Loutraki () is a seaside resort on the

Gulf of Corinth The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf (, ) is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea, separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece. It is bounded in the east by the Isthmus of Corinth which includes the shipping-designed Corinth Canal and ...

, in

Corinthia Corinthia (; ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Ge ...

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 ...

. It is located west of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and northeast of

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

. Loutraki is the seat of the municipality

Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi () is a municipality in the Corinthia regional unit, Peloponnese, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Loutraki. The municipality has an area of 294.90 km2. The municipality was formed at the 20 ...

. The town is known for its vast natural springs and its therapeutic spas. There are many tourists who visit Loutraki every year (especially in summer) because of its crystal clear sea. The Casino of Loutraki has thousands of visitors every day. The population in 2021 was 12,212 people.

History

In antiquity a town called Thermae (, hot springs) existed on the site. In 1847, an announcement in Italy asserting the therapeutic benefits of bathing in the natural thermal spas found in Loutraki caused an influx of settlers in the surrounding areas, thereby creating modern Loutraki. In 1928, Loutraki was completely destroyed by an earthquake, and rebuilt. A large park was created by claiming land from the sea, using the rubble of the fallen houses. Another strong earthquake hit the area in 1981 but with less destructive effects.

Name

The name ''Loutraki'' is a direct reference to the thermal spas of the region. It derives from the ''Loutro(n)'' () that means bath, bath-house, spa or

thermae In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...

. The Greek word loutro is directly translated as

in English, which was also the ancient name of the region.

Geography

The town is bordered by the

in the west, while the mountain range of

Geraneia Geraneia Mountains or Yerania Ori () are a mountain range in Corinthia and West Attica, Greece. Its highest point is the peak ''Makryplagi'' (), elevation 1,351 m. It covers the northern part of the isthmus between the Gulf of Corinth and the ...

dominates north and east. There is a small valley in the southwest that leads to the

Isthmus of Corinth The Isthmus of Corinth ( Greek: Ισθμός της Κορίνθου) is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The wide Isthmus was known in the a ...

. Although part of Corinthia Prefecture, Loutraki is situated northwest of the

Corinth Canal The Corinth Canal () is a canal in Greece that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Completed in 1893, it cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and "separates" the Peloponnese peninsula fro ...

thus not on the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

Sightseeing

A monastery named Osios Patapios is located about NW of Loutraki on Geraneia mountain, offering great view of the Isthmos area and the

. Loutraki is well known for its

Casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

(Club Hotel Casino Loutraki), one of the biggest in Europe. The

Heraion of Perachora The Heraion of Perachora () is a sanctuary of the goddess Hera situated in a small cove of the Corinthian gulf at the end of the Perachora peninsula. In addition to a temple of Hera of unusual construction and antiquity, the remains of a number of ...

(sanctuary of the goddess

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

) is an archaeological site of great significance located at the end of the

Perachora Perachora () is an inland settlement in Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi, Corinthia, in the region of Peloponnese in Greece. In Antiquity it was called Peiraion. It is located about 7 km northwest of the town of Loutraki in the foothills ...

peninsula and for the Vouliagmeni lake. Visitors and tourists can visit several buildings of Loutraki. * On G. Lekkas str. there is a two-story house, built in 1928, which bears the hallmarks of his era (single volume and form a solid banister, exciting door). It holds a position in the urban fabric of the region and is an interesting group with other buildings of the street. * Also on G. Lekkas str. is the landmark building of the hotel "Palace", built in 1923 and owned by the George K. Aggelidis Hotel Company SA. This five-storey hotel was repaired in 1928 after an earthquake. The vertical axis of symmetry is predominant. Two marble staircases face each other, passing under the arched openings. The last two floors are unified, with the central part protruding from the building and raised at the end. The decorations are linear. The bearing structure consists of masonry, blocks, reinforced concrete. * One of the old villas of the old town of Loutraki is on Syros str., with an area of 135 sq.m., which was built in 1956 on the site of a pre-1950 house. The bearing structure consists of reinforced concrete. The purchase and renovation was the work of the Cypriot industrialist distiller Kekkos Ioannidis, when he came to Greece from the Congo of Africa. It bears the hallmarks of his era (simple volume and format, high ceilings, mosaics, solid gate and door), has large terraces, and is surrounded by gardens with fruit trees and roses, the latter of which dominate a fountain garden. Today is in the hands of another owner, who erected in the garden a bronze bust of General George V. Papagiannopoulos, who was wounded in the war.

Nearest places

(NW) *

(SW)

Historical population

Notable people

Anna Synodinou Anna Synodinou (Greek: Άννα Συνοδινού; 21 November 1927 – 7 January 2016) was a Greek actress and politician. Born in Loutraki, she studied at the National Theatre of Greece Drama School. She mainly excelled in ancient drama an ...

(1927–2016), actress and politician *

Pantelis Zervos Pantelis Zervos (, born 1908 in Loutraki – January 22, 1982, in Athens) was a Greek theatrical and a film actor. Biography Zervos was born in Loutraki near Corinth in Perachora. He attended the Art Theatre School with Karolos Koun (Coon). ...

(1913–1991), actor

Twin towns — sister cities

Loutraki is twinned with

Cēsis Cēsis (; (, , , ) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to b ...

, Latvia.

External links

Municipality of LoutrakiThe official Loutraki Tourism Website
{{Authority control Populated places in Corinthia Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi Seaside resorts in Greece Spa towns in Greece Acropolis Rally