in serifos: hiking the mining caves

Rich in ore and minerals, Serifos was once home to a mining industry that thrived. In between the island’s southeast villages of Megalo Livadi and Koutalas the remnants of that time remain, literally scattered among raw nature.  The lush green hills that slope into the Aegean are dotted with rusted out machinery, abandoned and left to wear away with time. It seemed as if the mining workers of the 20^th century stopped their hard day’s work, put down their tools, stopped their metal wagons and walked away forever.

The mines bustled with activity from 1880 until 1962 giving prosperity to the island.  They closed as reserves depleted, production costs went up and metal prices declined worldwide.

During our Greek Easter visit to the island, we headed out for an hike at the abandoned site.  The picturesque landscapes which bordered the sea impressed but so did the run-in with the island’s history.

stumblin’ through calico rocks

We followed a natural trail that led us under crumbling bridges. Along the way we bumped into forgotten stone stacked buildings, peeped into dark caves and stumbled around a massive pit of large stones, stones that showed off the colors you’d find on a calico cat – black, brown, white and grey.  We examined the rusted rails and wagons, remnants of the tools that the Serifian miners once used to excavate and load the natural minerals that filled the caves.

To find out more you can also head to the nearby fishing village of Megalo Livadi. There, a small museum was opened where you can learn about the time when the French mining company, Societe des mines Seriphos-Spiliazeza, once exploited the island.  The museum is also dedicated to four miners who were executed during a strike against the company in which they demanded eight-hour working days and wage increases.

Walking through that beautiful, quiet place I couldn’t hep but wonder what untold stories still echo through those abandoned island hills and dark caves that once bustled with energy and work.

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