Plaka Litoxorou
Litochoro is a semi-mountainous town (height of 300m, 6,697 inhabitants) of the Prefecture of Pieria. Is located the southern part of the prefecture, at the eastern end of Olympus, 23 km from Katerini and 92 km away. from Thessaloniki. The first written mention of Litochoro is in the first half of the 16th century, when St. Dionysius was the companion of Oscar Nyanoras of the Saber Monastery and visited the area and founded the homonymous monastery. Litochoro is a popular city for those wishing to climb Mount Olympus, as all the efforts to conquer the peak of the mythical mountain begin. It has a population of about 7,000 inhabitants. Northwest of Litochoro is the Holy Monastery of Agios Dionysios in Olympou.
Designation
There are five versions of three orthographs of the word Litohoros (or Littoror or Lithokoros), with the dominant name giving it today as iota. The mythical Leto is considered to be responsible for the spelling with or, while writing with u results from the "empty" (ie free) place. The latter is probably due to the moderate status of the Ottoman domination (compared to other regions) of the capital of Pieria or, in general, to the "liberating" attitude of the locals. Additionally, the word may come from the Byzantine wordlist (+ space), that is, prayer. It may also be a paraphrase of the word Lithochoros, that is to say the stone place, which finds most supporters. There is, finally, the view that Litochoro means just a bit of space.
Access and transportation
Litochoro is accessible via the E75 motorway (National Road Athens-Thessaloniki) from the area of Plaka Litohoro and through the provincial road connecting Litochoro with the city of Katerini. There is a bus station that serves the passengers for Katerini and Thessaloniki through Katerini. Litohoro Rail Station is a transit station from Athens to Thessaloniki (and vice versa). Since September 10, 2007, a suburban railway line has been launched from Thessaloniki to Litochoro and vice versa [2].
Municipal events
The Municipality of Dion - Olympos is a leader in the organization of cultural events. In February and March, impressive and spectacular is the carnival with a parade of tanks and the climax of the events when burning cedars in the neighborhoods of the houses, which they call bairy. Sardines and wine are offered. On Net Monday in Xirokambi, a kite flying contest is held and the tsipouro, which accompanies the dance and the fast food, is flowing abundantly. A two-day cultural meeting is held in May. July is the summer of the Municipality, organized by the Municipality of Litohoro with its choir and dance groups and lasting ten days. The choirs take part in the events from all over Greece and abroad. Also, theatrical performances are coming up. In August, Olympia, track and road races are held at the Litohoro Municipal Stadium. In addition, the "OLUMPUS MARATHON" road race is held annually in the summer months. The volunteers, with the participation of well-known marathon runners, start from Dion, climb up the mountain through a trail up to about 2,700 m (Muses Plateau) and follow the descent through the valley of the river Enipea and end in the park of Litohoro.