Destinations / Peloponnese / Kalavryta
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On the way to Kalavrita, along the Aroaneia (Helmos) mountains, we will take a short stop at the sources of the Ladon River. In Chelmos on our right are the waters of Styx in a difficult accessible area that the program does not allow us to visit.
In the afternoon we reach the town Kalavryta.
Destinations Peloponnese Kalavryta Epos Travel Tours
Kalavryta is built in the place of the ancient Arcadian town of Kynaithi. The name Kalavryta, which according to experts means “good fountains”, seems to have acquired it at the time of the Frankish rule in the 13th century AD, when they were the seat of one of the 12 Baronies of the Principality of Achaia in the Peloponnese, with the first Baron being Othon De Tournay that built the castle on the ruins of the acropolis of ancient Kynaithi. The French version of Chronico of Moreas is referred to the city as Calovrate.
Destinations Peloponnese Kalavryta Epos Travel Tours
Kalavryta was one of the regions of Greece that experienced the most brutal nazi retaliation during the occupation. In December 13, 1943, the Nazi occupation army executed almost the entire male population of Kalavrita and burned the city. For the number of victims and survivors from the 13 December massacre, but for the total number of victims in the region, contradictory numbers have been formulated from time to time. Most reports refer to more than 800 dead. Kalavrita is today characterized as a martyr settlement.
Destinations Peloponnese Kalavryta Epos Travel Tours
Destinations Peloponnese Kalavryta Epos Travel Tours
The “toothed rack rail train” was inaugurated in 1896 and was constructed to connect Diakopto with Kalavrita by rail. It was one of the most difficult projects for its time because of the very difficult terrain, but also the high altitude it reached. In order to overcome these difficulties, the railroad was constructed by the toothed technique in which the train hooks on the rails on the routes where the slope of the terrain exceeds 10%. The railroad crosses the Vouraikos Gorge through its long stretches of tunnels and bridges, covering a total distance of about 22 kilometers. It is still used today for touring one of the most beautiful trains in Europe.
Map of Kalavryta
Grand Classical Tour of Greece
With this epic 10day journey you come in contact with classical Greece, with the legendary Peloponnese, with the glorious cities of Macedonia where Alexander the Great lived before the long and glorious campaign to the East and with the wonderful geological formations of the Meteora of Thessaly that in the late Byzantine period were changed to Christian monastic enclaves.
Tracing the steps of Hercules in the Peloponnese and Delphi – 10 days
Get ready for an amazing 10-day / 9-night, high-end Culture Route program that combines astonishingly the private tour of the impressive Greek Mythology of seven of the twelve tribes of Heracles in the Peloponnese.
