ROUTE DESCRIPTIONAnother beautiful and rare spectacle for every visitor can be seen during his visit to the Lagoon of Messolonghi Aetoliko. Huge Hills up to 15 meters high are spread in the facilities of the Messolonghi salt flats. The embrace of the beautiful lagoon hides a treasure of centuries, the Salt of Messolonghi. The shallow and warm waters of the lagoon are an ideal field for the production of white gastronomic treasure. Here are the largest salt pans in the country, with a production that can produce 50 to 80% (depending on the year) of Greek salt. Salt production in the area dates back to the 14th century and continues to this day. The basic method of production comes from the base of the centuries unchanged in time. In the natural basins of the lagoons, artificially made by man, the sea water flows, which dries under the influence of the sun and the wind and all the natural elements of the microclimate, creating the salt. The end result is an excellent product, famous throughout Greece, with ideal proportions for the human body, a treasure trove of gastronomy that is able to highlight the flavors of any kind of food. The Lagoon hosts the largest saltworks in Greece, the Messolonghi saltworks (known to the locals as "White" saltworks), with an area of 12,500 acres and a second salt flat, on the island of Tourlida, the so-called "Black" salt flats, with an area of 1,700 acres production up to 15,000 tons. Special mention should be made of the Museum of Salt, which was founded by the Public Benefit Cultural Organization "Diexodos". After 10 years, personal mental and financial efforts of the founder of "Diexodos" Nikos Kordosis and his family, with the support of the municipality of the city, the Chamber of Etoloakarnania and the practical love of its associates and friends, the first was created in 2020 Salt Museum in the country. At the museum the visitor has the opportunity to learn everything related to salt from its first appearance on the planet to the present day. Its relationship with the economy, health, agriculture, animal husbandry, environment, tourism and religion. To know the types of salts, the variety of colors and their granulometry. To be impressed by its 14,000 uses. To be informed about the active and abandoned salt flats of the whole country. For the history of Aspri Alyki, Alyki Tourlida, but also for the history of Mavri Alyki and that of the Shooting that operated in Messolonghi until the beginning of the 1930s. To see works of art by artists inspired by salt but also the unique , known in Greece, a collection of 1500 salt shakers dating from the 19th century to the present day. To watch closely the process of cultivation and production of salt and its old harvesting machines and finally from the surrounding area of the Museum to enjoy the magic of the lagoon and the life of the hundreds of rare birds that are endemic to its exceptional wetland.
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