Every short or long walk along the “Water Road”, the environmental path northeast of the city of Kavala, reminds the walker of the history of a precious asset and gives him the opportunity to admire one of the most emblematic monuments of the city, the Arches.

At the end of the 15th century, the water had to travel a huge distance, starting from the mountains and thanks to the slope of the ground and the stone aqueducts of the time, to reach the arid peninsula of Panagia, today’s old town of Kavala. Kamares was the end of this water path, where water was transported from the mountain to the city through a built conduit.

With a total length of 10.5 km, this special path, easy and passable, starts from the village of Palaia Kavala, passes through a typical Mediterranean landscape, offers a view of the seas of Philippi, the Thracian Sea and Thassos. Approximately in the middle of this route, the visitor meets the “Mother of Water”, the main source that watered the city of Kavala for centuries.

From there to its end on the outskirts of Kavala, the route moves along the built channel of the medieval aqueduct. It passes the stone-built aqueducts that were used for its passage over the ravines. He comes across ruins of the fountains and watering holes that served the needs of pedestrians and animals. It intersects with tanks that were responsible for water purification.

This special path reconstructs a centuries-old route, known since the Ottoman period as the “road of water”, a name that has remained unchanged to this day.

This is also due to the municipality’s long-term effort to highlight this unique historical route, as it allows the citizens to reconnect with their recent local history, since the path was before the war the most popular way of accessing the city for mountain dwellers. communities of the municipality of Kavala.

Kamares: An impressive water supply project

The most recognizable monument of Kavala, the Arches, has a length of 270 meters and a maximum height of 25 meters. It is built of local granite and bricks. It rests on 18 massive mesobases and bears a double and in some places a triple row of superimposed arches. It was built to bridge the low part that separates the peninsula of Panagia from the opposite heights. Thus, the water reached the public fountains, cisterns, baths and institutions of the old city.

The historian and writer Kyriakos Lykourinos notes with emphasis: “The project was large, disproportionate to the size of the then insignificant settlement. A similar aqueduct of the Ottoman period, of such a scale and such a strong construction, is not found elsewhere. It is therefore probable that in the same area there was an aqueduct from an earlier period, on the remains of which the Arches were built”.

The public fountains, “theatre” of Homeric quarrels

During the years of settlement of the refugees, Kavala faced a huge water supply problem. Its population grew excessively from 25,000 to 50,000 and there was no internal water supply. Water reached the old city day after day and only for a few hours, and the communal fountains became the theater of Homeric fights over the rare commodity. So, in the period 1914-1928, the city was tragically tested by the lack of water, which led to systematic efforts to deal with the problem. This old aqueduct watered the city of Kavala until the first decades of the 20th century. It has been kept in good condition for four centuries, thanks to its constant and systematic maintenance and repairs from time to time.

Nowadays, “The Road of Water” is one of the most beautiful environmental and historical paths of eastern Macedonia. A few years ago, its rise was reduced to the Operational Program Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and was financed with 561,150 euros.

This project included construction work for shaping and organizing the path, cleaning, small-scale auxiliary works, organized viewing positions, outdoor information kiosks, installation of marking and direction signs, information and interpretation of the environment. All these small and large projects ensured a comfortable tour of one of the greatest trails in the area, enjoyed by young and old alike.