Nestos River

Mesta / Nestos (red line) - in Bulgaria and Greece

View of the Mesta / Nestos

The Mesta / Nestos in the Rhodopes

The Mesta ( Bulgarian Места ) or Nestos (Greek Νέστος ) is a river in Bulgaria and Northern Greece and one of the five major rivers in Greece and Bulgaria. In Greece, he is currently marked the boundary between the geographic region of Macedonia and Thrace in the west to the east.

The length of the Nestos is 230-243 km (depending on length calculation ), of which 104-130 km along Greece and 113-126 km along Bulgaria. The Nestos rises in the Rila mountain range in Bulgaria in the north and flows south in the Aegean Sea (more precisely, the Thracian Sea ) in the form of a delta north of the island of Thasos. It flows in a north-south direction, first the mountain ranges of the Western Rhodope Mountains and the Falakro. In Bulgaria, the course of Nestos forms valleys in the Rila and Pirin Mountains. The most important tributary is the Dospat.

Along the Nestos, there are many particular ecosystems. The delta of the River Nestos is a hydro biotope with alluvial soil, freshwater lakes and lagoons. In particular, because of its bird fauna with 300 species of birds, it is a sanctuary in the form of a national park, which also encompasses the eastern lakes Vistonida and Ismarida. The delta extends from west to east direction of Nea Karvali near Kavala until after Avdira or Abdera, in north-south direction of the height of the city Chryssoupolis out to the coast.

Also important is the River Forest on the banks of the Nestos. Until the mid-20th century, large parts of the original area of ​​this river forests were destroyed, mainly by the action of man. Only 4500 remain today morning surface on both sides of the Nestos and are protected.

In the course of his Greek Nestos is dammed to Thissavros dam (172 m high dam at 480 m above sea level ) and three other reservoirs.

Film

• Andreas Schulze: lagoons, dunes, primeval forests: In Greek Nestos Delta, ISBN 978-3-89763-799-3.