Pangeo

Pangaio mountain, also known as the "golden mountain", is located on the northwest side of Kavala prefecture. It is 40 km long and 20 km wide. The highest peaks are Pilaf Tepe (1,870 meters) and Koshnitsa or Mati ("the eye", 1,956 meters). According to the myth, the mountain is named Pangaios, son of the Thracian god of war Ares and Kritovouli. It is a magical mountain with rich forests of beech, fir, flat, chestnut and oak. Water runs in abundance in its water resources. The beautiful and colorful hillsides create a beautiful landscape that has a long history. Such example are the theaters of Dionisio where his followers used to look for the "ecstasy" (exaltation of the soul), as well as several ways to connect with him. The oldest opinions about the immortality of the soul were perceived in this place. Over the years, the cult of the ancient Greek god Dionysus was replaced by Christianity. The church of Panagia Eikosifoinissa is located on the east side of the mountain, at a height of approximately 600 meters. The ecstasy and the mystery of the imposing nature combine with the sanctity you will feel if you visit the monastery.

However, since antiquity, Mount Pangeo has been a focus of attraction due to its mining. The Pangeo mines, located in Thrace, produced more than 37 tons of gold every year for King Philip II (359-336 BC). Philip II organized the mines of Pangeo in a wonderful way, since they have worked in the center of the mining activity the Krinides, which has changed the name to Philippi. It even improved the purity of the gold in about two years, since it improved the methods. Its exploitation continued until the last king of Macedonia, Perseus. In the case of the children, materials such as white marbles, plaster, chalk, ocher, manganese, asbestos and lignite were also found.

In general it has been found 9 registered mining areas, the areas found are Αγία Τριάδα (Holy Trinity), 

η Μαυροκορφή (Makrokorfi), η Νεροστριά (Nerostria), οι Ασημότρυπες (Asimotrypes), το Τρίκορφο 

(Trikorfo) και το Αβγό (The Egg ), in the western part it is found (The New Breed) and Ofrynio. 

And in the southeast area, where mining is in the red earth. The discovered mining is more complicated

 to give a date, but all this mining is oriented to gold, silver, copper, lead and iron. And the main tools

 used to extract these metals were the hammer and the chisel. In other places where the softness was 

required, the wedge was used. Mainly all the activity was underground, and in a lesser case it was on 

the surface through tunnels. The largest mining activity was located in Asimotrypes, which was exploited 

since antiquity in Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman times, and currently by the company Iliopoulos in the

 70s.

In the red earth region, located in the former Kokkinochoma mine, there are currently a total of 206m 

of corridors. The average height of the corridors is from 1.5m to 2.6m, and they are located in the areas

 where gold grains were identified, with a size from 5 to 80mm. Silver and copper were also found.

In the mining area of ​​the Holy Trinity, located near the "Forest Village Hotel", the perforated entrance

 in marble is 1.80X1.47m. It is rectangular, measures 92m and the ore that was extracted was gold and

 silver. While in the mining area of ​​Mafrokorfis, only gold was extracted.

In the mining area of ​​El Huevo, it is located on the highest peak of Pangeo, and where you can find an

 old underground gallery, and two modern mining gallery, in addition to four caves. This zone is 

strongly oxidized and is composed mainly of goetite, malachite and azurite. The materials extracted in

 this area are mainly copper, arsenic and zinc. On the other hand, in the Trikorfo peak, where gold and

 silver grains were extracted, where the content of the extraction exceeded 100ppm.

The Asimotrypes is the most well-known mining area of ​​all the Pangeo, since from the antiquity it has

 been an area of ​​mining exploitation of the towns of the mountain. The name is related to silver. The 

mining area is located in a steep valley around 1,300m. It has found 11 subterranean mining galleries,

 and 3 modern and 8 old. At a lower altitude of Asimotrypes, is Nerostria Nikisiani. In the area of ​​New

 Breed and Ofrynio, the gold content of the region is low, while that of silver is somewhat higher.

Countless visitors come to the Pangaio mountain to admire its beauty, to feel the serenity of the landscape and, of course, to practice various activities. There is a ski resort for winter sports fans at the highest peak of the mountain, while a little further down is the Pangaio Forest Village, where you can rent a room and taste delicious dishes at local restaurants. There are also many mountain huts on their peaks, where you can find accommodation and discover the area.