Arachova ( el, Αράχωβα, also Αράχοβα) is a mountain town and a former municipality in the western part of

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its lar ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is a municipal unit, part of the municipality

Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra ( el, Δίστομο-Αράχοβα-Αντίκυρα) is a municipality in the Boeotia regional unit, Central Greece, Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast ...

. It is a tourist destination due to its location in the mountains, its traditions and its proximity to the town of Delphi. The town is a popular day or weekend trip destination from Attica and a gathering place for the rich and famous. This is not to be confused with Caryae (also spelled Karye) which is a town in the Southern Peleponnese that used to be called Arachova. Greek rebels under

Georgios Karaiskakis Georgios Karaiskakis ( el, Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης), born Georgios Karaiskos ( el, Γεώργιος Καραΐσκος; 1782 – 1827), was a famous Greek military commander and a leader of the Greek War of Independence. Early ...

defeated the Ottomans at the 1826

Battle of Arachova The Battle of Arachova ( el, Μάχη της Αράχωβας), took place between 18 and 24 November 1826 ( N.S.). It was fought between an Ottoman Empire force under the command of Mustafa Bey and Greek rebels under Georgios Karaiskakis. Afte ...

. The

Formaela Formaela ( el, Φορμαέλα) is a hard cheese produced exclusively in Arachova, Greece. It is famous throughout Greece and has been registered in the European Union as a protected designation of origin since 1996. Formaela is prepared mainly ...

cheese from Arachova has been designated as a

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...

.WIPO
/ref> Nearby Arachova, modern ski facilities are popular with visitors. Although contemporary culture tends to outdo regional folklore, the town maintains some local customs and demonstrates them at celebrations on 23 April, in the honor of the patron

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

. Arachova has a panoramic view, uphill small houses and the cobbled streets show a picturesque architecture. The town center includes a huge and steep cliff, the Bell Tower, covered with dense ivy. At the top of the tower is a large 10m height clock. Arachova is famous for its black wine, its "brusque", the colorful textiles, carpets and rugs, handicrafts and

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

creations as well.

Historical significance

Geography

Arachova is situated at about a 970 m (3182 ft) elevation on the southern slope of

Mount Parnassus Mount Parnassus (; el, Παρνασσός, ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is and historically has been especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers ...

, above the valley of the river

Pleistos The Pleistos ( el, Πλείστος, grc, Πλεῖστος, la, Pleistus) is a river in central Greece. It drains the Pleistos valley, named after it, a relatively recent rift valley north of the Gulf of Corinth, and parallel to it. They ha ...

. The municipal unit has an area of 139.448 km². Arachova is located 8 km E of

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...

, 9 km northwest of

Distomo :"Distomo" ''may also refer to a work by Federico García Lorca'' Distomo ( el, Δίστομο) is a town in western Boeotia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra, of which it is ...

, 18 km southeast of Amfissa and 26 km west of

Livadeia Livadeia ( el, Λιβαδειά ''Livadiá'', ; grc, Λεβάδεια, Lebadeia or , ''Lebadia'') is a town in central Greece. It is the capital of the Boeotia regional district. Livadeia lies north-west of Athens, west of Chalkida, south-ea ...

. The

Greek National Road 48 National Road 48 ( el, Εθνική Οδός 48, abbreviated as EO48) is a single carriageway road in central Greece. It connects the Greek National Road 5 at Antirrio with the town Livadeia, passing through Naupactus and Delphi. The section be ...

(

Naupactus Nafpaktos ( el, Ναύπακτος) is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mornos. It is named for Naupaktos (, Latinize ...

- Delphi - Livadeia) passes through the town. The Parnassos Ski Centre is situated to the north.

Climate

Arachova has a temperate climate. Snow falls in winter, though its sheltered location means that it receives less snow than areas at similar altitudes on the north side of Parnassos mountain. Summers are warm with pleasant nights.

Historical population

Gallery File:Arachova hoj05.jpg, View of the town hall File:EHGritaly_120305-02_(Street_in_Arachova).JPG, A street in Arachova File:Arachova hoj17.jpg, View of Arachova File:Arachova hoj06.jpg, Another street of the city File:Arachova.jpg, Arachova Viewpoint

References

External links