Loutrochori(on) ( el, Λουτροχώρι(οv) meaning "bath town"; formerly ''Paina'', Πάινα and ''Bania'', Μπάνια meaning "baths")''Pandektis: Name Changes of Settlements in Greece''
Retrieved on 30 November 2016, compiled by th

/ref> is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the Pella regional unit, of Macedonia in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 458, its area is 7.506 km², and its population density is 62.08 per km². The village is on a hill and thus it has a view of the surrounding countryside. Loutrochori is situated north of the Egnatia Highway (or A2, the Greek part of the E90) and south of the

EO2 EO2 was a Cantopop dance group in Hong Kong. The name comes from its 4 members with 2 beginning with "E", and 2 beginning with "O". The members are Eric Tse (謝凱榮), Eddie Pang (彭懷安), Osman Hung (洪智傑) and Otto Wong (王志安). ...

(or E 86). The nearest railroad (train) stations, on the OSE's

Thessaloniki–Bitola railway The railway from Thessaloniki to Bitola is a long railway line, that connects the port city Thessaloniki in Greece with Bitola in the Republic of North Macedonia, via Veroia, Edessa, Amyntaio and Florina. The line was opened in 1894 under the ...

, are east (

Petrea ''Petrea'' is a genus of evergreen flowering vines native to tropical Americas. The genus was named in honour of Robert James Petre, an English patron of botany. Species The following species are currently recognized: *'' Petrea blanchetiana ...

), southeast ( Episkopi) and northeast (

Skydra Skydra ( el, Σκύδρα, in modern Greek, before 1926: Βερτεκόπ - ''Vertekop'', Slavic: Вртикоп, ''Vrtikop'') is a municipality in the Pella regional unit of Macedonia in Greece. Municipality The municipality Skydra was forme ...

). The Loutrochori area was famous from ancient times for its spa. The spa (''iamatica loutra'', ιαματικά λουτρά) of Loutrochori (spa-drinking therapy)Ιαματική Πηγή Λουτροχωρίου (Δήμος Σκύδρας), History and Information about the baths of Loutrochori
is situated just away near the local mountain of Canber ().

History

Ancient era

The Loutrochori area has been a spa from the 4th century BC under the Macedonian Kingdom.

Modern era

Modern Loutrochori is a relatively new village; it was founded in the 1920s by the first

Greek refugees Greek refugees is a collective term used to refer to the more than one million Greek Orthodox natives of Asia Minor, Thrace and the Black Sea areas who fled during the Greek genocide (1914-1923) and Greece's later defeat in the Greco-Turkish War ...

from

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

, under the name "Μπάνια" (''Bania''). After the

Greek Genocide The Greek genocide (, ''Genoktonia ton Ellinon''), which included the Pontic genocide, was the systematic killing of the Christian Ottoman Greek population of Anatolia which was carried out mainly during World War I and its aftermath (1914� ...

and the

Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) There have been several Greco-Turkish Wars: *Greek War of Independence (1821–1830), against the Ottoman Empire *Undeclared war in 1854 during the Crimean War, with Greek irregulars invading Ottoman Epirus ( Epirus Revolt of 1854) and Thessaly * Fi ...

, a large number of Pontic Greek refugees arrived at the village as a result of the

population exchange Population transfer or resettlement is a type of mass migration, often imposed by state policy or international authority and most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion but also due to economic development. Banishment or exile is a ...

under the Treaty of Lausanne. In 1926, the village's name was changed to "Λουτροχώρι" (Loutrochori).

Demographics

The village's population grew rapidly after 1923. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...

, the population steadily declined as residents moved to larger towns and cities or emigrated. The inhabitants are (100%) ethnic

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

and

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

Geography

Loutrochori is the southwestern part of the municipality of

. It is southeast of the regional unit capital of Edessa in Central part of Macedonia in

. Loutrochori is bounded by the

Imathia Imathia ( el, Ημαθία ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Macedonia, within the geographic region of Macedonia. The capital of Imathia is the city of Veroia. Administration The regional unit Ima ...

to the southwest and it is northwest of the Imathian capital

Veria Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of ...

. It sits at an elevation of around

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

and the population is approximately from 500 (in winter) to 800 (in summer) inhabitants. Loutrochori covers an area of some , between the mountains Vermio () to the southwest,

Voras The Voras Mountains ( el, Όρος Βόρας; also Boras), also known as Nidže ( mk, , tr, Nice Dağı)http://www.chinci.com/travel/pax/q/787674/Nid%C5%BEe/MK/Macedonia/0/#. ''Nidže'', Accessed 7 May 2012 are a mountain range situated on the ...

() to the northwest and Paiko () to the northeast. Loutrochori is located at a distance of northwest of the present day Greek capital -

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

by road, north of the royal capital of ancient

Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an Classical antiquity, ancient monarchy, kingdom on the periphery of Archaic Greece, Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. Th ...

Vergina Vergina ( el, Βεργίνα, ''Vergína'' ) is a small town in northern Greece, part of Veria municipality in Imathia, Central Macedonia. Vergina was established in 1922 in the aftermath of the population exchanges after the Treaty of Laus ...

, west of the first capital of the Greek Macedonian Kingdom and birthplace of

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

Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...

and northwest of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, the present-day capital of

Greek Macedonia Macedonia (; el, Μακεδονία, Makedonía ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and Greek geographic region, with a population of 2.36 million in 2020. It is ...

Locations and distance

Nearest places

Big cities

Climate

The average

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various Conversion of units of temperature, temp ...

is 14.8

degrees Celsius The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius scale (originally known as the centigrade scale outside Sweden), one of two temperature scales used in the International System of Units (SI), the other being the Kelvin scale. The ...

and the average rainfall about 470 millimetres per year. Loutrochori has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The warmest month is August, with . Record high temperatures of up to . The coolest month is January, averaging .

Economy

Loutrochori produces cherries,

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

s, some strawberries and

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-f ...

es.

Gallery

Churches and Chapels in Loutrochori

File:Agii Pantes Loutrochori.jpg, Agii Pantes ( All Saints) Greek Orthodox Church in Loutrochori. File:Agios Georgios Loutrochori.jpg, Ruins of Agios Georgios (

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 soldie ...

) Greek (Byzantine) Orthodox country Church in Loutrochori. File:Analipsi Loutrochori.jpg, Analipseos Tou Kiriou (

Ascension of Jesus The Ascension of Jesus (anglicized from the Vulgate la, ascensio Iesu, lit=ascent of Jesus) is the Christian teaching that Christ physically departed from Earth by rising to Heaven, in the presence of eleven of his apostles. According to th ...

) Greek Orthodox chapel in Loutrochori. File:Profitis Ilias Loutrochori.jpg, Profitis Ilias (

Prophet Elias Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...

) Greek Orthodox Church in Loutrochori.

References

External links

Loutrochori on GTP Travel Pages (Community)

Loutrochórion (Pélla, Macedonia, Greece)

Map of Central Macedonia. - Loutrochori NW (20)

A blog about Loutrochori

Primary school of Loutrochori

Kindergarten of Loutrochori

Loutrochori (epigraphy, Delacoulonche 242,24)
{{Skydra div Populated places in Pella (regional unit) Spa towns in Greece