The Bridge of Koiladi  

In the semi-mountainous zone, in the drainage basin of the confluent of Velos, we find village Koiladi. A few meters after its last houses, the banks of a stream that locals call Tsavaleriotiko, are connected by a single-arched stone bridge. In 1905, after several floods that had destroyed the wooden bridges until then, the Islamized residents of Valaades decided to erect one made of stone. The project was assigned  to artisans from Polykastano, who constructed deep foundations on the two opposing rocks and asked of the inhabitants to sacrifice an animal there, to ensure the stability of the bridge. The residents first proposed a rooster and then a sheep, but the artisans declined both offers, as they had their eyes set on the Hodja’s three-month old fatted calf that grazed nearby. Not wanting to reveal their true intentions, they announced that the river itself would decide what sacrifice it really desired. So, they waited for a rainy day and hearkened the buzz of water in the gorge. The sound resembled the bellow of a calf and thus the residents were convinced that the calf had to be sacrificed. In half a month the construction of the bridge had been concluded and it proved to be quite durable in the passage of time. For its construction, asbestos from location Paliokoulia of Polykastano was also used.

Its length is 15 meters and it even serves vehicles, as it is part of the road leading to Anthousa. Its width is 2 meters and its height 6.5 meters. During the summer months, vegetation covers it to such a degree that it renders it almost inconspicuous. A watermill also used to operate close by.