It was identified with the national resistance and the civilian war, the immigration and the abandonment, the “decline” and the desolation, however it maintained intact his environmental and architectural wealth: stone made villages, stone bridges, waterfalls, and dense forests.
Info Kiosks
The “Door of Pindos”, as call it, came out from the isolation thanks to Egnatia Road, however its unknown parts become henceforth accessible thanks to the national program “Pindos” that reveals its ecological, historical and cultural treasures. Five old paths and five new peripatetic routes that were engraved open progressively streets not only for new climbers but also for simple walkers, for exploring, discovering the history and the beauties of an unknown, in the wider public, Greece. Additionally, with the most modern electronic means of mapping: Geographic Information System (GIS), maps in digital form, info Kiosks, on-line meteorological forecast for each region, small photovoltaic on big corridors in places of attitude or camp, three-dimensional depictions, web page. The natural monument and the architectural heritage in Voio and Askio brings in light the “Network of Peripatetic Paths in the Prefecture Kozani - Growth of Alternative Forms of tourism”, a project that is undertaken by the Environmental Technology Laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of University of West Macedonia (UOWM) in cooperation with the Prefecture of Kozani, the Ecological Movement of Kozani and ‘’Arktouros’’.
The mixed peripatetic network, of 120 km length, includes ten footpaths that will connect 40 semi-mountainous and mountainous villages. They are called ‘’Chestnut villages’’ or “Mastoroxoria”, which were built by craftsman from Pentalofos.
Rare biotopes
Ancient and new routes between the dense vegetation of Voio, covered at 85 - 90% from deciduous and evergreen trees, lead to infrequent deer and bear biotopes, to beauties of Pramoritsa- tributary of Aliakmonas River, to stone bridges (the larger is of 50m), to historical monasteries and churches of 1800’s. Five footpaths of 50 Km which were reconstructed are ready to be visited, explains the scientific project officer of UOWM, Prof. John Bartzis. From Voio, clarifies, the international paths E4 and E6 pass through, the national 03, the historical path that women of Pindos followed in order to supply munitions, the footpaths that the cattle-breeders used and had disappearred because of the abandonment. “New ways on old and tried out routes with modern ways of alternative tourism (hiking, bicycle, soft mountainous sports etc.)’’, reported the environmentalist of UOWM, Mr. Nikos Koziakis.
The project, with a budget of 400.000 euro, is expected to be finished in 2011.
Source : The Daily (newspaper)
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