Pieria () is one of the

regional units of Greece The 74 regional units of Greece (, ; singular , ) are the country's third-level administrative units (counting decentralized administrations as first-level). They are subdivisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into munici ...

located in the southern part of the Region of Central Macedonia, within the historical province of

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

. Its capital is the town of

Katerini Katerini (, ''Kateríni'', ) is a city and municipality in northern Greece, the capital city of Regional Unit of Piera in Central Macedonia, Greece. It lies on the Pierian plain, between Mount Olympus and the Thermaikos Gulf, at an altitude ...

. The name Pieria originates from the ancient

Pieres The Pieres (Ancient Greek,"''Πίερες''") were a Thracians, Thracian tribe connected with the Brygi, that long before the archaic period in Greece occupied the narrow strip of plain land, or low hill, between the mouths of the Pineios River (T ...

tribe. In Pieria, there are many sites of archeological interest, such as Dion, Pydna,

Leivithra Leibethra or Libethra, in the modern pronunciation Leivithra (), was an ancient Macedonian city at the foot of Mount Olympus, near the present settlement of Skotina. Archaeologists have discovered tombs there from the late Bronze Age (13th–12t ...

and Platamonas. Pieria contains Mount Pierus, from which

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

takes flight in order to visit Calypso, and is the home of

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

, the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

, and contains the Pierian Spring.

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...

, the highest mountain in Greece and throne of the ancient Greek gods, is located in the southern part of Pieria. Other ancient cities included Leibethra and

Pimpleia Pimpleia (Ancient Greek: Πίμπλεια) was a city in Pieria in Ancient Greece, located near Dion and ancient Leivithra at Mount Olympus. Pimpleia is described as a "κώμη" ("quarter, suburb") of Dion by Strabo. The location of Pimpleia ...

Geography

The Pieria regional unit is bordered by Imathia to the north,

Kozani Kozani (, ) is a town in northern Greece, capital of Kozani (regional unit), Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas, Aliakmonas riv ...

to the west, and to the south and west by the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of Thessaly's Regional Unit of

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

. The

Pierian Mountains The Pierian Mountains (or commonly referred to as Piéria) are a mountain range between Imathia, Pieria (regional unit), Pieria and Kozani (regional unit), Kozani Region, south of the plain of Kampania in Central Macedonia, Greece. The village of ...

lie to the west; the

Thermaic Gulf The Thermaic Gulf (, ), also called the Gulf of Thessaloniki and the Macedonian Gulf, is a Gulf (geography), gulf constituting the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. The city of Thessaloniki is at its northeastern tip, and it is bounded by Pie ...

lies to the east. It also has a valley by the GR-13. Most of the population live within the Olympian Riviera. The lowest point is the Thermaic Gulf and the highest point is

. It combines extensive plains, high mountains and sandy beaches. The region's beauty gives it a great potential for further tourist development. The main beaches are Paralia, Olympiaki Akti, Korinos, Neoi Poroi, Methoni, Leptokarya, Platamonas, Skotina, Kalyvia Varikou, Limenas Litochorou (also known as Gritsa). Many of the Pieria's beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

Climate

Its climate is mainly of Mediterranean type with hot summers and cool winters. Severe winter weather is common in the central and western parts of Pieria, especially in the Pierian Mountains and on Mount Olympus. On June 8, 2007, a low pressure weather system from Southern and Central Europe resulted in heavy rainfall that ravaged the prefecture and caused great damage in fruit and vegetable production. The worst hit area was Korinos.

Administration

The Regional Unit of Pieria is divided into 3

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

. These are (number as in the map in the infobox): *

(1) * Dion-Olympos (2) *

Pydna-Kolindros Pydna–Kolindros (, ''Pýdna-Kolindrós'') is a municipality in the Pieria (regional unit), Pieria regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Aiginio. The municipality has an area of 339.525 km2. Municipa ...

(3)

Prefecture

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the Regional Unit of Pieria was created out of the former prefecture Pieria (). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganized, according to the table below ( list of municipalities of Greece - 2011).

History

The region, known as Pieria or Pieris () in Antiquity, took its name from the Pieres (), a Thracian tribe that was expelled by the

Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...

ians in the 8th century BC from their original seats, and driven to the North beyond the Strymon river and Mount Pangaeus, where they formed a new settlement in Edonis. The name Pieria has been connected to Homeric ' "fat", ' "fertile land" in a metaphorical sense. At some time before the archaic period Pieria was incorporated in the Kingdom of Macedon (808 BC, see below) when it became the second province of the ancient kingdom, following its fate through the rule of the

Antipatrid dynasty The Antipatrid dynasty (; ) was a Dorian Greek dynasty of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon founded by Cassander, the son of Antipater, who declared himself King of Macedon in 305 BC. This dynasty did not last long; in 294 BC it was swiftly ...

(302 BC - 277 BC) and the Antigonid dynasty (306 BC - 168 BC). It became part of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

after the

Fourth Macedonian War The Fourth Macedonian War (150–148 BC) was fought between Macedon, led by the pretender Andriscus, and the Roman Republic. It was the last of the Macedonian Wars, and was the last war to seriously threaten Roman control of Greece until the First ...

, and remained part of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

and its successor, the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. It was later invaded and became a part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. During the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

in 1821, Pieria took up arms along with the rest of Greece, but their struggle failed and Pieria did not join the rest of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

until the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

in 1913. Until 1947, Pieria was part of the Thessaloniki Prefecture (at that time the largest Greek prefecture), as a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

. Pieria saw an economic boom in agriculture and business. During the Greco-Turkish War, it saw an influx of refugees from

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, now a part of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and several places were named after their former homelands including Nea Trapezounta from Trebizond (now

Trabzon Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid E ...

) and Nea Efesos from

Ephesus Ephesus (; ; ; may ultimately derive from ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital ...

(now Efes). The village of Elafos in the municipal unit Elafina, formerly a community in the Imathia prefecture, was attached to Pieria in 1974.

Transport

* A1 motorway ( E75) * GR-1 * GR-13

Culture

* Balla * Phylace * Spathes * Louloudies *

Olympus Festival Olympus Festival () is an annual festival of music and theatre and a major cultural event in Greece. It is the largest event of its kind in northern Greece and takes place annually in the months of July and August. The aim is to provide both, the l ...

* Macedonian Tombs, Korinos * Macedonian Tombs, Katerini * Folklore Museum of Katerini (

) * Pieria Asia Minor Society Museum (

) *

Archaeological Park of Dion The Archaeological Park of Dion is the most important archaeological site at Mount Olympus in Greece, located in Dion, Pieria, Dion (Greek: Δίον). In the area comprised by the Archaeological Park of Dion, sanctuaries were found from the Helle ...

( Dion) * Archaeological Museum of Dion ( Dion) * Maritime Museum of Litochoro (

Litochoro Litochoro (, ''Litóchoro''; Katharevousa: Λιτόχωρον) is a town and a former municipality in the southern part of the Pieria (regional unit), Pieria regional unit, Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government re ...

) * *Mastodon Museum of Neokaisareia ( Neokaisareia) * Olympus Geological History Museum ( Leptokarya) *Visitable Museum Store in Makrygialos ( Makrygialos) *Ecclesiastical Museum of the Metropolis of Kitros, Katerini and Platamon (

)

Sporting teams

* Pierikos - Greek Third Division

Notable people

* George Zorbas (1865–1941), the man upon whom

Nikos Kazantzakis Nikos Kazantzakis (; ; 2 March (Old Style and New Style dates, OS 18 February) 188326 October 1957) was a Greeks, Greek writer, journalist, politician, poet and philosopher. Widely considered a giant of modern Greek literature, he was nominate ...

based Alexis Zorbas the protagonist of his 1946 novel Zorba the Greek * Katerina Nikolaidou (1992), rower athlete, 4th place 2016 Olympic Games, silver medal in the lightweight single sculls at the 2013 and 2014 World Rowing Championships * Dorothea Poimenidou (1995), archer, 4th place Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, 9th place Paris 2024 Paralympic Games * Christina Moschi (2002), 10m air pistol shooter, Member of the Hellenic National Shooting Team * Maria Tsionoglou (1991), 10m air pistol shooter, Member of the Hellenic National Shooting Team * Eleni Chatziliadou (1993),

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

athlete, Kumite +68 kg 2018 World Karate Championship * Ioannis Sakellaridis (1853–1938), musicologist, music teacher, hymnographer, art theorist * Vladimiros Symeonidis (1972), conductor, university professor of music at AUTH * Christos Tsolakis (1935–2012), philologist, author, professor of AUTH * (1903–1943), politician, mayor of Katerini * Matthew Josafat (1937–2022), psychiatrist, psychoanalyst * (1947), journalist, writer, publisher * Anastasios Gkogkos (1925–1991), hagiographer, painter * Athanasios Stathakopoulos (1942), painter * (1929–2011), sculptor * Theodoros Terzopoulos (1945), theater director * Basil Athanasiadis (1970), musician, composer * Giorgos Fourniadis (1937), actor and director * Konstantinos Papachronis (1977–2008), actor *

Patriarch Callinicus of Alexandria Callinicus (; born Konstantinos Kyparissis; 180012 July 1889) served as the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria from 14 March 1858 until his resignation on 24 May 1861. He was born in Skotina, Pieria (regional unit), Pieria in 1800. Callinicus ...

(1800–1889) * Yannis K. Semertzidis (1961), physicist * Dimitris Natsios (1965), educator, theologian, politician * Kostas Zolotas (1934–2021), climber, mountain guide * Christos Kakkalos (1882–1976), climber, mountain guide

Gallery

File:Mountain Olympus snowy.JPG ,

File:Olympos - panoramio (2).jpg,

File:Elatochori snowboard centre.jpg , Ski center of Elatochori File:Platamonas Beach, Pieria, Greece.jpg, Platamon beach File: Paralia Katerini - Dock - panoramio.jpg, Paralia dock File: Paralia, Pieria E9999.jpg, Paralia File:Dion archaeological site 102.jpg,

File:The Hellenistic Theatre, Ancient Dion (6930195434).jpg, Hellenistic theatre of Dion File:Dion aspides.jpg,

, the shields devoted by

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

, over

Battle of the Granicus The Battle of the Granicus in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon and the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The battle took place on the road from Abydos (Hellespont ...

File:Dion archaeological site 112.jpg,

File:Dion archaeological site 111.jpg,

File:Dion archaeological site 113.jpg,

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Prefectures of Greece Places in the Iliad Regional units of Central Macedonia