A Thracian journey in architecture
Little known to the vast majority of Greeks, the villages in the mountainous area of the Municipality have great architectural interest. The houses are made of stone and the roof has stone too with slate surface mining. The picturesque settlements that keep their traditional characteristics, perched on the tops of Rodopi close to the Bulgarian borders, compose a distinct architectural image. In settlements of Organi and Kechros Municipalities, the traditional stone houses with elaborate chimneys, known in the area as Batzades, dominate and smoke for many months of the year. The traditional Thracian village architecture of Rhodope lies before your eyes, in harmony with the natural environment and fully functional without any affectation, allows anyone to make a trip in time.
Meet multiculturalism and taste the harmony of the civilizations and religions
The Mosque in the village Kechros has a characteristic architecture with special external decoration that concerns both the main building and the minaret. The mosques in the area, sometimes are later and perhaps less sophisticated, sometimes are oldest with Ottoman and Byzantine influences, bring a special beauty to the landscape. Often the existence of mosques side by side with churches reveals the harmonious coexistence of cultures and religions for centuries in the Rhodope.
Among the gullies of the streams in the settlements there are traditional watermills as Kardamon, Drania, Organi etc. as well as stone bridges. Although they are not used anymore, they are kept intact in time and one can see even tools and utensils that were used in the past and professionals abandoned as technology progressed and more mills ceased to be useful.
Travel through time and tradition of our land
Rural houses and huts of farmers and shepherds, which are scattered all around the mountains, are significant. Temporary and seasonal houses serve temporary needs, building with makeshift materials found in nature, and show the image of another alive Greece which combines the past with the present to satisfy its needs, travelling the visitor.