Cave on Aggitis River

The river Aggitis has its spring at the small village Aggitis, northwest of Dráma, at the foot of a marble mountain, belonging to the Rodopen mountain range.

The space is impressive in Cave and visitor, as he moves in a corridor over the river and against to the flow of water, monitors the natural decoration in the Cave which is dominated by white and red stalactites of various forms. The first recorded visit of the cave was made by the French consul at Thessaloniki, Esprit-Marie Cousinéry, who travelled around Macedonia for 40 years.
Then in 1952 the new Hellenic Speleologic Society made the first exploration, but a siphon stopped any research after only 70m.
In 1978, with much better equipment, a group of French and Greek speleologists made a new attempt to explore the cave behind the siphon. They discovered a passage of 500m which again ended at a siphon.
The “Hall of the Wheel,” which is currently associated with the main area of the cave with a corridor, owes its name to the presence of a large hydraulic wheel diameter 8m., which covered the water and irrigation needs of the region from the Ottoman era.

Within this impressive hall opening in the roof, measuring 8x12m., possible entry of residents of surrounding villages and secret access from the citadel over the Cave into the river.Equally impressive is the arched opening where overflows with momentum the waters in the plain creating a cool oasis with trees, poplars and willows in the environment of cave, perfect for guests to relax. Inside the Cave nest occasionally or permanently live 37 kind of animals, mainly microfauna, of which six species became known for the first time in the international scientific community.

We are finding also fish, bats and some larger mammals, such as otters and coypu.
Today, a new entrance tunnel allows comfortable access to the main passage and enters the cave at the so called Beach Chamber. The path, built on a bridge above the river, shows the section to the next siphon, and the visitors have to walk back the same path to the Beach Chamber. Here a bridge crosses the river and a short tunnel leads to a narrow section of the cave, and another tunnel leads to the entrance hall. The water wheel, the huge doline and a small chapel are the highlights at the end of the tour.