Kifisos (Boeotia)

Kifisos (Κηφισός)
Course of the river in central Greece
Data
location	Central Greece ( Fokida , Fthiotida and Boeotia )
River system	Kifisos
source	at Lilea; highest source river in the Giona massif
Source height	300  m
muzzle	Yliki Lake Coordinates: 38 ° 25 ′ 56 "  N , 23 ° 14 ′ 43"  E 38 ° 25 ′ 56 "  N , 23 ° 14 ′ 43"  E
Mouth height	90  m
Height difference	210 m
Bottom slope	3.5 ‰
length	60 km
Catchment area	2420 km²
Left tributaries	Kanianitis, Livadorrachis, Apostolias, Xirorema, Melanas
Right tributaries	Agorianitis, Melanas, Erkyna
Small towns	Orchomenos
The Kifisos at Orchomenos in a painting by Edward Dodwell (1821)

The Kifisos ( Greek Κηφισός even Kifissos Κηφισσός, Boeotian Kifissos Βοιωτικός Κηφισός, formerly Mavroneri Μαυρονέρι or Fokikos Φωκικός, ancient Greek Κηφισσός Cephissus ) is the main river of the Greek landscape Viotia . It is about 60 kilometers long and flows through parts of the regional districts of Fthiotida and Boeotia.

The Kifisos arises from the union of several spring streams, the main source has been a spring pond on the northern slope of Mount Parnassus near the village of Lilea, which belongs to the municipality of Delfi in Fokida , since ancient times . Pausanias describes the water gushing out of the ground with a loud noise around noon. The river god Kephissus was worshiped here by the inhabitants of ancient Lilaia . The Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Greek: Paliapanagia, Panagia Eleousa or Panagia Mavromandila ) is located at this spring pond .

The river at Livadia

The Kifisos initially flows northeast. Soon after the source, much longer streams flow to it, from the south from the Parnassus of Agorianitis (Αγοριανίτης), from the west from the Giona Mountains of Kanianitis (Κανιανίτης), the Livadorrachis (Λιβαδόρραχης) and the Apostolias . After around five kilometers, the river turns to the southeast, absorbs the waters of the Xirorema (Ξηρόρεμα) coming north of the Kallidromo and forms a fertile valley in the further upper reaches between the mountain ranges of the Parnassus and the Kallidromo . About three kilometers north of the city of Amfiklia , the Kifisos passes a narrow valley, further southeast passes the village of Kato Tithorea and enters the plain around the village of Cheronia in Boeotia , at the site of ancient Chaironeia . North of Cheronia it turns to the east and flows towards the city of Orchomenos , where it originally flowed into the Kopaïs Lake ( modern Greek Κωπαΐδα Kopaida ), which had no above-ground drainage and in ancient times was also called Kēfissis ( Κηφισσίς ) after the river . This lake was drained in the 19th century and the Kifisos was diverted to the nearby Yliki lake . Since then he has been irrigating the extensive fields of the Kopaida plain. Further tributaries in the lower reaches are the Platanias, the Erkyna and the Melas or Melanas, which originally flowed into the Kopais Lake and today irrigates the fields of the plain in numerous canals.

The Kifisos system, together with the Yliki and Paralimni lakes, make up the Natura 2000 area Limnes Yliki ke Paralimni - Systima Viotikou Kifissou .

The river gained historical importance through the Battle of Kephissos on March 15, 1311.

Web links

• Description on viotikoskosmos.wikidot.com (Greek)
• Description on the website of the Greek Ministry of Agriculture ( Memento from January 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Greek)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pausanias 10:33 ( [1] online engl.)
2. ↑ Description of the sights on the website of the former parish Parnassos (Greek) . www.parnassos.gov.gr. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 2, 2011. 
3. ↑ Boeotia , in: William Smith: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, illustrated by numerous engravings on wood, London (Walton and Maberly) 1854
4. ↑ Η ΛΙΜΝΗ. In: org-kopaidos.gr. Archived from the original on September 16, 2010 ; Retrieved January 26, 2015 (Greek, portrait of Lake Kopaida). 
5. ↑ Natura 2000 area GR4220011, Greek  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ NATURA 2000 STANDARD DATA FORM - GR2410001 LIMNES YLIKI KAI PARALIMNI - SYSTIMA VOIOTIKOU KIFISOU. Retrieved January 26, 2015 .