Pashina Gardens, Historic garden in Ano Poli, Greece.
Pashina Gardens is a park in the Ano Poli district of Thessaloniki featuring stone structures, a central ornate fountain, and a mysterious tunnel system near Saint Paul Church. The garden offers seating areas throughout and remains freely accessible to visitors.
The land belonged to the Thessaloniki metropolis, which in 1875 granted it to a charitable brotherhood on condition that a cemetery be created and maintained. In 1901 the state took the area between the Ayazma of Saint Paul and the Evangelistria cemetery for the Hamidié hospital, and a 1904 inscription records the garden as hospital property. During the 1922 population exchange, refugees settled in former Turkish houses looted the structures for building material, so the present form differs greatly from the original.
Residents call the site Kipoi tou Pasa, though no written record explains the name; one account links it to Seyfullah Pasha, an Ottoman divisional commander who used it as a retreat. The alternative names Drakospita (dragon houses) and Andro ton Dervisadon (den of the dervishes) come from local speech, and legends of Masonic rites held here persist among neighbours.
The garden is located behind Agios Dimitrios hospital on Kastron street and is easy to find from there. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear as the terrain can be uneven, especially near the tunnel areas.
An underground passage accessible through a small gate leads to hidden chambers beneath the garden. These tunnels end mysteriously and spark curiosity among those who explore them.
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