login

Author Topic: Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach  (Read 3991 times)

Offline Richard

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 233
    • View Profile
    • Email
Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach
« on: March 15, 2014, 04:59:49 PM »
Went for a walk beyond far end of the beach last year, beneath the 'coloured' cliffs and heading towards the Kalypso. Found a tunnel with what looked like limestone chips on the flor. Didn't have a torch with me so gave up after fifty yards or so. Does anyone know where this leads, if anywhere?

Offline steven

  • Regulars
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 87
    • View Profile
    • http://members.ziggo.nl/steefbez/
    • Email
Re: Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2014, 05:35:17 PM »
Google is your friend (sometimes)

https://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=plakias&rlz=#hl=nl&q=plakias+tunnel


From the cliff face is a path along the mountain to a tunnel, which opens into two large openings in the mountainside. About the path and through the tunnel ran once a lorrie Court, which until about 1930 coal were transported were extracted from the ground in the area. Into the mountainside was a mooring for ships. The German occupiers during the second world war extended the tunnel and slashed a second dock, where the water was deep enough to submarines
« Last Edit: March 15, 2014, 05:38:15 PM by steven »
No trees were killed in the posting of this message but a large number of electrons became terribly excited.

Offline Richard

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 233
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2014, 02:10:29 PM »
Many thanks for this, didn't think to Google it.

U-boats in Plakias though! Hard to imagine now. though it makes sense geographically

Offline Mike from Sussex

  • Regulars
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 209
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2014, 11:43:14 PM »
I believe the tunnels date back to Ottoman times. Not sure about the U-boats though, they would need better facilities than Plakias could provide. Perhaps a story told by the old men to bemuse the young children?

Offline John R

  • Regulars
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 876
    • View Profile
    • http://www.fluteweb.net
    • Email
Re: Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2014, 03:53:51 PM »
A local (Babis of Medouda) told me that they were coal mines but blown up during war to prevent the Germans using the coal.

Offline Mike from Sussex

  • Regulars
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 209
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2014, 07:20:18 PM »
My understanding is that the tunnels are at the end of the coal transportation route, but I have never enquired as to the location of the mine(s). Destruction of the mine adits upon invasion makes sense.

Offline Richard

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 233
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Tunnel beneath hill at end of Paligremnos beach
« Reply #6 on: May 03, 2014, 03:35:45 PM »
Just had a chat with a local chap who also thinks that coal transportation (from a mine near Lefkoyia) for embarking on shipping was the original purpose, using a horse-drawn light railway.