Kastania Agrafa, a village on Lake Plastira with the unique museum of Tsagaris

OR Chestnut Agrafon (or Castanea) is a small village built at an altitude 850 m., to TO. of Lake Plastira, in the chestnut and fir trees. It is 8 km from Dam of Lake Plastira, 5 km from Μούχα and 23 km from her city Karditsa. It is placed in B.. slope of the top Tsiuka (1.504 m.) of the mountain Ίταμος, belonging to their mountain range Thessalian Agrafa of Pindos.

CHESTNUT - WHAT TO SEE

the wood-carved post-Byzantine iconostasis (unique sample of his wood carving art 18^th c.), in the church of Kastania.

The iconostasis belonged to the Katholikon of the now destroyed Monastery, Birth of the Virgin Μούχας (18^th c.) which was built on the mountain Agrafa Tower (altitude 1.247 m.). In the church of Kastania, also known as "Virgin of Kastania", dedicated to Birth of the Virgin, part of it is kept Holy Cross of Saint Tryphon, (protector of the area). Moved here from his monastery Agios Tryfonas Mouchas (3 km Ν. of Moucha), which was built on the site of the old Monastery, Birth of the Virgin Μούχας. Her department Timias Karas of Saint Tryphon, according to tradition, It was bought by residents of Kastania by robbers (during the Turkish occupation), The largest part of the Cross of Agios Tryphon is kept in the Monastery of Xenophon of Mount Athos.

Tsagaris Museum – Traditional Shoes Workshop of the Kogia family, from 1910.

Source : Tsagaris Museum

The Laboratory makes traditional tsarouchia, piglets, Cretan and Pontian stivania (boots), riding boots, women's dance shoes with toggle etc.. Most of the shoes are handmade, waterproof, from calfskin, and are mainly bought by dance clubs. During your visit you will have the opportunity to see up close how the tsarouchia and the shoes are made. (information : https://kogiasart.gr and in the e-shop).

Piglets, source : Tsagaris Museum

In the Tsagaris Museum you will see old tools, one of his machine 1870 in which they sewed the shoes (one of the oldest in Greece), old piglets, shoe collections from all over Greece (from 1900), Factory shoe collection of the period 1950-1980, etc.. open daily, From morning – 6 p.m., ticket : 1,00 € and tour (for consultation, tel. : 697 8210 081, 24410 97111). You will find it a little below the tavern Historical Kostoulas (ask the tavern to guide you).

Flora and Fauna Center of Agrafa of Pindos, at the stone-built Primary School of Kastania, with photos and real material (temporarily closed).

IN KASTANIA FOR FOOD

"History of Kostoulas", from 1962 in the old cafe is the tavern of grandfather Kostoulas. Grilled spit, kokoretsi, kontosouvli etc. (only Sundays & holidays), traditional cooked food, local specialties, hot soups (goat, calf), bulk wine or tsipouro, and morning coffee and dessert, tel : 2441 094125, https://istorikoskostoulas.gr.

KASTANIA-ACCOMMODATION

Kallisto Guesthouse, tel. : 24410 75765, 24410 97150

CHESTNUTS - ACCESS

From Karditsa, to Kallithiro, after the Inn and Monument of National Resistance, in triple intersection (as it is known), keep going straight, to Chestnut, Μούχα and Plastira Lake Dam.
From Plastira Lake Dam and Μούχα continue to Chestnut.

useful information

OR Chestnut like the Μούχα belong to the D.E.. Ιτάμου, of the Municipality of Karditsa.
The people of Katsania were from Patriarchs Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, Καλλίνικος Β΄ (the years 1688, 1689-1693, 1694- 1702) and (1733-4) (information Cultural Association of Kastania-Moucha "Agios Tryfon", https://kastania-agrafa.gr).
OR Μούχα is built next to Dam of Lake Plastira, in altitude 840 m. (It is 30 km from Karditsa). It has traditional taverns, hotels, and in the sights is the Press Museum of the National Resistance.
The Plastira Lake Dam (formerly Tavropou Dam or Megdova) created 1959, in the place "kakavakia" of Mouchas (altitude 712 m.), which is also the narrowest part of the river. The arched dam, in the coronation, in length 220 m., height 83,50 m., and width, on the basis 19 m. and in the coronation 3,5 m. The water that was collected in the plateau of Nevropolis formed the artificial Plastira Lake which was created for the water supply of Karditsa, the irrigation of the Thessalian Plain and for the production of energy from the hydroelectric plant of PPC, in the village of Mitropoli (started 1962). The creation of the dam was the idea of the politician Nikolaou Plastira, when the 1935 visited his birthplace Morphovouni Karditsa.