Zagori (Greek: Ζαγόρι), is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece.
Exploring the stone bridges of Zagori
"One of the most characteristic buildings of Zagori are the stone bridges that are scattered throughout its area and are remarkable examples of its folk architecture. Epirus.
In general, the inaccessibility of the area in combination with the many rivers and streams, especially during the winter months, necessitated the construction of bridges. The golden age of Zagori allowed wealthy families to finance expensive and sometimes unsuccessful village connection projects. Today, of the 93 stone bridges (recorded), 60 are in very poor condition and there are testimonies of another hundred that have been destroyed.
Single-arched Bridge of Kontodimos, Lazaridis
The bridge of Kontodimos or Lazaridis is located at the exit of the ravine of "Vikakis", just outside the village of Kipoi, Zagori. It was built in 1753 by Tolis Kontodimos from Vradeto who was the interpreter of the French embassy in the city. It got its second name from the owner of the mill (Lazaridis) who was nearby.
  • Length: 20m.
  • Height: 7,8m.
  • Width: 2,9m.
Folklore
Above the bridge there is a rock called "Kandila", because of a folk legend: In 1853, robbers burned the church of Kipi and stole its icons. Among the icons was that of Agios Konstantinos and Agia Eleni. Since then, every night on the eve of the feast of the Saints, a candelabra was presented, hung from the rock to the bridge. Eventually the Koukouliotes found the images hidden near the river and since then the candelabra has stopped appearing."
source : Greek Radio
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Bridge of Kontodimos or Lazaridis
"The stone bridge of Kontodimos also known as the bridge of Lazaridis, was built in 1753 with a donation of Tolis Kontodimos from the village of Vradeto who was an interpreter for the French embassy in Constantinople. Its second name comes from Kostas Lazaridis, a teacher in Koukouli and owner of a mill, located near the bridge. This watermill was used by the people of Kipi, Koukouli, Kapesovo and Vradeto in order to grind the wheat. The bridge is located in the gorge of Mikros Vikos near the village of Kipi in Central Zagori and connects the village of Kipi with Koukouli. It can be reached easily via a stone-built path.
The bridge attracts many visitors. Recently climbing routes have been designed on the rock next to the bridge and many climbers visit the area."
source : AllOfGreece
I am attaching a number of photos of this landmark, with the
most important to me
being the very first one.
It is a stunning photograph by
George Digalakis
, which I found on a
Twitter post
and immediately saw the beauty and poetry in the image deserved to be a new Slowly stamp for Greece.
The perfect reflection of the bridge on the creek's water surface, the texture of the rocks, this is wonderful and I think it's perfect for a memorable stamp design,
Thank you for your attention and support.