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The Olympus National Park Information Center (
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
Κέντρο Πληροφόρησης Εθνικού Δρυμού Ολύμπου, Kendro Pliroforisis Ethnikou Drymou Olymbou) informs their visitors about geology, archaeological sites, mythology, monasteries, plants, animals and other subjects relating to
Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...
.


Location

The centre is located about one kilometer above
Litochoro Litochoro ( el, Λιτόχωρο, ''Litóchoro''; Katharevousa: Λιτόχωρον) 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 Dio-O ...
, directly at the road leading to the summits, lies the Olympus National Park Information Center. It is located opposite the extensive sports complex and is signposted.


Purpose

In 1938,
Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...
was established as the first national park in Greece, and declared a Biosphere Reserve by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in 1981. The building houses the offices of the National Park Administration, the exhibition, a library, various meeting rooms and a spacious atrium for events or exhibitions. There are also rooms for a café and a souvenir shop. The exhibition is the link between the National Park Administration and the public. The visitor is given an overall picture of the mountains. Hiking, nature, archeology, history, fauna, flora, monasteries and, of course,
Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
are treated.


Exhibition

The design of the exhibition was designed by the
Goulandris Museum of Natural History The Goulandris Museum of Natural History is a museum in Kifisia, a northeastern suburb of Athens, Greece. It was founded by Angelos Goulandris and Niki Goulandris in 1965 in order to promote interest in the natural sciences, to raise the awaren ...
. The exhibition is divided into seven areas, in which the peculiarities of the seven different zones of the mountain are presented, one will find large-sized boards that provide information about relevant topics in Greek and English. With every rise in the exhibition, the next higher altitude of the mountains is shown and the plant and animal world prevailing there is explained. Places of interest beyond nature are treated on separate boards, information about archaeological sites such as Dion or
Leivithra Leibethra or Libethra, in the modern pronunciation Leivithra ( gr, Λείβηθρα or Λίβηθρα) was an ancient Macedonian city at the foot of Mount Olympus, near the present settlement of Skotina. Archaeologists have discovered tombs ther ...
is provided. The hiker is pointed out to interesting places near the hiking trails, such as the monastery of Agios Dionysius or the cave of the painter Ithakisios.


Service

Multilingual guides are available to assist visitors. A certified Ecoguide is responsible for guided tours in the mountains. The works in the library mainly deal with the themes of Olympus, animals and plants. Most are written in Greek, but books in English, German and French language are also on the shelves. The amphitheater, a room with 142 seats, can be used for congresses, lectures, meetings, etc. A seminar room can also be provided upon request. Registration is required. The Olympus National Park Information Center is one of the venues of the
Olympus Festival Olympus Festival ( el, Φεστιβάλ Ολύμπου) 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 ...
.


References


External links

* * {{coord, 40.110036, 22.499, type:landmark_region:GR, display=title Mount Olympus