Palaiochori is a village that is located on the northern
slope of Mount Pangaion. To the east of Paleochori are the ruins of a castle,
known as the "Alexander Castle" or "Vannokastro". This
place is 26 km from Kavala and 10 km from Eleftheroupolis.
This castle was originally built to exploit the gold and
silver mines that were in the area and financed the campaign of Alexander the
Great (356 BC-323 BC), however the castle was abandoned when the deposits were
depleted. During Roman times, it was used as an outpost. And again in 1185 AD,
with the incursions of the Slavs in the Balkans, the Byzantine general Alexios
Vranas rebuilds the castle, strengthens its fortifications and manages it. This
time, its function is to control and supervise the passage that was created
between the Pangaio mountain range and Lake Prairie, which covered the current
plain of Philippi. It was then when the "Castle of Alexandros" was
renamed "Vannakastro".
As every year, on March 4 at the Festival of Agio
Theodoroi, the Cultural Association of Paleogei and the Municipality of Paggeio
organized an ascent to the "Castle of Alexandros" or
"Vannakastro" located in Paleochori in the municipality of Paggeio. A
tradition that has centuries. On the acropolis of the castle is the small iconostasis
of Agios Theodoros, which was held and celebrated every year with reverence by
the priests of the village, who ascend with the world to honor the Saint.
Afterwards, the Cultural Association of Paleochori offers
visitors a variety of delicacies, wine and tsipouro. It is an amazing day and
everyone enjoys the lovely route and the wonderful views. On the one hand, you
can admire the beautiful Paggaio and the town of Paleochori and, on the other
hand, the plain of Philippi and Mount Falakro. Something that surprised me was the color of the
rocks, they seemed to shine! There seemed to be silver on the walls of the
mountain and on the way.
Surely if you find yourself at such a time in the area,
it is worth climbing up to this castle. You can make your own trip (up to a
point by car), you do not have much difficulty just walk, and surely the castle
with its "secrets" and stories will compensate you. One of them is
related to the cave on the west side of Vannakastro, which is open to
discontinuities and limestone ruins. The cave has a depth of 40 - 50 m. The
entrance to the cave is essentially composed of a small karstic duct with a
diameter of approximately 60 - 70 cm. According to local stories, in this cave
there is a monster that takes away everyone who approaches the castle. Another one of
the stories is related to the mother of Alexander the Great, and that is that
they raised coffee to the castle in a transport similar to a gondola lift. It
is interesting to know this kind of stories.
The castle is open to the public and you can climb to
contemplate the views. To be able to visit it, comfortable clothes are
recommended, since to get to the castle you have to walk the mountain for quite
some time. To visit this place you can reach this village from Kavala by bus.
You can check the bus hours here:
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