Pieria is the land of the nine Muses and the Olympian Gods. The Prefecture is situated among Olympus, the Mountains of Pieria and the coasts of Thermaikos Gulf. During historical years, in about 700 B.C., when the Macedonians conquered Pieria, they forced some Pierian Thracians to move to the north, while those who remained gradually mingled with Macedonians.
Ancient City of Dion
The most important archaeological site at Mount Olympus in Greece, where sanctuaries were found from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
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On the slopes of Olympus a mere 5 km from the beaches of Pieria, Ancient Dion, the Holy City of Macedonia was found under a covering of undergrowth and water. This city had been a thriving centre of civilization from the time of its foundation for a period of 1,000 years from the 5th c, BC to the 5th c, AD.
We learn from Ancient Greek writers that the Macedonians regularly gathered in Dion to worship the Gods of Olympus, and to make sacrificial offerings, as can be seen from the objects found on the site. It was here that King Archelaos organized athletic competitions and theatrical events, and Philip the Second celebrated his victories at Dion, as did Alexander.
It was here that Alexander gathered together his troops to prepare for his journeys of conquest, worshipping Zeus, King of the Gods of Olympus. In the temple of the Gods of Olympus was a magnificent bronze statue created by Lissippos, which depicted the 25 horsemen who died at the Battle of Granikos. During the reign of Philip the 5th after a disastrous invasion, the Aetolians ransacked the city. At the Battle of Pydna, 168 BC, the death of Perseas, last King of Macedonia, brought an end to the Macedonian Dynasty. Dion became integrated into the Roman colony during the reign of Augustus.
The second peak of the city came during the Roman occupation in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, when it became “reborn” as a Greek city. The final days of Dion were written when it was destroyed by an earthquake and floods in the 5th c AD. The terrified citizens of the city took flight and sought refuge on the higher slopes of Olympus.
The Holy City of the Macedonians collapsed and its ruins lay beneath the soil of the Macedonian earth.
Dion Archeological Museum
There are eight refuges operating on Olympus which cover the needs of visitors, hikers, walkers, climbers and mountaineers.
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The museum was established in 1983 to display excavations unearthed in the area from a fortified city that once stood in its place from the 6th century BC to the 5th century AD. The artifacts of the museum were also discovered in Olympus, the archaeological site of ancient Leivithra and the wider Pieria regional unit. The shown finds are witnesses of the history of Pieria. The rector of the University of Thessaloniki, Georgios Sotiriadis, began with the first excavations from 1928 to 1931. The work was resumed by Georgios Bakalakis 30 years later. From 1973, under the direction of Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis, larger areas of the city were excavated. The works are still continuing under the direction of the University of Thessaloniki. The museum contains many items from when the Romans lived in the area, including statues, architectural members, votive and grave monuments, coins, and many other objects found in the necropolis and the sanctuaries and baths of the ancient city on site. The water organ, the Statue of Dionysos, Isis and Aphrodite Hypolympia and the Asklepios Daughters are displays of particular note.
Castle of Platamon
A Crusader castle built between 1204 and 1222, located in a strategic position which controls the exit of the Tempe valley
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The Platamon Castle, an important part of the history of Pieria, is a Crusader castle (built between 1204 and 1222) in northern Greece (Macedonia) and is located southeast of Mount Olympus, in a strategic position which controls the exit of the Tempe valley, through which passes the main road connecting Macedonia with Thessaly and southern Greece.The tower (donjon), which overlooks the highway, is an imposing medieval fortress.
Important discoveries are the board of Hellenistic wall, that confirm the suggestion that on this position was the ancient Greek city Herakleion and the gate in the wall of the donjon. The core of the city Herakleion remains to be found, but it is posited that it is located on the northwest side of the castle’s hill due to shells and coins found during recent excavations.
Ancient Levithra
Livithra was burial site of the legendary Orpheus , the most famous and possess musician and singer of seniority.
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Livithra was burial site of the legendary Orpheus , the most famous and possess musician and singer of seniority. According to legend, the Orpheus commanded in an area with limits of rising from the Tembi Valley and went all the way to Bulgaria and Skopia. Had created its own religion and language. There are reasonable grounds for believing that, thanks to the Orpheus, was created for the first time in the history of man, the music and the song and disseminated throughout the world.
Ancient Pydna
There are eight refuges operating on Olympus which cover the needs of visitors, hikers, walkers, climbers and mountaineers.
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Mount Olympus has an extensive network of trails, its total length exceeding 160km. Trails and subsequent hiking routes of Mount Olympus have originated since antiquity covering the majority of the mountain’s broader area as they have been used through the years for religious purposes, for logging, for hunting, for livestock and since the 1950’s for recreation (hiking, alpinism, trail running, mountain biking). The overall difficulty of the hiking routes generally expressed by the distance, the elevation gain and the technical parts involved, demonstrates a great variety.
As far as the connection of Mount Olympus to other Greek mountains and ranges is concerned the European Trail E4 runs through Mount Olympus in an east-west direction, whereas the national O2 trail runs along a north-south direction. Multi-day treks are slowly gaining popularity being aided by the existence of the 6 organized refuges and 5 emergency huts (bivouacs) spread around the mountain.
Louloudies Kitros
There are eight refuges operating on Olympus which cover the needs of visitors, hikers, walkers, climbers and mountaineers.
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Mount Olympus has an extensive network of trails, its total length exceeding 160km. Trails and subsequent hiking routes of Mount Olympus have originated since antiquity covering the majority of the mountain’s broader area as they have been used through the years for religious purposes, for logging, for hunting, for livestock and since the 1950’s for recreation (hiking, alpinism, trail running, mountain biking). The overall difficulty of the hiking routes generally expressed by the distance, the elevation gain and the technical parts involved, demonstrates a great variety.
As far as the connection of Mount Olympus to other Greek mountains and ranges is concerned the European Trail E4 runs through Mount Olympus in an east-west direction, whereas the national O2 trail runs along a north-south direction. Multi-day treks are slowly gaining popularity being aided by the existence of the 6 organized refuges and 5 emergency huts (bivouacs) spread around the mountain.