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For 2009 the European Tourist
Destination of Excellence for Greece is the Lesvos prefecture for the lesvos
Petrified Forest protected area. The theme for 2009 of the EDEN project was
''Tourism and protected areas''. The EDEN member states had to choose a
destination, that respects the following general award criteria:
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be “non traditional” (the visitor
density rating from “low” to “very low” in comparison with the national average)
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be based on an area that is part of
the Natura 2000 Network or otherwise designated as a “protected area” by
national or regional legislation
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manage its own tourism offer in
such a way as to ensure its social, cultural and environmental sustainability,
with the management being a partnership between the authorities responsible for
managing the protected area and all those involved in tourism in and around the
area (e.g. tourist service providers, local communities)
WHAT IS EDEN?
 The
European Commission has been running the EDEN "European Destinations of
Excellence" programme since 2006.
The main aim of this
initiative is to draw attention to the value, diversity and shared
characteristics of the European tourist destinations, and promote destinations
where
the economic growth objective is pursued in such a way as to ensure the social,
culturaland environmental sustainability of tourism.
In particular, the aims of
the EDEN are to:
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enhance visibility of the
emerging European tourist destinations of excellence,
especially the lesser known,
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create awareness of Europe's
tourist diversity and quality,
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promoting all European
countries and regions,
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help de-congestion, combat
seasonality, rebalance the tourist flows towards
the non-traditional destinations,
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awarding sustainable forms of
tourism,
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create a platform for the
exchange of good practices at European level,
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promote networking between
awarded destinations which could persuade
other destinations to adopt sustainable tourism development mode.
Each year the member states
choose a destination on a theme basis. The European Commission awards and
promotes the winning destinations of all the participant member states.
Greece has participated so
far in all phases of the EDEN programme: In particular, it participated in the
first phase (2007) whose theme was ''Best Emerging European Rural Destinations
of Excellence''. The winning destination of that year was Florina. Respectively,
the winning destination of the second phase of EDEN (2008) - ''Tourism and local
intangible heritage'', was Grevena. Finally, Lesvos’s Petrified Forest is the
winning destination of the third phase of the EDEN project (2009) - ''Tourism
and protected areas''.
Lesvos: The island of Nature and Culture
 Located
in NE Aegean sea, Lesvos is the third largest Greek island covering an area of
1630 km2 with a population of 100.000 inhabitants. The island is well known for
its antiquities, the medieval castles, its traditional villages, the ancient
olive groves, it’s reach biodiversity and the famous Petrified Forest.
Lesvos is blessed with unspoiled beaches,
traditional villages, pine forests, scenic harbours with traditional restaurants
and very interesting museums. The island is the birthplace of famous people of
art and literature like Sappho and Alkaeo, Pittako, the philosopher Theophrastus,
the singer and guitarplayer Arion, the great painter G. Iakovidis (1853-1932),
the 1978 Nobel prize awarded O. Elytis.
Landscapes and Biodiversity
A large part of the eastern side of the island is
covered by olive groves which blanket the hills and slopes, supported by
impressive dry stonewall terraces. From a distance the border between the silver
grey leaves of the olives and the dark green maquis plants and pines is quite
noticeable. This ecosystem sustains a wealth of birds, reptiles, insects and
mammals.
Lesvos is a main stop in the migration routes for
European birds coming from Africa and has an amazing variety of birds.
The island of Lesvos is a richly endowed land.
Its natural beauties, its climate and its fertile soil have given birth to
people with a profound sense of beauty and harmony, from the depths of antiquity
right up to the present. It is not by chance that even during mythological
times Lesvos was known for its flourishing arts.
Due to its reach biodiversity Lesvos island
includes three protected areas which belong to the European Íetwork Natura 2000,
“Geras gulf and Mt. Olympus GR4110005”, “Kalloni gulf wetlands GR4110004”
and “Petrified forest - Western peninsula GR4110003” In the eastern part of
Lesvos a rather moist climate prevails, in comparison with the rest of the
island. The slopes of Mt. Olympus and the Amalis peninsula dominate the
morphology, while in between them is the tectonic basin of the Gulf of Yera with
impressive steep cliffs on its eastern side. Plants at lower elevations are
typical of Mediterranean maquis plants, characteristically consisting of
evergreen bushes (2-2.5 meters in height) with tough leathery leaves adapted to
the Mediterranean climatic conditions. These plants include holly, mastic, wild
olives, wild pear etc. At higher elevations on the slopes of Mt. Olympus, the
flora changes to plants which have adapted to the more damp and cold climatic
conditions. Myrtle, laurel, maple etc. grow here, as well as cultivated tree
crops rarely found on Greek islands such as the chestnut groves of Agiassos and
cherry, apple and pear orchards.
In the middle part of the island are located the
Kalloni wetland ecosystem covering a huge expanse that includes many smaller
wetlands.They are ecosystems full of salt-pans, rivers, reed bushes, olive
groves and pine forests and a very rare variety of orchids. In the coastal area
around the gulf there are 17 natural and artificial wetlands such as the salt
flats which consist of a very important system that hosts significant numbers of
water birds, both migratory and non-migratory, of international interest. The
area is inundated every spring by birdwatchers from all over the world. Many
rare or protected birds, breed here. Sixty-six species of migratory birds have
been recorded and 68 species of birds live here on a permanent basis including
Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), the Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), the Avocet (Recurvirostra
avosetta), the Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus), the Great White Egret
(Egretta alba), the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), the Black Stork (Ciconia
nigra).
 There is an impressive variety of plant life on
the island including oak trees, wild pistachios, wild roses, walnut, almond, fig
and apple trees as well as herbs like melissa, mint, sage and aniseed. The
Rhododendron luteum, can also be found here, the only place it grows in Europe.
In the western part of the island, where the
Petrified Forest is located, the climatic conditions change and become drier,
the rocks are volcanic and the mountain slopes of Mt. Ordymnos dominate the
morphology of the area.
The flora in this part of the island is typical
of Mediterranean frigana plants. The dominant plants are small round and thorny
bushes between the craggy rocks. This kind of island flora initially seems dry
and bare looking. On closer inspection however the observer will notice a dense
variety of plants and animals. The oak forests are also impressive in this
region. Their acorns, once used for trade, supported the economic life of the
island at one point. This area is also criss-crossed by seasonal streams with
flowering plants growing on their banks. In spring, blooming oleanders and
rhododendrons and light up the region with their pink and yellow blossoms.
Petrified Forest – protected natural monument
 On the western part of Lesvos Island, remains of
fossil plants appear within volcanic rocks. The fossils comprise the well-known
«Lesvos Petrified Forest», which covers an area of 15,000 ha. Within this area,
several unique palaeobotanical sites showing high concentrations of fossilised
tree-trunks have beendiscovered.
The region of the Petrified Forest is
characterized by impressive volcanic geotopes, result of the intense volcanic
activity of the past. This region could be characterized as a window on the
geohistoric development of the Aegean over the past 20 million years.
Scientists researching and studying the Petrified
Forest speak enthusiastically of the rarity and great scientific value of the
monument and repeatedly emphasize the uniqueness of the site.
The Petrified Forest constitutes an entire forest
ecosystem that was fossilised on the spot because of intense volcanic activity.
The large number of fossilised trunks that have remained standing upright, with
their root system fully developed, confirms that the trees were fossilised in
their original position, thus thisis an autochthonous fossilised forest.
 The fossilised trees and the parts of the plants
have been preserved in excellent conditions up to the present. The age of the
forest and the great variety of fossilised plant species that have been found
contribute to its great scientific value, whereas the composition of the
fossilised flora is a particularly
important guide to the climatic conditions, the environment and the geological
conditions at that period.
At the Petrified Forest, we can gather information regarding the plant species
which constituted the island’s flora, findings of the oldest known land mammal
in Greece, Prodeinotherium bavaricum, the climatic and geological conditions
that prevailed in the Aegean area 20 million years ago. In other words, the
Petrified Forest constitutes a unique ‘’testimonial’’ of the geological history
of the Aegean basin over the past 20 million years.
Protection and managment of the Petrified
Forest
Recognizing the great environmental, geological
and palaeontological value of the Petrified Forest of Lesvos, the Greek State
characterized the Petrified Forest of Lesvos as a protected natural monument. In
1995 the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest was founded
aiming the study, protection, exhibition, promotion of this unique natural
monument.
The areas of the main fossil sites were fenced
off, trails were carved and constructed into the terrain, allowing the visitor
to access and view the petrified trunks in the Petrified Forest Park, Sigri Park
and Plaka Park.
 In addition, access roads, parking area, guard
posts, snack bar, kiosks, cobblestone paths, rest points with wooden benches,
stone water fountains and toilet facilitiesvhave been built. Local stone and
wood are the principle construction materials employed for any structures in the
Parks.
A series of trekking paths, which link the
various sites of interest together (fossil sites, volcanoes, natural, cultural
and archaeological monuments), has been created. These trekking networks are
known as “The lava paths”. Along the paths, appropriate rest areas have been
constructed near sites of particular interest (petrified trunks, volcanic
craters, major geological faults, etc.). Interpretation panels provide visitors
with relevant information.
The Petrified Forest Museum
Covering an area of 1600 m2 the Museum includes a
permanent exhibition area, temporary exhibition hall, library, laboratory area,
storage rooms, audio-visual multi purpose room, snack bar, museum shop.
Permanent exhibitions present the evolution of plant life on earth and the
creation of the petrified forest. The flora of the Petrified Forest is presented
with fossil remains of over 40 different species found and identified in the
broader area of western Lesvos. The Museum presents also the impressive
geological phenomena and processes associated with the creation of the Petrified
Forest and the general geological history of the Aegean basin over the last 20
million years.
The visitor of the Petrified Forest can obtain
information at the Natural History Museum in Sigri, decentralized information
pavilion in Eresos village and the Mytilene Information center. A series of
information activities, presentations, guided tours, lectures, scientific
meetings and educational programs as well as cultural events, art exhibitions
and concerts are organized every summer at the Petrified Forest. The Earth
Festival is organized every year July-September offering to the visitors a
variety of indoor and outdoor leisure.
The Agrotouristic Festival is organized every
summer offering
quality local products from the Women cooperatives and promoting the local
culture.
History and Culture
The rich mythology of the island started when the
leader of Lesvos, Makaras, gave the name of his son-in-law, Lesvos, to the
island. During that period the first cities were founded and were named after
Makara's daughters and son, Mytilini, Issa, Antissa, Mithimna, Arisbi and
Eressos. Homer mentions to his poems the island during the first years of the
Trojan War. Researches have shown that the island was inhabited since the
Neolithic period with the presence of a remarkable civilization during the
period of the copper. The island's civilization was influenced by the
neighbouring Troy. The ancient history of the island begun in 546 BC, when the
Persians dominated the island.
After a series of battles and revolutions they
finally managed to set the island free in 472 BC by taking part in the Athenian
alliance. The Athenians and the Spartans later dominated Lesvos. In 88 BC the
Romans dominated Lesvos and after the division of the Roman Empire the island
became part of the Byzantine Empire. During this period there were repeated
attacks by the Slavs and Saracens and Lesvos was plundered by the Venetians and
the Crusaders. In 1354 Lesvos was ceded as a dowry to the Genoese noble, F.
Gattelusi, son-in-law of the Emperor J. Palaiologos. Under the rule of the
Gatelusi family art, education and trade were developed. In 1456 the island was
occupied by the Turks and become part of the Ottoman Empire till
1912, when it was liberated by the Greek navy.
Castles and Archaeological sites
 The Mytilini Castle: The castle located on
the north side of Mytilini and overlooks the city is one of the
largest in the eastern Mediterranean. It's foundations were laid during the time
of Justinian on the ruins of an even older fortification. It has been used and
rebuilt by the Byzantines, Venetians, Genoese and the Turks.
 The Molyvos Castle: The castle that crowns
the heights of the town is from Byzantine times and was
later repaired by Francesco Gattelusi. In terms of majesty and size it is the
second most impressive on the island. During the summer months it is used for
concerts and cultural events.
 The Sigri Castle: This byzantine castle
was renovated in 1757 by the Turks during their occupation of the island. It
sits on a small peninsula above the harbour with
a view of the beach and the town.
Messa Temple : The sanctuary of Messon is
located near Agia Paraskevi. In antiquity it was situated in the middle (centre)
of the island of Lesbos with its name "Messon" originating from the Aeolic type
of the word.The octastyle, pseudo-dipteral, ionic temple of the second half of
the 4th century B.C. has integrated the archaic devotional building and its
supplementary buildings.
The Ancient Theatre in Mytilini: It was
one of the largest in Greece with room for 15,000 spectators, considered on a
par with the theatre at Epidavros. It was built in Hellenistic times. When
Pompei visited the island he was so excited about the theatre that he ordered a
similar one built in Rome.
 The Roman Aquaduct: Near the village of
Moria rise up the impressive arches of the great Roman aqueduct, 26 km long,
supplying Mytilini with water. The remains of this Early-Christian basilica at
Chalinados can be found near Ag. Paraskevi. This church probably constituted the
nave of a small monastery and dates in the second half of the 6th century A.D.
 The Bridge at Kremasti near Agia Paraskevi
village was built at the time of the Gattelusi family, between 1355 and 1462.
Made entirely of stone, the bridge is a wonder of traditional architecture.
Monasteries and Churches
 Many of the old Monasteries of Lesvos are still
in use. Some have become destinations for pilgrimages while others carry on the
spiritual traditions of long ago. Leimonos Monastery, built in 1523 is a large
cluster of buildings between Kaloni and Filia. It is an important spiritual
centre on the island with a museum, a library and social services.
 In Agiassos the Virgin Mary is venerated
and everything revolves around the miracle working icon of the Blessed Virgin
Vrefokratousa and the Church of the Panagia. Another important religious
monument is the Church of Virgin Mary Glykofilousa in Petra, which has been
built on a volcanic neck of Lepetymnos volcano. In the Monastery of
Taxiarches, in Mandamados, which dates back to 1700, the carved icon was
made by a monk using mud and the blood of his fallen comrades after being
miraculously saved by Saracen pirates. Pilgrims came to pray from all over
Greece and abroad.
Ypsilou Monastery is built on the crater
of a dormant volcano. This monastery was built in 1101. It
houses some remarkable gold embroided stoles and bible covers from 1588. From
it's heights you can see the coast of Asia Minor and all of the western portion
of the island.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Greek Tourism Organization:
www.gnto.gr
Region of North Aegean:
www.vorioaigaio.gr
Prefecture of Lesvos:
www.lesvos.gr -
www.lesvoslemnos.com
GO LESVOS: www.golesvos.com
Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest:
www.lesvosmuseum.gr
Petrified Forest of Lesvos – European and Global Geopark: www.petrifiedforest.gr
Lesvos Hoteliers Association:
www.filoxenia.net
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