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Greece - Angelochori or Karabournou lighthouse - Thessaloniki

 
     
 

Angelochori lighthouse, Thessaloniki

According to existing documentation the Angelohori Lighthouse is constructed at 1864. The lighthouse is built upon Cape Karabournou, Near Thessaloniki, at the entrance of Thermaikos Gulf. It is reported by a greek officer at 1886 that the lighthouse is installed on a “white stone tower, housing a military station”. The same source is referring that it is a 4th grade phare, with a white light, that can be seen from a distance of 10 miles and a red light, that can be seen from a distance of 10 miles and a red light, that can be seen from a distance of 6 miles. The main importance of this phare is that It protects the ships entering Thermaikos gulf form the south to avoid Cape Touzla at the southern part of Cape Karabournou.
The whole region of Cape Carabournou has a very important historic past. Near Cape Touzla has been documented the existence of Aineia, an ancient City and a Colony of the Corinthians of the 7th century b.C.
Near the lighthouse and up to an altitude of 20 meters from sea level has been constructed at 1880 a coastal defense military station planed by German officers on behalf of the Ottoman State. It is also documented that a lighthouse seems to operate at the same Cape Karabournou (or Emvolon) at the first two decades of the 19th century. The lighthouse construction of 1864 is part of the Lighthouse system of the Ottoman State, That includes also the lighthouses in Cassandra (Cape Posseidi) and Alexandroupolis. According to informations of the Greek Lighthouse Service, alterations have been made to the lighthouse at three phases: 1926, 1944 and 1959.
The whole coastal defense military site of Karabournou, including the Phare, has been classified at 1998 as a monument, under protection by the Greek Ministry of Culture, on the basis of its importance for the military defence architecture of the late 19th century and as a rare example of the kind in Greece.
The 4th Ephorate of Early Modern Monuments of the Ministry of Culture has proposed to the Ministry a project of restoration, rehabilitation and reuse of the whole site, focusing a. the rivival of the site as a major historic site of the countryside around Thessaloniki and A coastal defense site of first grade and b. its opening to the life of the neighborhood two small suburb towns Angelohori and Mihaniona and of course of all Thessaloniki. The inhabitants of the two towns have embraced the idea of the reuse of the site. They have a strong mentality for the protection of the monuments of the region. They are organizing an annual local festival each June related to their naval and fishing traditions.
The user of the whole site is the Military Marine Authority of Northern Greece. The authority is contributing to the protection of the site. The control of the lighthouse is undertaken by the Greek Lighthouse Authority itself.
The proposal for including the Angelohori of Karabournou lighthouse to the INCOMED research program will support the whole task of the general project of the study of the whole coastal defense site and open the discussion of the revival of lighthouse sites and of a new direction to the research of the lighthouses. The project will provide a closer view to the history of the site, to its building phases and to the evolution of the functional machinery technologies.


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