In Northern Evia, nature has reclaimed a landscape once shaped by industry, creating a remarkable ecosystem where abandoned mines have been transformed into a network of lakes. The Mining Lakes were formed after mining operations ceased in the wider Mantoudi and Prokopi area, mainly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the late 1800s, the region experienced rapid economic growth thanks to the extraction and processing of magnesite, a magnesium-rich mineral. After decades of profitability, however, the company operating there—once the largest private-sector industrial enterprise in Greece—ran into financial difficulties in 1984. Attempts to revive the business ultimately failed, largely because no significant new deposits could be found, and the mines permanently closed in 2001.

Although mining later resumed on a much smaller scale elsewhere, the exhausted old mines were abandoned, leaving behind a mountainous area of approximately 10,000 stremmas (about 1,000 hectares) that resembled a lunar landscape, dotted with enormous craters.

Over time, vegetation returned naturally. Wetlands formed, along with 14 lakes of varying sizes, which gradually attracted a rich variety of wetland wildlife.

As a result, an entirely new ecosystem emerged through natural processes, dramatically transforming the surrounding mountain scenery. Many visitors who discover the area compare it—within reason—to an Alpine landscape.

Today, the area is home to oleanders, wild reeds, pine trees and plane trees, while the lakes support numerous bird species, turtles and freshwater fish. Most of the lakes reach depths of 70 to 80 meters, which is no coincidence: mining operations typically ended at that depth, where miners encountered the groundwater table, making further excavation impossible.

How to Reach the Mining Lakes

From Athens, the Mining Lakes can be reached by car in approximately two hours.

After crossing to Evia and passing through Chalkida, continue north toward Mantoudi, which is about 58 kilometers away.

The lake district covers roughly 1,000 stremmas (about 100 hectares) within the former mining area and is divided into two separate clusters.

The first lies between Mantoudi and the village of Prokopi, in an area known as Paraskevorema.

The second is located on the slopes of Mount Kandili, between the villages of Dafnona, Troupi, Kakavos, Spathari, and Kalyvia.

See the photos: