Karla, the Rebirth of a Lake

From ancient times, when it was still called Voiviis, Karla has been a vibrant wetland, a source of life and culture for the wider region of Thessaly. Its history is full of contrasts: drained with dreams of development, forgotten for decades, and now... reborn.

The lake covered an impressive area of 130,000 acres, within the borders of the prefectures of Magnesia and Larissa, creating around it a unique "culture of water". The fishermen lived in pile-supported huts, and their flat-bottomed (without a keel) boats, which in other parts of Greece are called "plaves", "gaites" or "priaria", here they called them "karavia" (ships).

However, in the 1960s, in the name of progress and agricultural development, the lake was drained. Its waters were led to the Pagasetic Gulf through a tunnel, the fishermen became farmers, and the landscape changed forever. Or that was the "plan", anyway!

Change of plan

But nature does not forget. And despite human plans, the need to restore the wetland became obvious. With the help of the Pineios River and the construction of embankments, the effort to recreate the lake began. An environmental, cultural, but also emotional project, since Karla has always been more than a lake – it was a piece of identity for the area. Indeed, the lake was "recreated", even if smaller than before, occupying an area of approximately 35,000 acres.

In September 2023, the storm Daniel "sank" Karla again, along with a large part of Thessaly. In just two days, its surface quintupled, reaching 180,000 acres, surpassing even its natural form before drainage. Today it has returned to a "normality", functioning again as a wetland of international importance.

Place of life and observation

Karla is now an ideal destination for lovers of nature and bird watching. A multitude of birds find refuge in its waters and reeds, offering magical images for photographers and nature lovers.

For a deeper acquaintance with the history of the area, it is worth visiting the Museum of Limnaio Culture of Karla (T/ +302421058659) in Kanalia, where the daily life of the fishermen, life in the huts and the past of a lake that never ceased to be present in the collective unconscious unfolds. Near Kanalia, on the eastern shore of the lake you will also find the Byzantine church of Agios Nikolaos (12th -13th century AD), a church inextricably linked to the life of the lakeside residents and their "maritime" daily life.