Byzantine Watermills
Three of the twelve watermills of the Byzantine watermill system are preserved.
Modern and Contemporary era (1912 - )
1996 Excavations and renovation as a park began.
2009 The open-air theatre began to operate.
2018 The latest renovation of the space in designs by Olympia Hatzopoulou and associates.
Ottoman era (1453- 1912)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
This is a little known monument and is a rare example of industrial archeology. In this area, we see a system of Byzantine watermills. More of them existed along the stream of Mount Chortiatis. The configured area includes an open-air theatre of 500 seats, exhibition stands and a café. The latest renovation aimed at a) adapting the modern structures to the natural landscape (e.g. the wooden steps of the theatre), while respecting the Byzantine monuments and b) the alternation of the landscape with stone steps to hold the soil.
What I can't see
The Byzantine Empire considered watermills a highly important property, as the annual tax for each of them was very high. The main stream of Chortiatis flows into the area of Dendropotamos, but there are tributaries. One of them crossed the city diagonally, from N.W. to N.E. and ended up in the sea moving many mills in its path, with the most important ones being at the flour market. Today, the cultural area of the watermills hosts several events and the Festival of Byzantine Watermills takes place every late summer.
Bibliography
https://parallaximag.gr/agenda/events/metamorfonontai-se-periastiko-parko-oi-vyzantinoi-neromyloi
Last visit 19/2/2021
Karamitsios G., (2017), Θεσσαλονίκη, 100 μικρές ιστορίες, [Thessaloniki, 100 little stories] Ιanos
Hekimoglou E., (2001), Τα μυστήρια της Θεσσαλονίκης, [Mysteries of Thessaloniki], Thessaloniki: University Studio Press
Open House Thessaloniki, (2019), Βυζαντινοί Νερόμυλοι, [Byzantine Watermills] OHTh
