Greece · Central Macedonia

Lake Artzan

Directions

Ταμιευτήρας Αρτζάν - Αματόβου

Lake Artzan, or Amatovo, lies in the Kilkis area near Polykastro and the village of Vafeiochori, not far from the border with North Macedonia. It was once a wetland of seasonal marshes and wet meadows, and it is now a freshwater reservoir for irrigation among fields of cereals, with a few small lakes left by the digging of the reservoir.

How it formed

The water level follows the needs of irrigation, and the reservoir has run dry, leaving the farmland around it short of irrigation water.

Nature

The site has long mattered for waders and other wetland birds. Whiskered terns nest regularly, and long-legged buzzards nest in the surrounding area. Dalmatian and great white pelicans, flamingos, white storks and little egrets are among some 40 bird species listed here, along with European and Caspian pond turtles and tree frogs. Swings in the water level and the draining of the last wet meadows are the main threats.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

The lake suits birdwatching and quiet nature walks. Polykastro, the nearest town, has a British military cemetery, an Inter-Allied monument and a post-Byzantine bath.