Nymphopetra

Lowland settlement (altitude 120 m., 779 inhabitants) in the prefecture of Thessaloniki. It is located in the eastern part of the prefecture, near the western shore of Lake Volvi, 56 km NE of the city of Thessaloniki, in the former province of Lagada. It is administratively under the Egnatia Municipality of Volvi municipality. Until 1928 it was called Chali Mahale.

Nymphopetra became known both in Greece and abroad by the well-known... about the myth of Nymphopetres.

The visitor who has a destination to and from eastern Macedonia and Thrace and uses the Egnatia road has the opportunity to get off at the two junctions of Nymphopetra and Prophetis and get to know the beautiful landscape with the Nymphopetras up close.

The area, which has been shaped in recent years, gives the visitor the possibility to walk through the forest with the paved streets, take pictures and rest in the gazebos, enjoying the amazing view.

In recent years Nymphopetres have become the decor of photographers for the photos of the newlyweds at wedding events.

In the 1940s the village burned down twice, half of the residents left for other areas, the other half moved to the plain where the village is today.

The church of the old Nymphopetra was dedicated to Agios Georgios but it burned down along with the whole village so the residents built a small church of Agios Georgios in its place which is now in the middle of nowhere but on his feast day there is a big festival there in the old place of the village.

On October 26, the parish Church of Nymphopetra celebrates, which is dedicated to Agios Dimitrios. In his memory, four-day cultural events are organized with dance, music, theatrical performances, painting exhibitions.

Nymphopetres The petrified stone forest

Outside the village of Nymphopetra, on the road to Profiti, are the "Nymphopetres", a peculiar geological formation, which has been declared a monument of nature. It is an impressive series of upright limestone rocks, about the origin of which there is a rich folklore tradition.

The myth

Thus, according to one version of local folklore, the Nymphopetres are a group of hunters who, while searching for game on a hunting expedition, accidentally encountered a group of forest nymphs bathing in the crystal clear waters of a spring. The men were ecstatic at the sight, but the sight of Artemis who caught sight of them was so enraged at their disrespect that she petrified them where they stood.

According to another version of local folklore, the rocks came from a wedding procession accompanying the bride and groom to the church. The bride, full of greed, took all the things from her mother's house and stripped it completely. On the way he remembered that he forgot the spindle with the flywheel and sent people to get them. The mother's anger turned into a curse and the bride and her entourage turned to stone.

The scientific explanation

However, the scientific explanation of the phenomenon of the peculiar rock formations is completely different and extremely interesting as it records the intense geological activity of the area during its geological evolution and the diagenesis of the rocks that make up the substratum of the area. The rock that makes up the peculiar upright rock formations is called travertine.