Antichasia
| Antichasia (Αντιχάσια) | ||
|---|---|---|
| height | 1416 m (Mount Oxya (Οξυά)) | |
| location | Greece ( Western Macedonia , Thessaly ) | |
| Mountains | Pindos Mountains | |
| Coordinates | 39 ° 45 '45 " N , 21 ° 55' 50" E | |
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The Antichasia ( Greek Αντιχάσια ; alternative transcriptions: Andichasia and Antichassia ) are a group of mountains in the Greek regions of Western Macedonia and Thessaly with a maximum height of 1416 m (Mount Oxya). They are assigned to the eastern foothills of the Pindos Mountains.
geography
The Antichasia Mountains limit the western Thessalian plain, which is formed by the valley of the Pinios river and its tributary Litheos from Kalambaka to Trikala , to the north: this makes the western Thessalian plain to the southern and southwestern borders of the Antichasia Mountains. The river Litheos, which rises in the Antichasia Mountains themselves, delimits the southern part of the Antichasia Mountains from the western Thessalian plain. After the confluence of the Litheos in the Pinios east of Trikala, the Pinios now forms the southern boundary of the Antichasia Mountains. These extend east to the valley of Farkadona as the southeasternmost point of the Antichasia Mountains. To the east of this valley are the Zarkou Mountains ( Ori Zarkou ). The valley of Farkadona limits the Antichasia to the east to its end at the village of Diaselo . At Diaselo, a pass between the Antichasia in the west and the Ori Zarkou in the east leads into the valley of the upper reaches of the Titarisios river to the village of Vlachogianni . The upper reaches of the Titarisios together with its valley bounds the Antichasia to the east and northeast to the confluence of the brook, which, coming from the west from the village of Kranea Elassonas, flows into the Titarsios. This body of water forms a basin in its course up to its source near Deskati . This valley basin is flanked in the north by the Kamvounia Mountains and in the south by the Antichasia. To the west of Deskati, the small tributaries of the Aliakmonas and the plain formed by them before the breakthrough of the Alikamonas between the Kamvounia Mountains and the Vourinos Massif to the east, delimit the Antichasia Mountains in a north-westerly direction. The Antichasia Mountains continue over a pass to the northwest into the Chasia Mountains in the Grevena regional district. The further boundary of the Antichasia Mountains to the west and south-west is formed by the Ion (Mourganis) river , which flows into the Pinios at the village of Mourgani .
The Antichasia Mountains have an east-west diameter of 40 to 50 km and a north-south diameter of 30 to 38 km. The highest point, the Oxia with a height of 1416 m, lies on the eastern boundary of the massif through the valley of the upper reaches of the Titarisios. The peaks on the south-eastern foothills of the Antichasia northwest of Farkadona reach a maximum height of 831 m.
Several rivers have their source in the Antichasia Mountains. Without exception, they drain in the Pinios. The largest river of the Antichasia is the Ion (Mourganis) in the west of the massif. The Litheos arises more south than the Ion and divides the Antichasia into a western and a southern branch. The latter is limited to the east by the Neochoritis , the source of which is located a few kilometers east of that of the Litheos. The Titarisios in the east is fed by numerous small tributaries, which arise from the eastern flank of the Antichasia.
The Meteora rocks in the northern and eastern surroundings of Kalambaka are also counted among the Antichasia Mountains , although they are regarded as a single mountain group due to their morphological peculiarity.
history
In addition to the outstanding cultural and historical importance of the Meteora monasteries, the areas bordering the Antichasia Mountains, in particular the Thessalian plain, were already settled in ancient times. Examples of such settlements are the city of Farkadon at the exit of the Neochoritis from the mountains and the city of Pellineon west of Farkadon and east of the current town of Taxiarches. The ancient city of Ereikinio (Erikinio) is located on the eastern foothills of the Antichasia in the valley of the upper reaches of the Titarisios, the ancient city of Malloia (Mallia) further north in the same valley on the northeastern tip of the Antichasia.
population
The Antichasia Mountains lie at the intersection of three regional districts: Larisa in the east and north, Trikala in the south and west and Grevena in the north. Larger towns, excluding the city of Kalambaka , are:
- Verdikoussa in the Larisa regional district, which is only a short distance east-northeast of the main summit Oxia,
- Ichalia in the valley of Neochoritis in the southeast,
- Koniskos south of the source of the Ion, north of the source of Litheus and northwest of the source of Neochoritis.
Cities like Kalambaka and especially Trikala as well as larger towns like Rizoma, Vasiliki, Paleopirgos, Megalochori, Taxiarches and on the southeastern tip Farkadona can be found especially on the border of the Antichasia Mountains to the western Thessalian lowlands. On the northern boundary are the localities Deskati at the foot of the Kamvounia Mountains and Kranea Elassonas.
traffic
The Antichasia Mountains are surrounded all around by Greek national roads. In the west, coming from the north-west from Metsovo or Panagia, the national road 6 ( European route 92 ) runs along the Pinios valley via Kalambaka to Trikala in the south-east. From Trikala, the national road 6 runs east via Megalochori and Farkadona to Larisa north of the course of the Pinios. In the north-west and north the national road 26 runs via Deskati and Kranea Elassonas exactly along the north and north-west limits of the Antichasia Mountains. In the east, the national road 3 ( European route 65 ) runs from Elassona to Vlachogianni at a distance of a few kilometers . From there, however, it swings east to reach Tyrnavos. From October 2007, construction work will begin on Autobahn 3 ( Odos Kendrikis Elladas ), which will lead along the route of National Road 6 from Panagia to Autobahn 2 ( Egnatia Odos ) via Kalambaka to Trikala (and on to Lamia ).
literature
- Thessaly / Epirus. 1: 250,000. Road Editions, Athens. ISBN 960-8481-17-1 .
- Marco Polo Greece road map. 1: 750,000. MAIRDUMONT, Ostfildern; Edition: running until 2008 (January 2005). ISBN 3-8297-3020-9 .