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P. 151
THE
SACRED
WATERS
VOLCANIC AND ENRICHED
WITH DISPERSED
NATURAL HOT SPRINGS,
LESVOS IS CONSIDERED
ONE OF THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN
THE MEDITERRANEAN
FOR HEALTH TOURISM.
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΕΙΟΓΕΝΉΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΕ
ΔΙΆΣΠΑΡΤΕΣ ΦΥΣΙΚΈΣ
ΘΕΡΜΟΠΗΓΈΣ, Η ΛΈΣΒΟΣ
ΘΕΩΡΕΊΤΑΙ ΑΠΌ ΤΑ ΠΙΟ
ΌΜΟΡΦΑ ΜΈΡΗ ΓΙΑ
ΙΑΜΑΤΙΚΌ ΤΟΥΡΙΣΜΌ ΣΤΗ
ΜΕΣΌΓΕΙΟ.
Words by ΜΑRINI GRIGOROPOULOU
Photography by TZELI
CHATZIDIMITRIOU
Nestled in a unique location next to a quiet
beach, with pebbles that have been shaped
by air and lava, the hot springs of Eftalou
are ranked among the finest on-the-water
destinations (according to the New York
Times), with its waters boasting therapeutic
properties rich with radium, chloride, sodium
and other minerals. The 16 hot springs at
Polichnitou, just 60 metres above sea level,
are considered the warmest in Europe, with
water temperatures ranging between 67
and 92 degrees Celsius. Among the smaller
hot springs, the natural spring of Panagia
Krifti (Hidden Virgin Mary), located directly
underneath the Chapel of Panagia Krifti that
was discovered in 1864, features a natural
bathtub for two people filled with warm
and therapeutic waters bubbling from the
rock. In the Gulf of Gera, one of the most
popular and well-organised hot springs in the
Northern Aegean that has been in use since
the Ottoman Empire, the fully-equipped
space also offers facilities for inhalation
therapy. In the village of Thermi, behind the
modern hydrotherapy spa, one can discern
the two ancient domed pools that testify
to the constancy of the area’s hot springs.
It was here, in 1909, that the famed hotel-
symbol of the island, Sarlitsa Palace, was built
according to designs by French architects.
Until 1982, the hotel was a “meeting point
151
SACRED
WATERS
VOLCANIC AND ENRICHED
WITH DISPERSED
NATURAL HOT SPRINGS,
LESVOS IS CONSIDERED
ONE OF THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN
THE MEDITERRANEAN
FOR HEALTH TOURISM.
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΕΙΟΓΕΝΉΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΕ
ΔΙΆΣΠΑΡΤΕΣ ΦΥΣΙΚΈΣ
ΘΕΡΜΟΠΗΓΈΣ, Η ΛΈΣΒΟΣ
ΘΕΩΡΕΊΤΑΙ ΑΠΌ ΤΑ ΠΙΟ
ΌΜΟΡΦΑ ΜΈΡΗ ΓΙΑ
ΙΑΜΑΤΙΚΌ ΤΟΥΡΙΣΜΌ ΣΤΗ
ΜΕΣΌΓΕΙΟ.
Words by ΜΑRINI GRIGOROPOULOU
Photography by TZELI
CHATZIDIMITRIOU
Nestled in a unique location next to a quiet
beach, with pebbles that have been shaped
by air and lava, the hot springs of Eftalou
are ranked among the finest on-the-water
destinations (according to the New York
Times), with its waters boasting therapeutic
properties rich with radium, chloride, sodium
and other minerals. The 16 hot springs at
Polichnitou, just 60 metres above sea level,
are considered the warmest in Europe, with
water temperatures ranging between 67
and 92 degrees Celsius. Among the smaller
hot springs, the natural spring of Panagia
Krifti (Hidden Virgin Mary), located directly
underneath the Chapel of Panagia Krifti that
was discovered in 1864, features a natural
bathtub for two people filled with warm
and therapeutic waters bubbling from the
rock. In the Gulf of Gera, one of the most
popular and well-organised hot springs in the
Northern Aegean that has been in use since
the Ottoman Empire, the fully-equipped
space also offers facilities for inhalation
therapy. In the village of Thermi, behind the
modern hydrotherapy spa, one can discern
the two ancient domed pools that testify
to the constancy of the area’s hot springs.
It was here, in 1909, that the famed hotel-
symbol of the island, Sarlitsa Palace, was built
according to designs by French architects.
Until 1982, the hotel was a “meeting point
151
