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Mount Olympus / Mount of Gods - Dion
Tour Mount Olympus & Dion/ Macedonians Zeus Sanctuary
Tour Mount Olympus, house of Greek Gods in Macedonia & Dion/ Zeus Temple & Sanctuary. Ancient Dion was the starting point of Alexander campaign against Persian Empire... Greece Private tour
MOUNT OLYMPUS HOME Of GODS
We visit Mount Olympus & Dion as travelers, not as tourists
Litochoro is a town and a former municipality in the southern part of the Pieria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it has been part of the Dion - Olympos municipality, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is located at the base of Mount Olympus, 100 km SSW of Thessaloniki. The first recorded mention of Litochoro is in an account of a visit by Saint Dionysius to Mount Olympus in the 16th century.The town is a popular destination for those wishing to climb Mount Olympus as almost all climbing routes begin to the southwest of the town.
Alexandrion (Litochoro). The Alexandreion is an impressive monument-building devoted to Alexander the Great. Visitors will get informed about his life and his military campaign.
The Nautical Museum. At Agios Nikolaou 15, on the first floor, resides the Nautical Museum of Litochoro. Rather unknown, the village has a long maritime history to tell.
The old Monastery Agios Dionysios. At an altitude of 850 m, beside the Enipeas gorge, Saint Dionysios built a monastery. Founded 1542, its name was Agia Triada, what means Holy Trinity, later changed to the name of the Saint. Plundered and burned several times in its history, it received the final blow from German troops in April 1943.
The new Monastery Agios Dionysios. After the old monastery was destroyed, the monks moved to the Metochion three kilometers outside of the village and made the place their new monastery.
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece. It is located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 80 km (50 mi) southwest from Thessaloniki. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks, deep gorges, and exceptional biodiversity. The highest peak, Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,958 meters.
Mount Olympus is also noted for its very rich flora, with several species. It has been a National Park, the first in Greece, since 1938. It is also a World's Biosphere Reserve. Every year, thousands of people visit Olympus to admire its fauna and flora, tour its slopes, and reach its peaks. The usual starting point is the town of Litochoro, on the eastern foothills of the mountain, 100 km from Thessaloniki, where, in the beginning of every summer, the Olympus Marathon terminates.
In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Olympus was the home of the Twelve Olympian gods of the ancient Greek world. It is the setting of many stories in Greek religions and myth. The Twelve Olympian gods lived in the gorges, where there were also their palaces. Pantheon (today Mytikas) was their meeting place and theater of their stormy discussions. The Throne of Zeus (today Stefani) hosted solely him, the leader of the gods. From there he unleashed his thunderbolts, expressing his divine wrath.
On the list of iconic mountains of the world, Mount Olympus surely has a place. Not only is it a geographically impressive peak, rising straight from the Aegean Sea to a height of 2,917 m or 3000 m per our photo :) , but it’s also one of great mythological importance. Eleven of the twelve major Greek gods resided in the gorges of the mountain, while Zeus himself claimed Stefani peak for his throne. The gods would come together on the highest summit, Mytikas, to determine the fate of the mortals they ruled.
Hiking Mount Olympus/ Greece Private Tours - 3000 m
Ancient Dion: is a village and a former municipality in, the Pieria region of Macedonia, Greece. It is located at the foot of Mount Olympus.
Dion was the "sacred place" of the Ancient Macedonians. Here the kings made splendid sacrifices to celebrate the new year of the Macedonian calendar at the end of September. It is best known for its great ancient Macedonian sanctuary of Zeus and city, much of which is visible in the Archaeological Park of Dion and the Archaeological Museum of Dion. The first mention of Dion in history comes from Thucydides,
who reports that it was the first city reached by the Spartan general Vrasidas after crossing from Thessaly into Macedon on his way through the realm of his ally Perdiccas II during his expedition against the Athenian colonies of Thrace in 424 BC. According to Diodorus Siculus, it was Archelaus I who, at the end of the 5th century BC when the Macedonian state acquired great power and emerged onto the stage of history, gave the city and its sanctuary their subsequent importance by instituting a nine day festival of games that included athletic and dramatic competitions in honor of Zeus, whose organization was overseen by the Macedonian kings themselves. Philip II and Alexander the Great celebrated victories here, and Alexander assembled his armies and performed magnificent sacrifices here on the eve of his campaign to Asia in 334BC
Dion is the site of a large temple dedicated to Zeus, as well as a series of temples to Demeter and to Isis (the Egyptian goddess was a favorite of Alexander). Excavation of the magnificent House of Dionysos revealed a mosaic of exceptionally fine quality.
A rare and unusual find in the museum is a bronze "hydraulis" or hydraulic musical pipe organ found in a former workshop.
In 2006, a statue of Hera was found built into the walls of the city. The statue, 2200 years old, had been used by the early Christians of Dion as filling for the city's defensive wall
The Archaeological Museum of Dion is in Dion, Pieria region unit of Central Macedonia, Greece.
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.
On the ground floor of the museum are a number of important statues, including the Statue of Dionysus, the Asklepios Daughters and many others found in the ancient baths. The statues of Isis and Aphrodite Hypolympia, were unearthed from the Sanctuary of Isis. The heads of Demeter were also found in the sanctuary. The ground floor also displays a notable collection of coins. Notable coins include a gold stater of Philip II, depicting the head of Apollo and a racing chariot with two horses, and a silver tetradrachm of Alexander the Great and a head of Heracles and the Zeus Olympios. On the upper floor, on in its own room is the hydraulis or water organ (musical instrument), which is the first organ of its kind found in Greece and the oldest found to date anywhere in the world.
Mount Olympus
Olympus National Park Information Center. Important information are provided for visitors of Mount Olympus National Park. The Information Center informs their visitors about geology, archaeological sites, mythology, monasteries, plants, animals and other subjects affecting Mount Olympus.
