Sidirokastro

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Sidirokastro

• Sidirokastro is 18 km far from Greek-Bulgarian
  boundaries and 100 km from the city of
  Thessaloniki. The imposing rock with the
  Byzantine castle in the center, the natural
  beauty and the hospitality of the local people
  are the main features of the town. It has idealy
  been situated for daily trips to Kerkini Lake, to
  the strong point Roupel, to the town of Serres,
  to the skiing snow center, Lailia and to the
  famous Alistratis Caves together with several
  monasteries and other historical sites.

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History
Sidirokastro's history reaches a long way back in
time. There are Palaeolithic ruins here, and
references to the area are found in Homer and
Herodotus. Its ancient inhabitants migrated to
Sidirokastro from the island of Limnos. The
area's first inhabitants were of the Sintian
tribe, after which Sintiki Province is named.
Sintiki is one of the provinces of the Serres
Prefecture, of which Sidirokastro is the capital.
A landmark in the area's history is the 1014 AD
decisive battle in the course of the
Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars that took place at
Sintiki's Roupel (battle of Kleidion), to the
north-west of Sidirokastro. The Byzantine army
led by Emperor Basil II defeated the Bulgarians
under the command of Emperor Samuil. Basil II
blinded 14,000 Bulgarian soldiers after the
battle and sent them back to Bulgaria. After this
atrocious act, Basil II and went down in history
as Voulgaroktonos, the "Bulgar Slayer". On
September 20, 1383, Sidirokastro was overtaken by
Ottoman forces and remained under their rule for
529 years. Its name was changed to "Demir Issar".
In 1912, Sidirokastro was captured by the
Bulgarians under general Georgi Todorov. The
Greek army took Sidirokastro on September 21,
1918. In April 1941, after the surrender of the
Roupel stronghold and the German army's invasion
of Greece, the Bulgarian army recaptured
Sidirokastro. The Bulgarians left in 1944 and
Sidirokastro's control returned to Greece.
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Sidirokastro's population is a blend of
indigenous people and descendants of the early
20th century waves of refugees from Asia Minor
(people who sought asylum in Greece from the wars
and conflicts of that period). Sidirokastro took
in refugees from Melnik in 1913 from East Thrace
(European Turkey) after the 1922 onslaught that
followed the Greco-Turkish Wars in Asia Minor
from Pontus, Vlachs and people from all over
Greece.
The town's greatest annual festival is on 27
June, celebrating the area's liberation from
Ottoman rule in 1913. It is an anniversary the
locals celebrate with reverence, emotion and
pride.
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The town is divided into two sections, which are
connected by picturesque bridges. The oldest and
most romantic of these are Stavros and Kalkanis.
The landscape is made even prettier thanks to the
Maimouda rivulet and its miniature bridges.
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The Sidirokastro Hot Springs have a temperature
of 45. They are just outside the town to the
north, near the Strymonas River railway-bridge,
on a hill that offers panoramic views of the
area. Thousands of people go to these hot springs
every year, both for recreation or therapy,
especially since the recent renovation of the
area's tourist facilities. There are more hot
springs in Thermes and in Angistro
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There are quite interesting sights to be found in
Sidirokastro, such as the ruins of the Byzantine
castle, the Agios Dimitrios church that is carved
in rock, and the quaint bridges over the
Krousovitis River.
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The Issari Fort, built by Emperor Basil II.
Standing 155 metres tall, it towers over the
town's northwest side. The town owes its name to
this fort "Sidirokastro" means "iron castle" in
Greek, as does "Demir Issar" in Turkish.
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Waterfalls - nature
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Caves in Sidirokastro
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