Why is it worth to visit Pieria?
There are many reasons to visit Pieria. One of them is definitely the green, exotic climate that adorns this region, but also very high temperatures in the summer. Another encouraging thing is Greek mythology and the closely related Olympus. It is definitely worth visiting Pieria to get to know the Greek culture and the people who live here.
The Greeks are by nature very nice people who welcome foreigners with open arms.
You will learn more about Pieria later in our article.
Pieria - what it really is?
The name Pieria comes from the ancient Pieres tribe, which long before the archaic period in Greece occupied a narrow strip of plain or low hill between the mouths of the rivers Peneus and Haliacmon, at the foot of the great wooded hill of Mount Olympus. The capital of this regional unit is the city of Katerini, which also functions as one of the three communes. It lies on the Pierian Plain, between Mount Olympus and the Thermaic Gulf, at an altitude of 14 meters and has a population of 85,851. The other municipalities are Dion-Olympos in the south and Pydna-Kolindros in the north.
What is worth seeing in Pieria?
Platamon Castle was built in 1204 and belonged to the Teutonic Order. It is located east of Mount Olympus. In the 13th century it belonged to the Kingdom of Thessaloniki. At the end of the 14th century, the castle was taken over by the Venetians for the next 400 years. Today, the Acropolis serves as one of the venues for the Olympus festival, where the annual music and theater festival is held.
The Olympus massif is the highest mountain massif in Greece – it consists of 52 peaks. Its highest peak, Mitikas, is at 2,918 meters above sea level. since 1938 lies within the borders of the national park, and in 1981 has been included in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The ancient Greeks considered Mount Olympus to be the home of the gods.
It was on the highest peak of Greece that the palace was located, where the twelve gods met. The most powerful of them – Zeus – chose the Stefani peak as his seat, from where he threw thunder and lightning.
Olympus festival is a corozne event held in Pieria in July and August.
It is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Greek culture
through music and theater.
The first festival took place in 1972 and continues to this day.
Many years of activity caused many well-known Greek
and foreign artists to perform on stage,
such as the performance of the ballet Lake Labedo
by a Russian group of dancers and students of local ballet schools.
Dion Archaeological Park is the largest archaeological site on Mount Olympus. The park has an area of about 150 hectares, of which 50 hectares belong to the urban area and 50 hectares to the sanctuary. In the former urban buildings, a market, churches, lannies and shops were discovered.
Pydna is an ancient Greek city and an important place in the history of Pieria. It gained importance during the Peloponnesian War. Athenians led by King Archelaus I besieged the city from the land and sea. After many years of fighting, the Athenian army took the city. Currently, excavations are underway there, where more than 3,300 graves and foundation remains have been discovered. Valuable burial gifts and other excavations can be seen at the archaeological museum in Thessaloniki.
Culture
Traditional dance and music.
The Greeks are a cheerful, singing and dancing nation. Dance accompanies the Greeks both during various world and traditional celebrations, as well as everyday life.
In Greece, name days are more important than birthdays. Most Greek names are derived from religious saints. The tradition has been preserved to this day throughout Greece (including Pieria): everyone who is named after a church saint celebrates their name day on this day.
The vast majority of Greeks belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. Greece is the only country in the world where the Orthodox Church
is explicitly recognized as the state religion.
Orthodoxy is also practiced in Pieria and a visitor to this region can see many impressive churches.
Mythology
Greek mythology is extremely diverse, but also very popular stories about the life of the Greek gods, but also about the creation of man. It contains a story about wars, governments, but also private life that takes place on Mount Olympus and in the world.
The stories, in addition to interesting tales, contain teachings, and show human strengths and weaknesses. Many of these myths also have a moral that can help in real life today. Many people come to Pieria just to see the “home” of the Greek gods.
Authors:
-Mikołaj Modzelewski
-Wojciech Sierota
-Mateusz Sierota
-Natalia Boczek
-Zuzanna Bolimowska