Palaio Loutro ( Greek: Παλαιό Λουτρό) is a small mountain village in Messenia,

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

, Southern Greece. It is located a few kilometres from Chora, the site of Nestor's Palace, and the seaside port of

Pylos Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is th ...

. Palaio Loutro means "old bath" in reference to the river that runs between the village and a mountain the locals refer to as "o koufieros". Before World War II, Palaio Loutro had a thriving

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

community. It suffered immensely from the occupation of Greece between 1941 and 1944; residents fled Nazi forces and sought refuge in the nearby mountains when Palaio Loutro was set alight to avenge the death of German troops in the area as a result of battles with the Greek Resistance. The village also suffered as a result of 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 ...

that ravaged Greece between 1946 and 1949. In the 1950s and 1960s, many of its young people emigrated primarily to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

but also to the United States and Germany. Others left for nearby larger Messinian towns and to the prefecture's capital, Kalamata. Many also settled in Greece's capital, Athens. Palaio Loutro is known for the river that passes near the village, its scenic views and its annual patron saint festival (panigyri) held in the summer that attracts many visitors, including children and grandchildren of the village's former residents. In recent years, former residents of the village and their descendants have begun rebuilding their ancestral homes which are used in the summer months. The town has two churches,

Saint Demetrius Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki, Thessalonica ( el, Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, (); bg, Димитър Солунски (); mk, Свети Димитрија Солунски (); ro, Sfântu ...

and Saints Anargyroi ( Cosmas and Damian). The latter was carved out of the mountain facing the village and many residents sought refuge there when Palaio Loutro was set alight by the Nazis in World War II.

References

Populated places in Messenia Pylos-Nestor {{Peloponnese-geo-stub

See also

References