Κεφαλάρι

Kefalari Spring

Useful Information

Location:	Eparchiaki Odos Kiatou - Vitinas, Kefalari 200 16. (37.92134081094571, 22.534009867956836)
Open:	No restrictions. [2022]
Fee:	free. [2022]
Classification:	Karst Spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Kefalari Spring, Eparchiaki Odos Kiatou - Vitinas, Kefalari 200 16.
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History

Description

Κεφαλάρι (Kefalari Spring) is one of numerous of this name, located 1.8 km east of the village Kefalari, one of numerous of this name. Many tourists think the spring was named after the village, but actually it's the other way round. The term Κεφαλάρι (Kefalari) is the Greek word for a huge spring from which abundant water gushes. So it is actually the name of the karst spring but has also become the name of the village and community Kefalari in Κορινθία (Korinthia). This seems to be quite common, several Greek villages in mountainous areas, where spring water is abundant, have similar names. This actually has the drawback that they are sometimes a little hard to keep apart.

Nevertheless, this spring is quite unknown, and off the beaten track, and most likely you will be alone. The spring is surrounded by trees, has a nice picknick area, and is freely accessible. There is no cafenion and no souvenir shop. It's a nice place to spend a break or eat lunch in the shadow, and then you should visit nearby Μουσείο Περιβάλλοντος Στυμφαλίας (Museum of the Environment of Stymphalia) and the lake, which is actually a wetland most of the year.

The spring is one of the sources of the nearby karst lake Λίμνη Στυμφαλία (Lake Stymphalia), which is mentioned in several ancient legends and described by numerous travelogues. Both are located in a polje, this is one of the bigger springs which provides the inflow for the lake. However, it is dry or almost dry during summer. Even if it still produces some water, the water never reaches the lake. In the last decades this has become much worse, as the water is used by the farmer for irrigation, and as a result the lake becomes dry.