the spit, forests, and empty fishermen‘s settlements remained. During the post-War period, the territory was populated by immigrants from the Great Lithuania and other republics, which were a part of the contemporary Soviet Union.

 

Borders of Lithuanian Spit

 

The Curonian Spit is a narrow sand peninsula of 98 km of length, which divides the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. This is a fragile nature, which requests a considerable and constant attention. In the South, Lithuanian part of the Spit borders with Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation. The borderline marks the external borders of the European Union.

According to the origin and composition the Spit is comprised of natural and human-made complex sections of protective dune-ridge. These various forms were created by waves, wind and the human, which were also helped by the sand grains of various sizes, flora and its distribution, angles and height of dune-ridge‘s slopes, and  position of the ridge according to the coastline and its inner composition.

 

Nature And Dunes

A pearl of the Baltics, an adornment of the seacoast, the native land of Neringa‘s fairy tales – these are the words repeated ferquently by the people who were affected by the charm of the Curonian Spit. Our spit changes its facing annually. It always has an original beauty: in spring and summer, blushing the leaves of the sand plains‘ forests in autumn, or spreading a friable snow cover in winter. The most typical and impressive element of the spit‘s nature is the dunes. However, the value of uniqueness of the Curonian Spit hides not in separate components of its nature, but in unrepeatable combination, coexistence and interaction of those components. The Curonian Spit is the reachest humans‘ and nature‘s laboratory of natural research of interaction of ecological coast processes, and an original museum of life nature. Only here you can observe and integrally investigate ecological processes of the coast and their particularities. The dunes of the Curonian Spit is an excellent laboratory for analysis of not only formation and dynamics of the dunes, but also of spontaneous grassing of the dunes, and formation and development of new plant communities of the dunes.

 

The Prie-History Of The Region

Formed over 5,000 years ago, the Curonian Spit is a 98 km long strip between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. Agelong rivals dominate the Spit: sand, the sea, and forest. Over time, this ding-dong fight highly troubled local inhabitants; however, namely the confrontation of wind-blown sand and vegetation eventually formed the Spit, renowned for its unique beauty of nature and referred to as the Curonian Spit in historical sources (neria curoniensis). The origin of the Spit’s name is linked to the Curonians – a tribe of Western Balts, who lived at the nowadays Latvian seaside, with their settlements spreading as far as to the south, reaching Klaipeda neighborhood. As early as in the Stone Age, human beings found there a land that was suitable for living (4,000 BC). Approximately, at that time, Semba peninsula let amber layer loose under the plough. Thus, since those times, the wonderful mineral became a vital aspect of the Curonian Spit inhabitants’ household and decoration.

 

From XIII Century To The Post-War Times

A more specific image of the Curonian Spit’s development can be formed only from XVIII century, when the Germanic Order conquered this territory and started to record events related to the adaptation of the Spit – strategically significant territory – in historical sources. For that reason, the Germanic Order built several castles at the Curonian Spit, of which the most important was the Rasyte castle (Rossitten, currently Rybachy settlement), mentioned for the first time in 1372. It stood there till the end of XV century. By that time, the Curonian Spit was a focal intermediate traffic link between Marienburg (currently Malbork) and Riga. Hostelries were founded there to secure the traffic function, which thus conditioned establishment of settlements. The following names of places were mentioned during the times of the Curonian Spit subjection to the Germanic Order till the beginning of XVI century – Sarkuva (Sarkau), Kuncai (Kunzen), Rasyte (Rossitten), Pilkopa (Pillkopen), Nida (Nidden), Karvaiciai (Karwaiten), Nagliai (Negeln), Juodkrante (Schwarzort), and Smiltyne (Sandkrug).

The beginning of XVI century was the time of the significant changes: the state of the Order fell into decay, in place of which the secular Duchy of Prussia emerged with the Curonian Spit as its integral part. The Reformation brought respect for the vernacular language, i.e. from those times to the middle of XX mentury, Lithuanian language was heard in the churches. A firmly established Lutheranism and harsh subsistence shaped spiritual world of the Curonian Spit inhabitants, their moral principles in assessing truth, hard work, and order. Besides, at the intersection of XV and XVI centuries, the Curonians, who spoke Latvian and distinctly represented an ethnic originality of the Spit up till the World War II, settled at the Curonian Spit. Those fishermen had been cutting the waters of the Curonian Lagoon on the kurenas – sailing boats of especial construction, the masts of which were adorned with weathercocks. Woesome existence lead the Curonians to master hunting crows and consume them as food, as well as determined the ascetic habitation and dress code of the Curonians.

 

Nida as a summer resort fancied by famous people

By the end of XIX century, German expressionists (Max Pechstein, Lovis Corinth, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Ernst Mollenhauer and others) started to place Nida on the map by spending their summers there. They had established Nida Artists’ Colony with its “quarters” in the “Hermann Blode” hotel, which was one of the oldest Nida hotels and was built in 1867. During the semicentenary heyday of the artists’ community, “Hermann Blode” Hotel was visited not only by many great artists, but also by litterateurs Hermann Sudermann, Ernst Wiechert, Agnes Miegel, Fritz Kudnig, psychotherapist Sigmund Freud, and others. A Nobel prize winner, writer Thomas Mann was one of the respectable hotel’s guests, who had visited Nida for the first time in August 24, 1929 and had spent several memorable days in the “Hermann Blode” Hotel. Fascinated by the Curonian Spit landscape and Nida fishermen’s village aura, he decided to build a summerhouse in Nida, where he spent three summers (1930 – 1932) and wrote part of the trilogy “Joseph and His Brothers”.

 

Geographical and Political Situation After 1923

In 1923, for the first time in 700 years, the Curonian Spit was intersected by the state border: a section from Nida to Smiltyne became a part of autonomic Klaipeda region of the Republic of Lithuania. It did not yield significant changes in the life of the Curonian Spit inhabitants, although, some of them became German citizens and others – Lithuanian citizens. Resort business kept on flourishing in Nida, attracting up to 10 thousand holidaymakers per season. In 1939, that part of the Curonian Spit, which belonged to Lithuania, along with the Klaipeda region, were annexed to Germany again. However, that event and even the commencing World War II did not unhinge the accustomed resort life too much. However, the summer of 1944 became fateful for the Curonian Spit: With battle line drawing closer, all of the local inhabitants had to leave for the depth of Germany, and majority of them did not come back. Suddenly, the age-old cultural tradition of the Curonian Spit, in which German, Curonian, and Lithuanian languages and heritages were intertwined, had ruptured. After 700 years, the wheel of history had ended up drawing one trajectory and started to roll a completely different track, enriching new experience with historical memory.

 

 

From The Postwar Times To Nowadays

In the summer of 1944, with the front line drawing closer, majority of inhabitants fled to Germany. Till the beginning of 1945, practically all of the local residents, most of whom came from Central Russia, had left, and civilians started to inhabit the Curonian Spit,. The Curonian Spit of the postwar times represented ill communication with the mainland, bad roads or absence of the latter, wasted and ravished the land. For newcomers, the Curonian Spit was an alien land for a long time. Nida, Preila, and Juodkrante’s neighbourhoods functioned prior to the foundation of the town. On November 15, 1961, the LSSR Supreme Council issued a decree “Regarding Nida, Preila, and Juodkrante’s Summerhouses Liquidation and Neringa Town Foundation, Subordinate to the Republic”. The concerns of the first town head were to provide Neringa with electricity, telephone communication lines, as well as to reconstruct the road Nida - Smiltyne. At that same time, the foundation for the development of Neringa as a resort was laid. Special attention was paid to the border regime and establishment of a life-saving station.

In 1966, the status of a unique landscape reservation came into effect, which practically equals the status of the national park. The latter definition was avoided due to the fear to use the word “national.”

In 1967, the hurricane cut a swath through the Spit, unthreading 21 thousand cubic meters of the most beautiful forest. The speed of wind reached 35-40 m/sec.

 

Management of the territory according to the general plan

In 1968, the territory of Neringa town was started to be managed according to the certified general plan (the plan was prepared by the Architectural and Construction Institute of Kaunas, head Ph.D. V. Stauskas).

In 1970, a secondary school started to function, and in 1973 – music school and residential district were built on the Taikos street.

In 1972, a canteen and a trading center was built in Juodkrante. A gym and a wing of the Nida secondary school was built. Traffic communication with Kaliningrad has improved. The most important projects: construction of dwelling houses in the Kopu district and foundation of the Museum of Miniatures in Juodkrante.

In 1976, LSSR Cabinet Council confirmed provisions about the Curonian Spit management. The same year, State Forest Park was established.

In 1979, Neringa town complex children-youth sports school SSD “Zalgiris” was opened in Nida. Even prior to the establishment of the sports school, Nida yachtsmen were well-known in Lithuania and former USSR.

In 1988, the churches of Nida and Juodkrante were returned to Evangelical-Lutheran parishes. That same year, 110 KW electric transfer line was laid. In September 1988, “Sajudis” was formed in Neringa. That was a new democratic force. The entire Lithuania, including Neringa, experienced a great ethnic and spiritual upsurge.

In 1991, the National Park of the Curonian Spit was established, according to the LR Supreme Council resolution. In July, yachting final competition among Lithuanians of the World took place in Neringa.

 

Cultural Tourism

From 1995, the most focal turning point happens in the town’s infrastructure development. Special attention was paid to the cultural tourism and solution of inhabitants’ social problems. In that time frame, municipality considerably improved the town’s infrastructure. In 2001, the biggest infrastructure object in Lithuania was yielded – Juodkrante quay. In 1995, the quay clearing works were started. Prior to 1995, that bank of the Curonian Lagoon was unkept, unaesthetic, and untidy, which caused the raised Lagoon’s waters to flood the road. Nowadays, the quay is the most visited place, where one can not only walk, but also admire Lithuanian and foreign artists’ stone sculptures. Municipality pays considerable attention to the renovation of the apartment houses – houses facades were changed, span roofs, traditional for this land, were fitted instead of flat roofs, environment was cleaned up.

When Lithuania regained independence, a lot of work has been done in the cultural tourism sphere. Most of events organized in Neringa became traditional. Those are holiday of the Summer Season Opening, international folklore festival “Tek sauluze ant maraciu”, Fisherman’s Holiday, international Thomas Mann art festival, opera and symphonic music festival “Musical August at the Seaside”, chamber music festival “The Curonian Spit”, Christmas and New Year cycle, etc.

 

The Curonian Spit is in the UNESCO List

By the end of 2000, the Curonian Spit territory was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as a cultural landscape object. This recognition is the best evaluation of cultural inheritance, nature protection, and infrastructure improvement works being done on the territory of the Curonian Spit.

In 2002, Nida’s beach was awarded with the Blue Flag. In 2001, World orientation sport veterans’ championship successfully took place in Neringa, where more than 2,600 sportsmen from 35 countries took part. That was the biggest sports forum in Lithuania.

 

Famous people of the region

Thomas Mann

 

 

 

Thomas Mann had visited Nida for the first time in 1929. In his memoir later he wrote: “We had spent several days in Nida’s fishermen’s village and were so much thrilled by indescribable originality and beauty of that nature, by fantastic world of wandering dunes, and by elks living in the pinewoods, that we decided to purchase a permanent residence”. In 1929 – 1930, a house that is a reproduction of a fisherman’s house was constructed on the Hill of Mother-in-Law in Nida according to the project of the architect H. Reissmann. On July 16, 1930, Thomas Mann with his family arrived to his new summerhouse. The writer had spent three summers in Nida with his fanily (1930 -1932). Here he followed his routine schedule. He continued writing “Joseph and His Brothers”, the essay “My summerhouse”, articles, letters for offices, publishing, translators, friends. In 1933, Thomas Mann was forced to emigrate with the family from Germany and never returned to Nida.

The residents of Neringa are proud that a Nobel prize winner Thomas Mann had visited and was writing in Nida. When he was writing here his novel “Joseph and His Brothers”, Thomas Mann was fifty-five years old at that time. He was arriving to Nida as a writer-humanist, who had stable positions in literature and culture life and was already fast enough to speak out for democracy and warn his fellow-countrymen and people of other regions about the threat of fascism becoming effective in Europe.

 

 

Summerhouse on the Hill of Mother-in-Law

Having accidently visited Nida in 1929, T. Mann and his wife sensed that this visit was not the last one. Having a sincere talk with H.Blode about his wish to spend summers here, shortly after that, he received an information about possibility originating to reconstruct a summerhouse in Nida. The next summer they already arrived for spending summer in his summerhouse on the Hill of Mother-in-Law. Settling in Nida for the summertime, the writer hoped that this will be the restplace beside his favourite Baltic Sea, where he will be able to create. He was right. An atmosphere predominating in Nida suited the process of creation perfectly. The writer had spent many hours on the second floor of the house, creating and looking through the window at the Curonian Lagoon.

 

Ludwig Reza

Ludwig Gediminas Reza was born on January 9, 1776, in Karvaiciai village.

Having his father dead in 1782, the orphan Ludwig was sheltered by fisherman of nearby Nagliu village Radmacheris, and during 1882 - 1883 he was living with his distant relative, the owner of Rasyte’s Post Station Boehm.

In 1785, L. G. Reza moved from the Curonian Spit to Kaukenai (in the region of Nemunas’ delta), where the husband of his mother’s sister theologian Christian David Wittich was living.

L. G.Reza had spent six years with Ch. D.Witticha, was studying further hard, and being fifteen years old, with the help of Ch. D.Wittich in the summer of 1791 he got to Lebenicht paupers’ shelter in Koenigsberg. 

In 1795, L. G.Reza, being nineteen years old, entered Theology Department of Koenigsberg University, and this department was a dominating one with the number of its students and its importance since the very establishment of the university (1544). Apart from theology, L. G.Reza had studied ancient languages, history of literature, rhetoric, attended history lectures, and was interested in philosophy and Eastern languages the most. Maturation of his personality was influenced the most by the philosopher lecturing in the university I. Kant, orientalist J. Hasse, historian K. Mangelsdorf and Ch. Kraus. The theory of J. Hasse was not scientifically valid, but it thrilled the imagination of L. Reza and stimulated his interest in the history of the amber region, a part of which was the Curonian Spit.

During the studies,  L. Reza visited seminar of Lithuanian langauge, which took place in the university from 1723, later, he had been leading it for a long itme, rasing the level of this seminar and, thus, contributing to Lithuanian linguistic preparation of future Evangelical Lutheran priests of Lithuania Minor (Prussian Lithuania).

 

Scientific activity of L. Reza

L. Reza completed his studies in Koenigsberg University in 1799, and, even though, he was attracted by scientist’s career, he chose this path some years later: Being fifteen years old, L. Reza occupied the position of military preacher and only from 1816 he related his activity with the university. L. Reza had been preparing for academic work all the time after the end of studies: he had studied philosophy, history, Hebrew, Chaldic, Arabic languages and in 1807 defended his scientific paper “About Interpretation of Morals of the Holy Books According to Kant”, acquiring the Doctoral Degree in Philosophy. In 1810 L. Reza became an extraodrinary professor of Koenigsberg University and started to lecture the course on History of the Christian Church and Introduction to the Old and New Testaments. L. Reza was also granted with the Doctoral Degree in Theology for the studies on history of Lithuanian Bible, and in 1819 he was appointed to be the Dean of the Department of Theology and later became a Rector. In 1828, L. Reza became the first professor of the Department of Theology – the lord.

 

Evaluation of social and scientific work of L. Reza

L. Reza was an active agent of society.

From 1810, L. Reza was participating in activity of Prussian Bible Distribution Association.

From 1811, L. Reza was an active member of the Royal German Asscociation of his town, there he was reading the papers on historical and folklore issues.

In 1819, L. Reza, who became known for his Lithuanian linguistic works, was elected to be an honoured member of the Curonian Land’s Literature and Art Association. This was an association of a liberal movement, founded by local Germans in 1816, which was cherishing the region’s culture.

In 1832 L. Reza – well-known authority in science of theology – became the member of Leipzig Historical Theological Association.

The membership of L. Reza in the contemporary elite of Koenigsberg is demonstrated by his election as an honoured member of Conshistory and Schools College of Prussian Province (Das Consistorium und Provinzial – Schul – Collegium) in 1829. This institution resolved important questions of Western Prussia church, education and culture development.

L. Reza’s sympathies towards liberal ideas are revealed in his participation in activity of one of three Masonic lodges that were functioning in Koenigsberg – The Three Crown Lodge of St. John (Maurer-Loge zu den Drey Kronen).

Scientific and social activity of L. Reza was highly evaluated at the end of his life: In 1840, he was awarded with the Prussian State Order.

Traditions

Fishering And Fish Smoking

Ancient inhabitants of the Spit were all fishermen without exceptions. Fishing business had penetrated not only the whole of their household life, but spiritual culture as well. Every household had one or several boats, by which all tours were done. Chidren sailed by boats to schools, adults travelled by them to the church. Frequently, the fishermen started out for fishing for 3 - 5 days. There was always enough of work, since various species of fish “were comming” at different times.

The ancient Curonians were fishing in the boats called kurenas. They were up to 10 meters in lenth and 3 meters in width.

There was a separate smokehouse’s building in the fishermen’s farmsteads, which was named the beech-house. The work of women was to process and hook the fish for smoking.

The diet of the Curonian Spit’s fishermen was rather simple. The main food was fish. It was consumed as meat, also instead of bread and vegetables. Fish was also used as feed for animals. Dried and salted fish was the main food reserve for the winter. Smoked fish was intended for the holy table as well. The most tasty fish was and still is, when for fish smoking pines cones are used.

Even today, walking the streest of Neringa’s settlements, your nose gets pleasantly “tickled” by the smells of smoked fish. You can taste smoked eel, bream, perch and even smelt almost in every cafe or restaurant or just sitting next to the table of smoked fish mongers.

 

Proffesional and amateur fishing in the Curonian Lagoon

Nowadays, the Curonian Lagoon is perfectly suitable for not only professional, but amateur fishing as well. Experienced fishermen independently start out for fishing not only during summer, but winter too, when the season of ice-fishing begins and smelts are biting in great quanitities.

The beginners prefer organized fishing when an experienced ship captain can join.

Fishing with all fishing tools is allowed in the Curonian Lagoon in the distance smaller than 500 m from the caost only with permissions or licenses issued by the Ministry of the Environment (except for fishing with float rods from the coast). In the night fishing is allowed only from the coast or on ice, fishing is prohibited in the Baltic Sea and pools of border waters without permission of the borderline police. Average weight of the fish caught during one day cannot exceed 5 kg for one fisherman.

Amateur fishing in park’s waters is performed according to the rules of amateur fishing.

 

 

(For “Holidays in our country”).

If you decide spend your holidays in Lithuania you must find some days and visit Trakai – the old capital of Lithuania and The Open Air Museum of Lithuania in Rumšiškės

About Trakai historical national park
There are 5 national parks and 32 regional parks in the Lithuanian Republic and these cover in total almost 11 percent of the whole of the country. Trakai Historical National Park is the smallest national park in Lithuania. This state-protected territory stands out from the rest in that it is centred on an ancient Lithuanian political centre, Trakai, and has a unique natural landscape to preserve. This task is difficult not only because of the fact that nowadays we are going through a complicated post-Soviet economic and mental situation but also because Trakai Historical National Park is highly populated with 14,000 people and lies only three kilometres away from the nation’s capital, Vilnius. A state-funded organisation, the Trakai Historical National Park Management, has been set up to meet the park’s aims and duties. The Management comprises thirteen persons and the function of founder and watch dog is played by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture.

Trakai was given special protected status back in Soviet days (1960) and its value was appreciated even before then. In the 1857 Vilnius romantic writer Władysław Syrokomle (1823-62) posed a question typical of his generation: “O why is Trakai not somewhere in England, Scotland or Switzerland? Then crowds would come every day to gaze at its fairness. We would find thousands of their accounts in travel journals and novels. Thousands of painters from all over would sketch it. It’s honour would be conveyed across Europe in millions of prints and this honour would eventually even fall to Lithuania”.However, it was only during the first year that Lithuania regained its independence in 1991 that the chance occurred for Trakai and its surroundings to win the exceptional status of an historical national park. Trakai Historical National Park was founded by the Lithuanian Restoration Seimas in order to preserve cultural sites of Lithuanian historical statehood along with their genuine natural environs. In this unique and compact ensemble of natural and cultural heritage, which reflects important periods and events in the history of Lithuania and eastern Europe as a whole, we can see a beautifully preserved cultural landscape centred on an historic town and castles which are nestled in lake land. Here there are traditional agricultural villages, fieldscapes and areas where primaeval natural formations still survive. The value of Trakai Historical National Park has been preserved finely and its special status has been recognised and protected by a whole body of national legislation.

The landscape of Trakai Historical National Park exudes particular beauty; in part this is natural and in part it is man-made. It covers an area of 8,200 ha which includes more than 32 lakes (occupying an area of 1,400 ha). The pre-Ice Age relief is responsible for the large formations which dominate the Park, namely the lakes and marshland, and hills which formed during the last Ice Age (between thirteen and fourteen thousand years BC). During the varied stages when the ice melted an undulating plateau formed in the southern part of the park with a chain of moraine hills. The morphological structure of this land relief is a unique feature of the formation of lake land in the Baltic Uplands. Lying in the embrace of a water system comprising Galvės (361 ha), Skaiščio (286 ha), Bernardinų (88 ha) and Totoriškių (76 ha) Lakes is the old centre of the town of (Naujieji [New]) Trakai (169 ha) with its Island and Peninsula Castles, which effectively form the kernel of the park ensemble. The town is girt by mixed woodland (3,900 ha) which gives way in the east to marshland, to a plateau in the south, and a contrasting hill and vale area to the north and west. This landscape forms perfect conditions for a large variety of flora and fauna, which includes species of Europe-wide importance as well as many that feature in Lithuanian and European lists of rare species. The Park’s territory contains well-sited hill forts, castle sites, manors, traditionally appointed villages and isolated farmsteads. All the components of Trakai Historical National Park combine to form an integrated, holistic territorial and visual unit which leaves the visitor with an unforgettable impression.

The natural treasures and the variety of the landscape, especially its specific land formations, provided favourable conditions for the human population which settled within the modern Park’s territory 4,000 years before the Birth of Christ. Trakai attained special significance in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries A.D., when the last pagan state in Europe, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, opposed crusade attempts to convert it to Christianity led by the Teutonic Order. Trakai is mentioned for the first time in written sources in the Chronicle of Wigand of Marburg under the year 1337. Trakai had become an important defensive centre close to the major grand-ducal residence of Vilnius. A unified defensive system was built in Trakai, which was difficult to approach because of its natural defences of wood- and lake land. There were wooden forts at Bražuolė (first millennium BC-fourteenth century AD) and Daniliškės (sixth-twelfth century AD) and stone ones at Senieji [Old] Trakai (early fourteenth century) and on the island and peninsula in Naujieji [New] Trakai (middle and late fourteenth century respectively). Tatars and Karaites helped Lithuanians defend their land from the late fourteenth century.

The polyethnic town of (New) Trakai with its Lithuanians, Karaites, Tatars, Jews, Russians, Germans and Poles grew up beside the castles and had broad political and commercial links with European towns and their communities and traditions of mediaeval sacral, secular and defensive architecture, secular and religious art and literature. The town had a unique form of self-adminsitration based on Magdeburg Law and from the fifteenth century autonomous Christian and Karaite communities governed their own affairs. Trakai was the centre of a separate duchy in the fourteenth-sixteenth centuries, which stretched to Brest Litovsk in the south (now part of Belarus) and Biržai in the north (close to the modern Latvian border), and it was an important residence of the rulers of Lithuania. Trakai was a favourite grand-ducal residence, an acknowledged centre for political theatre with hunting and diplomatic rituals, ecclesiastical holidays and trade fairs. From the sixteenth century Trakai held a dominant place in a nationwide religious cult. In 1718 Pope Clement XI crowned the wonder-working Trakai icon of Our Lady, which was the focus of pilgrimage for Lithuanians, Poles, Belorussians and Latvians. Alongside Catholic communities Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish and Karaite believers flourished in Trakai. In the seventeenth century the town ceased growing because the natural conditions which had favoured the defensive needs of the mediaeval town now formed an obstacle to economic and urban development during the period of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations (1569-1795), and occupations under the Russian Empire (1795-1917), the Second Polish Republic (1920-39) and the Soviet Union (1940-91). The historical and cultural heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania has been preserved in the town of Trakai. This territory’s life was enhanced not only by historic rulers such as Vytautas the Great (1392-1430) or Casimir (1440-92) but also by other famous figures such as the counts Tyszkiewicz, the Radziwiłł dukes, the Sapiehas, Ogińskis, Gasztolds, the fifteenth-century bishop of Vilnius, Matthew of Trakai (who was also rector of the University of Siena), the Karaite philosopher and divine Isaac ben Abraham of Trakai (1533-94) and the physician-poet Ezra Harofez.

The Open Air Museum of Lithuania in Rumšiškės

The Open Air Museum of Lithuania in Rumšiškės (Kaišiadorys District) is an exposition in the open air. The core exhibits of this museum include dwelling houses, farmstead buildings and folk art monuments transferred from all ethnographic regions of Lithuania, Aukštaitija, Žemaitija, Suvalkija and Dzūkija, and reassembled in a 175-ha area, in a beautiful location near the Kaunas Man-made Sea and Praviena rivulet. Some of the buildings were constructed 200 years ago and earlier. They acquaint visitors with the mode of life as well as housing construction and equipment techniques of people during various periods. 140 buildings are exposed as farmsteads and villages while town’s buildings are grouped around a square. The farmsteads show fences, draw-wells, gardens or parterres. The majority of interior expositions display restored household articles and furniture, cloths, kitchen utensils and tools typical to one or other period. The museum also invites to active expositions where weavers, wood carvers, potters and other craftsmen work.

The museum was founded in 1966. It was opened for visitors in 1974. The length of review excursions is 6 km.

The museum hosts museum collection and individual folk artists’ exhibitions in its exhibition hall.

In the Serres prefecture there are many sports facilities: 8 National Stadiums, 147 Communal gyms, 2 tennis courts, 1 National and 3 private swimming pools, 3 national athletic centers and many more courts and gyms.

There are also 160 athletic societies of football and 31 athletic clubs that deal with various sports: classic athletism, swimming, polo, basket, tennis, volley, wrestling, shooting, skiing, mountain climbing, modern swimming and air sports.

SPORTS

Air Club of Serres

The airclub of Serres formed on 1984. It consists of 80 members of all ages that go in for parapente, mechanical eagle, small air crafts, air modelism e.t.c. It has its own school of training with well known trainers that come from the Greek air sport federation. The airclub of Serres took part in the National team of air sports in the European championship of France (1994), Spain (1995) and Slovakia (1998) and even the Balkan Championship in Sofia of Bulgaria on 1990. The airclub of Serres have also four special grounds tailored for the taking-off of air crafts and parapente in the mountains of Menikio (950m), Pagaio (1100m) and Belles. The air club of Serres is the Greek Championship and the cup of Greece that organizes the Balkan and European games.

Race Track of Serres

 

The motor way of Serres is on south west of the town in a public place of 1000m2 that functions as an athletic park. The race has been built according to athletic events/contests and safety measures of the National Federation, where formula 3 is taking place. The go cart race first functioned on 1995 and it is the biggest of the Northern Greece. It has a length of 1050m and breadth of 8m. The motorway initiated on 1998 and it is the biggest in the Balkans, with a length of 3186m and a breadth 12-15m.

Sports Center of Omonia

 

The athletic park of Omonia is situated in the south side of the city of Serres. In an enchanting green landscape of 30.000 m2 owned by the municipality of Serres. The group supports a lot of sports: courts for football, basket, volley, tennis, Olympic size swimming pool, and winter gym make thousands of the citizens of Serres to visit the athletic park of Omonia. Nearby the athletic park of Omonia is the Go-Kart track and the Race Track of Serres.

Sport Clubs of Serres

There are a lot of Athletic Clubs, Gymnastic Clubs, Football Clubs, Athletic Basketball Clubs, Tennis Clubs, Athletic Clubs ΤΑΕ ΚWON DO, Sighting Clubs, Music and Gymnastic Clubs and Wrestling Clubs

Automobile and Motorcycle Club of Serres

 

The Club was founded in 1975 by a lively nucleus of friends of motor sport. At first, under the name of the Serres Automobile Club, it organised automobile races in which its members participated together with competitors from all over Greece. Soon, however, the club also extended a warm welcome to motorcycles, and it was renamed the Serres Automobile and Motorcycle Club. As an active club in every field it was to become an institution from the first years after its foundation. The dream of a city is finally fulfilled. On the threshold of 2000 the city of Serres joins the select club of European cities which boast racetracks of international standard. The building of the racetrack constitutes an innovative project with great potential to contribute to the development of the modern city. The Serres Race track was formally opened with the hosting of the Panhellenic Automobile Speed Championship, which showed our city to be unique in Greece and the Balkans as having a racetrack built according to international specifications. The City Council and the Serres Automobile and Motorcycle Club collaborate in order that, with the contributions of all of us, Serres can be shown to be a Panhellenic and international meeting point for motor sport.

CULTURE

In the prefecture of Serres there are 350 cultural, educational, traditional-folklore, sport clubs with an important cultural presence and work. The (DEPKA), the (SPE), the (NELE), the Lyceum Club of Greek Womann etc. come first in the formation of come first in the formation of cultural activities and therefore offer a lot to our city.

Cultural Association of Serres

In the center of the town, in the building of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Serres, on the third floor, there is the Cultural Association of Serres (CSS). Cultural Association of Serres occupies a room either for festivals (expositions of historical and folklore books) or as a workroom for painting or as an extra room for the lectures of the Public University.

Lyceum Club of Greek Women

 

The resurgence of Greek customs, the preservation of Greek traditional dances, the music and songs of the Greek traditional uniform, is a difficult effort, as the Greek tradition has to remain untouched. This is a work undertaken by the Lyceum of the Greek Females, which is consists of 43 branches in Greece and 9 abroad. It was formed in 1957 and holds dance divisions as well as departments for the learning of traditional music and instruments. It also has a wide wardrobe with all the traditional uniforms of Greece.

Lyceum participates in many festivals and wins prizes for its excellent traditional dance performance. Some of these prizes are; B’ prize in Neizon of France in 1973, A’ prize in Siatones of France in 1987, and other in the Friendship Festivals in Italy, Germany, Holland, Austria, Belgium, England, Israel, Arabic countries, Australia, Romania, Bulgaria, Spain, and America. Lyceum is also organizing festivals in order to fight against drugs, or other matters like national problems, the care for children etc. For instance, on July 1991 in Filipous there was a festival, the revenues of which were given to the community “Ithaki”( therapeutics community).The title of the festival was “Dance with us for life”, it was concerning the fight against drugs and it was organized by the Lyceums of Greek Females of Kavala, Drama, Xanthi and Serres. Revenues of the festival under the title “come with us because some kids hope in our help”, were given to the kids of the first children’s village of Northern Greece.

Prefectural Association for further Education

The Popular Education is an institute that serves the continuous learning apart of the educational system. The aim is the development of the personality of the citizen, which is independent of the educational level, age or sex, as well as the active contribution in the social, economical and cultural way of living. The district organization of the Popular Education rely on the Prefecture Committies (NELE), independent civil services of the Prefecture’s Local Authorities, while it is under the authority of the General Secretary of Popular Education of the Ministry of Education.

NELE of Serres has the responsibility to design/form and materialize programs that are realized in the municipalities and communities of Serres prefecture. NELE is made up of delegates/representatives of Chambers, Labour Center, Union of Agricultural Co-operatives etc., that have as a president, the Prefect of Serres.

Educational programs are organized and function by the means of learning departments and individual shows, with various subjects, to different groups of people. Public Education is an organisation in charge of educating people of all ages as an aid to the normal educating system. This district organization is supported by the Committees of the prefecture (NELE) and are supervised by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Education. Its functions concern the following sectors; Proffesional Preparation, Cultural subjects, Alphabetism of the minorities, Military Services, Health Education, Help to the elder people. The subjects in the learning seminars, are set by the propositions and demands of social and cultural members, as well as demands of the Local Government. People who participate to each of these seminars should be 8 to 15 the most, and have the age of 15 years or more. The educational responsibility lies on experts/special tutors.

Mental and Cultural Center of the Municipality of Serres

Mental and Cultural Center of the Municipality of Serres is lodged in a modern and newbuilt building that was finished and given in use, from the Serres municipality, in June 1994. It’s a nice building to look at. It is built semi-circularly, and is covered in glass and painted in yellow and blue. The building is a cross-section of the modern architecture. It has four floors in total, exempting the roof garden and the basement which is modified in a way that covers the needs of an exhibition room, with a correct lighting and simple style, so that it doesn’t distract the spectator’s attention from the exposed art works. In the first floor there is a show room that is adequately modified for this purpose. It has a microphonic facilities and air conditioning of a capacity of 100 people. In the second floor there are lodged gym departments. In the third floor there is the administration, the director’s office and the room of the board of directors. In the fourth floor there is the library, the study room, the president’s office and a special press room for press conferences and clubs’ meetings.

Cultural Events

In the whole Prefecture of Serres, many cultural activities are continually organised and meetings and scientific symposiums are accommodated. This strenuous cultural effort in the Prefecture justifies the prediction that Serres is rapidly developing into a cultural centre of Northern Greece.

Mathidiada-Student event

Many secondary school students from all 52 Greek prefectures and Greek expatriate schools participate every year in the “Mathitiada” sports and cultural events held in Proti, Serres Prefecture, usually on May under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE). The events, also described as “Greek Student Olympic Games”, include competition in 35 Olympic Games sports (142 sports finals), 14 Paralympic actions and over 40 cultural events (workshops, exhibitions, happenings). The objective is to help students develop fair play, camaraderie and brotherhood. Greek students are being taught the values of Hellenism and the Olympic ideal. The success of the “Mathitiada” depends to a great degree on over 500 volunteers. Foreign volunteers from Sports Academies in Finland participated for the first time last year. This year’s events saw participation by children from Adelaide, Brussels, New York, Cairo, Istanbul, Rizokarpaso, London, Mariupol, South African cities, Vladikavkaz and Frankfurt among others. Fist time participations come from Sweden, Serbia, Romania, Netherlands, Chile, Canada, Uruguay, Argentina, Czech Republic and Austria.

Theatre in Serres

The Municipal and Regional Theatre of Serres has as fundamental goal the activation of the local cultural potential, the raising of awareness among young people and plays a crucial role for the cultural development of the prefecture. It has a selected repertoire of significant classic and modern plays by Greek and foreign authors.

Various Events Frequency: once a year

Captain Mitrousis

Events in honor of captain Mitrousi

Cultural August - Gefyroudiana

Custom of Gerakina

 

A festivity in memory of Gerakina, a well known singer all over Greece

Custom of Gynaecocracy

A distant recall of the primitive period’s matriarchal spirit

Dervenes

Event with fires

 Feast of rice

 

Feast of wine

 

Festival of Amphipoli

 

During the 5th century BC Amphipolis was the most important city of the region. Since Theseus period the city is called Ennea Hodoi (”Nine Roads”). It was founded by the Athenian colonists in the 437 BC, under the leadership of Hagnon. Famous is the Lion of Amphipolis, a monument symbolising the power of the city during antiquity. it was destroyed by Vrasidas in 422BC and restored in 1936.

O Klidonas

Custom with ancient origin

Orfikoi Antilaloi

 

Ta Anastenaria

Ceremonies such as animal sacrifice and fire-walking

Ta Eleftheria ton Agion

Annual cultural events

The fete of emigrants

Meeting between locals & emigrants, offer of “fasolada” (food with beans)

The killing of the dragon by St. George

 

Festival in honor of St. George

The roads of olive

Briefing and sensitization of big consuming public for the unique goods, the olive and the olive oil, through the projection of their cultural importance but also their alimentary value.

Traditional wrestling

Traditional custom

How the trainees of the Second  Chance School  of Serres spend their free time

As soon as I finish my work in my free time left I call one of my friends and get off for our morning stroll. We sit in a café and start gossiping. Then we ride our cars and go to the internet café where we play games. After 3 hours playing we go home for a couple of sleeping hours. In the evening we start again our car rides and continue with our enjoyment. We usually dance, drink and listen to music at full blast. Finally at about 8 in the morning we start for our houses.  

Peter

  

When the weather is fine usually at weekends my family and I decide to go by Kerkini Lake for a picnic.  There we meet a lot of people who just do the same route. We enjoy the landscape and the various birds that live in the district. We admire the white swans and taste the fresh fish which the local fishermen catch.

Fotini

 

In my free time I like going shopping with my friends and then sit in a café and have a cup of coffee. I also like hiking in the valley of our town where there is a beautiful path which leads to a waterfalls at the foot of a hill.

Athanasia

 

The only free time I have is the weekend. Then I take my 3 little kids for a walk with my friends who come and pick me from my house or we arrange to meet outdoors. First we go to the central square of our town and then we have a meal in Goody’s  fast food restaurant.

Maria

 

In my free time I usually go for a coffee or play football with my friends.

 Kostas P.

 

In the weekends I usually take a ride with my motorcycle or play football with my friends.

Haris

 

I spend my free time by Kerkini Lake drinking coffee with my friends. Afterwards we have a meal in a fish restaurant drinking ouzo and eating fresh fish from the lake. In the evening I return to my village and have beer with my friends. This is the way I spend my free time.

Kiriakos

 

I spend my free time going shopping, because I like it very much. During summer time I usually go with my friends for a coffee or drinks to the Valley. During evenings I like having fun with bouzouki songs especially in the music club called 13 Moons. During winter time I like going skiing to the ski center of Lailias .

Christine

I like my town Serres because its got grade landscapes especially if you are a cyclist and can discover them. There is also motor racing track, where you can also have a good time enjoying the car races. Every Wednesday there is a chance for each cyclist to have a track day.

Giannis

I like staying at home with my family playing different games in our balcony. Sometimes we go for a walk to the central square of our town.

Kostas S.

The largest events in Klaipėda’s cultural life are the summer festivals: the Sea festival, which has been celebrated since 1934, and the Castle Jazz Festival. During these festivals, Klaipėda becomes the so-called “summer capital,” attracting up to a million visitors to more than 100 organized events. For all these years, all of the festival performances have remained free of charge.

Klaipėda will have the honour of being the final port for the 2009 Tall Ships’ Races (July 31-August 03). In addition to this great maritime event, in 2009, all of Lithuania will celebrate the millennium anniversary of the first reference to the country’s name.

From July 22-26, 2009, KlaipÄ—da will have the honour of becoming the 25th city to host the 46th annual “Europeade.” During this outstanding festival, approximately 5000 participants from over 20 countries will represent their cultures through dance, songs, and crafts.

 

 

 

 

Many entertainment activities are offered in Klaipėda: recreational fishing, swimming, diving, yachting, parachute jumps, scenic flights, bowling and billiard clubs, nightclubs, casino, bars, restaurants, and more. For those who love active recreation, the city’s splendid bicycle route is a very good choice. As part of the European Cycle Route network, EuroVelo, this excellent path allows cyclists to reach both Nida and Palanga; two of Lithuania’s finest resorts. Comprising three separate segments, the coastal path of the bicycle route spans 216 km. Cyclists who start their journey in Klaipėda may choose to travel north towards the Latvian border, across the Curonian Lagoon to Kursiu Nerija (Nida), or south along the coast to Rusne Island.

Klaipėda is surrounded by white sandy beaches, natural sand dunes, the Baltic Sea, and the Curonian Lagoon. The 98 km long Curonian Spit is covered in pure, white sand, and boasts having the best beaches in the Baltic region. On December 2, 2000, the Curonian Spit was inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a valuable and unique cultural landscape in the Baltic region.

A very important detail that Lithuania can definitely be proud of is the 6 white sand beaches on the Baltic coastline that have been awarded with a Blue Flag. The Blue Flag Program in Lithuania is run by a non-governmental environmental organization Lithuanian Green Movement which is an active member of Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

An especially unique place in KlaipÄ—da is the Sea Museum and Dolphinarium, where visitors can see concerts and dolphin shows! Also, dolphin therapy is performed for mentally or physically handicapped children in order to improve their physical and emotional health. The Sea Museum, with its great variety of expositions, receives more visitors annually than any other museum in Lithuania.

Many activities in Klaipėda highlight the importance of maritime culture: the summer regattas of yachts and sailing boats, cruise liners docking at Klaipėda’s port, ferries for passengers and freight; all of these things bring us closer to the sea.

 

 

Emmanuel Papas was born in Dovista in 1773, a village which is near Serres and is named now after him. His father Dimitrios, a wealthy notable of the area, was ordained a priest at a very young age and was soon honoured with a high church dignity. That is where the family name “Papas” (= priest) came from. After having received his basic education in his village, Emmanuel Papas moved to Serres in order to finish off his studies in the famous school of Serres. When he graduated from the School he moved back to Dovista where he got married. However, his business acumen brought him back to Serres when trade was really blooming. Soon he became a great Banker and a wholesale merchant, a respectable person even for the Turkish Beys. Papas was soon initiated in the “Society of Friends” (or “Filiki Etaireia” as it is well-known) by John Pharmakis and didn’t have any trouble introducing his four brothers into the Holy war of Independence as well as some of the most notable men of Dovista, who saw to arming the nearby villages.

However, he had to leave Serres because of a severe dispute he had with the Serres’ Bey, and moved to Constantinople, where he had the chance to co-operate better with the members of the ‘Society of Friends’. Meanwhile, his fame concerning his patriotic actions had spread throughout every part of Greece. He had also planned an attempt on the Sultan’s life which finally failed because of betrayal.

When the revolution was proclaimed, Emmanuel Papas left Constantinople and went to Agion Oros where he was welcomed with enthusiasm by the monks and was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Macedonia. As soon as he set up his headquarters in Agion Oros, he took action with his 2,500 men. Meanwhile, a revolutionary movement had broken out in Serres under the direction of the Arch Bishop, soon to be quelled. The city had narrowly escaped devastation and slaughter. That happened on 8th May 1821, the feast-day of John Theologos the Evangelist, who is considered to be the protector and saviour of Serres. So, 14 years later, in 1835, the inhabitants of Serres built the homonymous church in the area of Ano Kamenikia, in his honour. But although the city devastation was avoided, the avenging fury of the Turks broke out in Emmanouel Papas’ family. His wife and children were sent to prison. His property was confiscated and his house was burnt to the ground.

But Papas himself continued the struggle in Halkidiki despite lack of help. While the Turks had started a general attack against the Greeks, Papas kept on appealing to Ypsilantis but nothing happened in the end. His achievements in Kassandra and the disposal of his property didn’t save the revolutionary movement. So after the expedition of Abdul Aboud, the destruction of Kassandra and the subordination of the monks of Agion Oros forced Papas to leave while the Turks were hounding him. He sailed for Hydra but because he was exhausted by the severities and the emotions of his tragic adventure, he died after a heart attack on the boat at exactly the moment that it was sailing round Kafirea. The hero’s body was taken to Hydra where he was buried with the trimmings of a general. In 1843, his name was hung up in the Greek Parliament as one of the protagonists of the Revolution of 1821.

Constantine Karamanlis (1907-1998), president of Greece (1980-85, 1990-95) was born in Serres. A member of parliament in 1935-36, he was reelected in 1946 and held various cabinet posts until Oct., 1955, when he became Greece’s youngest premier. He held that post until June, 1963, except for brief intervals in 1958 and 1961, while his right-wing National Radical Union continued to gain majorities in the general elections. A partisan of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Karamanlis reached (1959) agreement with Great Britain and Turkey over Cyprus. In 1959 he announced a five-year plan (1960-64) for the Greek economy, emphasizing improvement of agricultural and industrial production. After his cabinet fell in 1963, Karamanlis went into exile abroad. He was a vocal opponent of the military junta that seized power in Greece in 1967. In July, 1974, the junta fell, following a disastrous military venture in Cyprus. Karamanlis returned as premier and leader of the New Democratic party, which gained a substantial majority in the elections of Nov., 1974. He began immediately to undo the work of the military government, reestablishing civil liberties and presiding over the restoration of democracy. A plebiscite in Dec., 1975, made Greece a republic and abolished the monarchy. Karamanlis served as prime minister until 1980 and as president from 1980 to 1985. He oversaw Greece’s entry (1981) into the European Community. He held the presidency again in 1990-95, and was succeeded by Kostis Stephanopoulos.

    

 

Vassilis Vafiadis  was born in Thessaloniki in 1953. His father, Hristos Vafiadis, a famous painter from Serres, influenced him profoundly into his relationship with painting. He has a degree from the Department of Management, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki. He is responsible for the organization of the Cultural Programs of the Prefectural Self-Administration in Serres and he is the Director of the Prefectural Society of Culture, Serres. He is a self-taught painter and a member of the Greek Chamber of Fine Arts. He has founded and operated the Art Gallery “ARMOS” in Serres since 1987, where currently he has his atelier. He has shown his work in ’solo’ exhibitions in private and public places. He has participated in group exhibitions in Greece and abroad.

 

 

Glykeria (born Glykeria Kotsoula) is a popular Greek singer. She was born in Agio Pnevma, Serres in 1953.

Glykeria began her career in 1974 working in the Athens Plaka music boites and gave performances with well-known artists, singing songs by M. Hadjidakis, M. Theodorakis, M. Loizos and others. In 1982 she was selected to represent Greece in the Europalia ‘82 festival in Brussels, together with Sotiria Bellou, George Dalaras and Margarita Zorbala. In 1986 she sang “Earini Symfonia” (poem by Yiannis Ritsos, music by Yiannis Markopoulos) for the song’s premier performance, at the opening ceremony of the World Championships held for the first time at the Athens Olympic Stadium, broadcast to 120 countries all over the world. She has sung in concerts in Greece and abroad (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Cyprus, Israel) and Turkey. Due to the successful concerts she gave in Israel she was proclaimed most popular foreign singer; the Mayor of Jerusalem awarded her the golden key of the city (1994). Three albums were released in Israel at the same time, all of them gold in a very short time: Glykeria golden-hits, Far away, Glykeria – 14 classics, and her first album in France: Golden hits – The voice of Greece.

In 1998 her second album was released in France. She took part in two albums for the American label Putumayo and in compilations released in Europe.,She is currently collaborating with world renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis on a two-disc album composed of songs written by the famed composer. Set to release in September 2008, Glykeria has already begun touring to promote the album.

 

 

Angelos Charisteas born  in Strymoniko, Serres is a Greek football striker who currently plays for Bayer 04 Leverkusen on loan from 1. FC Nuremberg. He is a member of the Greece national football team and played in the 2004 European Football Championship, in which Greece was triumphant, scoring the winning goal in the final against Portugal.