Mitsikeli

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Mitsikeli (Μιτσικέλι)
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height 1810  m
location Epirus , Greece
Mountains Pindus
Coordinates 39 ° 43 ′ 0 ″  N , 20 ° 54 ′ 0 ″  E Coordinates: 39 ° 43 ′ 0 ″  N , 20 ° 54 ′ 0 ″  E
Mitsikeli (Greece)
Mitsikeli

The Mitsikeli ( Greek Μιτσικέλι ) is a maximum 1810 m high mountain range in the Ioannina regional district of the Epirus region in Greece . It belongs to the Pindos Mountains.

geography

The Mitsikeli runs from northwest to southeast along the eastern shore of Lake Pamvotida ( Lake Ioannina) and extends north of the lake even further to the northeast to the southwest edge of the Tymfi massif. To the south extends beyond the maximum southern extent of Lake Pamvotida and ends in the Driskos . The eastern boundary of Mitsikeli forms from its source the river Zagoritikos , after its confluence with the river Vardas the Dipotamos and after its confluence with the Metsovitikos the river Arachthos . The north-south extension of the mountain range is considerably larger than the east-west extension; this gives the mountain massif the shape of an elongated cylinder or a cigar when viewed from the air. The Mitsikeli massif also represents the south-western boundary of the Zagoria or Zagorochoria region.

The highest point at 1810 m, called Mitsikeli itself, is at the same height as the national airport of the city of Ioannina. In a north-westerly direction follow the summit points Kaminia (1748 m altitude), Giftos (1456 m), Agia Paraskevi (1397 m), Paratiritirio (1407 m), Gianika (1614 m), Tsouka (1586 m) and Charamandas (1190 m).

The river Kalamas (Thaymis) has its source at the northern foothills of Mitsikeli and drains this area of ​​the mountain range into the Ionian Sea opposite Corfu . To the south of this, all the water east of the main ridge is drained into the Zagoritikos and thus into the, which also flows into the Ionian Sea. On the western side of the mountain range facing Lake Pamvotida there are many small springs that supply Lake Pamvotida with water.

Vegetation and wildlife

The Mitsikeli massif is protected according to the guidelines of the Natura 2000 program. The protected area is 8520 stremme . The Mitsikeli vegetation is sparse compared to other mountain ranges in the Pindus Mountains. Human influences have made the original vegetation disappear. Especially the western slopes of the Mitsikeli massif are cardinal and also show traces of fire in various places. In the southwest, a reforestation with pine, fir and cypress trees was undertaken to relieve the adjacent Pamvotida Lake from sediment entry through erosion. In the eastern part of the massif there are downy oaks at lower altitudes, at higher altitudes there are predominantly Bulgarian firs. According to the Greek Ministry of the Environment, there are eight species of plants that are endemic to Greece in the Mitsikeli protected area . With regard to fauna , especially endangered animal species, brown bears and horned vipers can still be found in the Mitsikeli massif .

Attractions

In front of the Mitsikeli massif about 1 km to the west there is also the stalactite cave of Perama (Perama cave) in a hill north of the village of Perama on the north bank of Lake Pamvotida.

traffic

At the western foot of Mitsikeli on the eastern bank of Lake Pamvotida, the national road 6 runs from Ioannina to Metsovo . South of Mitsikeli at the Driskos Pass, the common mountain range of Mitsikeli and Driskos is crossed by this serpentine road. In the Ioannina plateau parallel to Mitsikeli, the national road 20 ( European route 853 ) runs from Ioannina to Kalpaki to the Albanian border or via Konitsa to Kozani .

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