On the route to Aitoliko via the old National Road of Messolonghi – Aitoliko, we have the opportunity to pass by the salt-pans of Messolonghi, which are located north of the marsh of Finikia. With their characteristic heaps of salt, they are a trademark sight and one of the most familiar elements of the city’s landscape, linked to its economic life for long years past.
Salt-pans are areas, usually on the coast and in bays or estuaries, where the sea water is trapped and evaporates in summer by the wind and sun, leaving its salt behind. The extraction process is mainly carried out through natural processes, although techniques have been developed over time to help it along. Salt production requires the underlying soil to have a clayey composition, so that the bottom is more impermeable, but also to give lower pumping costs.
In Messolonghi there are two salt-pan works, the Aspri Saltwater (in public control) and the Mavri Saltwater (owned by the Municipality of Messolonghi). They have a total area of 3,088 acres and produce most of the Greek salt. In fact, Aspri is the largest Greek saltworks under public ownership. It belongs to the state-owned company Hellenic Salt Works SA, a company of the Greek State. It covers an area of 2,841 acres and its production reaches 120,000 tonnes per year, which corresponds to 80% of the total Greek production.
Since prehistoric times, salt has been an important ingredient in human nutrition and was used for food preservation. Salt and salt pans were an important financial resource and a means of political power. Hundreds of salt works have been operating in the Mediterranean since ancient times. The area of Messolonghi, as an extensive wetland, would have had an abundance of salt in antiquity, and this would have been used to preserve other foods such as meat, cheese and vegetables, or would have been the means of bartering. The exploitation of the Kleissova lagoon by the Romans of Patras, apart from the abundant fish it yielded, would probably have included the manufacture of salted fish. Perhaps the relevant fish processing and preservation facilities existed too, although no traces have been found to date. The use of salt, not only as a seasoning and preservative, but also for many other purposes, was known from prehistory and was of great commercial value as a commodity, its exploitation being one of the most lucrative activities of the ancient world. Salt was one of the most important products of Messolonghi as early as the 17th century and during the Turkish occupation, as historical sources testify. Salt works seem to have existed as early as the beginning of the 15th century (1407). In the Turkish occupation, they did not belong to the Sultan but to the town community. After the liberation, they became public property.
In salt-pans, the salt-extraction process takes place in artificial basins, the hot-pans, which are filled with seawater in March-April and the gradual evaporation and condensation begins, with the contribution of living organisms. Eventually the seawater ends up in the ‘pans’, where it dries out completely and crystallises. The pans of the area used to bear characteristic names, such as Polygrosos, Kaltampana, Athinaia, Vassiliki, Agrapidia, Palaia, Anatoliki, etc., which have now been forgotten. The salt is collected in early September-October, before the autumn rains, with the help of machinery. The salt is then washed with seawater and stacked in huge mounds in open-air storage.
The lagoon of Messolonghi is also a source of the luxury salt known as ‘afrina'(foam) or salt flower, which is produced from the sea-foam/spume created by the light wave action and then thickens by the sun. This product is fine and airy and does not undergo any kind of addition or processing. Its harvesting has remained unchanged over the years, as it is done manually by skilled workers with wooden tools, a traditional technique that has been passed down from generation to generation. For all these reasons, it is a famous and recognizable product of Messolonghi in Greece and abroad, having won international awards.
Upon request, it is possible to organize educational visits to the salt works, mainly for school groups. More information about salt can be found at the Salt Museum, which operates in Tourlida.
Address: Mesokampos area, Old National Road of Messolonghi – Aitoliko, Messolonghi 302 00
Telephone: 26310-28140, 22232
Website: https://saltworks.gr/
Among other things, however, salt-flats are important for wildlife conservation as “important feeding stations for migratory birds and vital feeding grounds for nesting bird colonies” (Council of Europe). They are coastal wetlands covered by salt-tolerant vegetation and often flooded. They are characterised by a rich biodiversity, and many of them are included in the Natura 2000 network. They provide resting, living and breeding areas for rare waterfowl species. During the period when salting activities cease (November to May) and salinity is low, large numbers of birds can easily find food in the shallow reservoirs or nest in the sandy soil of the dykes. Zooplanktonic organisms, such as the shrimp known as Artemia (artemia salina), attract large populations of birds. In fact, the colour of the feathers of the flamingoes and the colour of certain salt ponds at times is due to this shrimp. For these reasons, wetlands such as the one in the Messolonghi area, home to many rare or endangered bird species, such as the flamingo, the avocet, the black-winged stilt and the little tern, are of great importance for the conservation and preservation of migratory birdlife. At the same time, they are one of the most interesting places for bird watching, but a permit from the ALYKES S.A. company is required to visit the facilities for this purpose.
