…ideal tourist destination for visitors all year round…
The Thermaikos Municipality stretches over 50 km of coastline to the east of the city of Thessaloniki. It has over 10 regulated crystal clear beaches, 2 Natura regions (Epanomi and Angelochori lagoons) with 178 rare and protected bird species and in excess of 2500 plant species, archaeological discoveries, which date to the 4th – 5thcenturies BC and churches dating from 1110-1865 AD. It is a stone’s throw from the “MAKEDONIA” airport (just 15 km) and is an ideal tourist destination for visitors all year round.
Sea and sun
The best known beaches are “Potamos”, “Fanari”, “Ageladariko”, “Angelochori Beach”, “Agia Triada Beach”, “Baxe Beach”, “Perea Beach”, which are bustling with beachgoers in the summer months enjoying a swim with a view of Mt Olympos and the Thermaikos Maiden.
Gastronomy
The traditional Mediterranean cuisine in the region of our Municipality remains alive and is a point of attraction for gastronomic visitors. Fresh fish is the trademark of Thermaikos Municipality.
Natura regions
These two particularly significant regions in the marine coastal zone of the Thermaikos Gulf with wetland habitats that have been included in the Natura 2000 Network constitute the Epanomi and Angelochori Lagoons. A number of bird species are accommodated in the region, while its seabed is strewn with grasslands of the protected “posidonia oceanica” species, which are also known as the “Fields of Posidonia”.
At “Kritziana” in Epanomi, a region between Epanomi and N. Irakleia is the Metochi of Agia Anastasia, one of the few surviving monuments in the Medieval Kritziana settlement.
The fortification of the region commenced in the 19th century, since it was of strategic significance to the defence of Thessaloniki (entry point to the Bay). Amongst the surviving fortifications in the region is the Angelochori Lighthouse, which is situated at the edge of Megalo Emvolo (kara-bournou) and has been classified as aProtected Recent Monument of Industrial Heritage and is included amongst the 25 heritage lighthouses of Greece.
The oldest discoveries in the region are the tomb mounds at Ancient Aenea, a city that is mentioned by Strabo and which is identified in the geographical region of Ν. Michaniona, to the northwest at “Toumpa-tympia” Beach.
Old Churches
At the Thermaikos Municipality there are three aisled, early Christians and Basilicas churches dated on 17th century such as Church of Pammegiston Taxiarchon (N. Kerasia), Church of the Repose of the Virgin Mary (Epanomi), Church of Agios Georgios (Epanomi), Church of Konstantinos and Eleni (Mesimeri), Ai Nikolas (Fanari Epanomis), Church of Panagia Faneromeni (Ν. Michaniona)
Wine Museum
Visitors can admire a range of 28 rare handmade hand operated grape presses - presses (18th – 20th centuries), which have an international wine and museum peculiarity. The collection of wine bottles (16th – 20th centuries) shows their evolution over time and includes one of the first wine bottles that were produced in 1520. The museum also exhibits amphorae from the Byzantine years, barrel making tools (19th – 20th centuries), winery chemistry equipment (19th – 20th centuries), barrel taps (18th century), secateurs, sprinklers, manual corking machines (19th – 20th centuries) and a variety of other old viticulture, winemaking and bottling machinery and tools.
The most significant section in the museum is the collection of wine bottle openers, which is the only collection in all of Greece and one of the rarest in the entire world –it is ranked in the best 10 worldwide – due to its number as well as the rarity of many bottle openers. There are approximately 3000 bottle openers that date from the 18thcentury.