Stone Bridges of Achladochori

Achladochori, between Sidirokastro and the border with Bulgaria, is a settlement with a population of approximately 500 inhabitants and is famous for its characteristic stone-arched bridges inside and outside the village. They are monuments of a bygone era when they used to connect the banks of the Krousovitis and Belitsa rivers so that the inhabitants could get to the pastures, the fields, and the surrounding villages by moving through the rough gorges created by the two rivers, today they stand as architectural monuments and attract visitors who admire the folk architecture made by the locals and the craftsmen from Epirus who built them, as well as the lush nature that is watered by the rivers and is a great opportunity for hiking and rejuvenation.

In Krousovitis visitors will find the bridge of Agios Archangelos (or Holy Archangels), named after the neighboring church, the bridge of the Agora in the center of the settlement, the 12-meter bridge of Kuceivets and the one of Gerkas (or Girkas or Picklas), which is 11.5 meters long and was built in 1868. Also the bridge of Pitsour, built in 1871, and the bridge of Samokva, two kilometers outside the village.

On the Belitsa stream, there is the large bridge and the Pechceta bridge, 18 meters long, the bridge of Mouvitsa (or Touvoutsitsa), while the largest is the two-arched bridge of Kato Belitsa and the single-arched bridge of Ano Belitsa (or Tziogola), 23 meters long.

Achladochori is 117 kilometers (about 1.5 hours drive) from Thessaloniki and 51 kilometers from the city of Serres.