Fort Istibey, Military fortress and museum on Mount Beles, Central Macedonia, Greece

Fort Istibey stands on Mount Beles at 1,339 metres, 250 metres from the Greek-Bulgarian border and 16 km north of Neo Petritsi. Its enclosed concrete work held twelve single and six double machine-gun emplacements, two mortar positions, three observation posts and a double anti-tank emplacement. Underground galleries run 650 metres, with 76 steps from the entrance gallery to the first floor.

The fortress was part of the Metaxas Line defense system, built in the 1930s along the Greek-Bulgarian border and remaining operational until German forces took control in 1941. It marks a key point in the region's defense history during the early war years.

The small museum, funded in 1991 by the Panhellenic Association of Combatants and Friends of the Forts of Macedonia and Thrace, holds rifles, revolvers, pistols and machine-guns of the Greek and German armies, uniforms of the period, defenders' personal belongings and a map of the Battle of the Forts. A film on the fight at Istibey is shown during visits. Each year, around the anniversary of the April 1941 battle, the local Friends of the Fort association and the Hellenic Army General Staff stage commemorations, speeches and battle re-enactments with re-enactors in period uniforms and historic military vehicles from Greece and abroad.

Access requires special authorization from the Greek Army General Staff, with guided tours available through the military unit stationed at the site. The location is some kilometers from the main road, so visitors should arrange access in advance.

The museum features a detailed battle map and documentary film about the April 1941 events, showing how a small garrison defended the strategic mountain position. These records offer rare insight into the personal perspective of the soldiers involved.