Kanavourgio

A peek inside this building reveals an abundance of 20th-century machinery rusting in the shadows. Coated with dust and grime, the tools all emit a sad, forgotten feel that does little to hint at their former importance.

Kanavourgio was the largest rope and twine production plant in Greece. It was founded in 1908, though it didn’t begin operating until 1913.

Power from the local waterfalls churning through the mills let the machines chug to life. Every day, a staff of about 100 people used them to transform cannabis imported from India and hemp from Serbia and Greece into rope and twine.

The factory reached its prime between 1928 and 1940, when its staff boomed to about 150 workers, many of whom were young women from the nearby villages. However, after 1950, the rope factory began to decline. It shuttered in 1966.

In the late ‘90s, the building was partially renovated and transformed into a restaurant and leisure center, then later opened as a event center and museum. But unfortunately, those endeavors came to an end in 2014 due to a lack of support. Now abandoned, the factory stands like a lingering ghost of the area’s industrial past.