![\"eidolio\"](\"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/eidolio.png\")
<\/a>Silver figurine of the Late Bronze Age from the Thessalian Olympus (Kallipefki), perhaps introduced from the East. It is of particular importance due to its origin from Olympus. Oxford, Asmolean Museum<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The Prophet Elias, one of the high mountaintops of Olympus (2.788m). At the top end, there is the chapel of the Monastery of St. Dionysios<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Etching\u2019s detail (source: the Monastery of St. Dionysios), which refers that the chapels on the tops Prophet Elias and Metamorphosis were built at sites with preexisting antiquities<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Religious functions on top of the Macedonian Olympus are mentioned since antiquity. A sanctuary of Zeus was known on the mountaintop of Agios Antonios (2.817m), where archaeological finds were discovered in 1961, at the foundation work of meteorological station of Aristotle University. Part of the findings are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Dion<\/p><\/div>\n
Written by: Effie Poulaki Pantermali<\/p>\n The Olympus National Park is the first National Park established in Greece. It was declared in 1938 by Royal Decree, due to its high environmental and ecological value. The purpose of the foundation was “… the preservation in perpetuity of the natural environment of the region, namely the wild flora, fauna and natural landscape as well as of its cultural and other values … “. The fauna of Olympus National Park consists of remarkably important, rare and threatened species. Thirty eight species of mammals have been recorded, like the Balcan chamois, the row deer, the wolf, the wild cat, the badger, the beech marten ferret, the fat dormouse, the red squirrel, the brown hare, the hedgehog, the wild boar, and the brown bear which reappeared recently in Olympus. The recorded bird species are 156, many of which are rare -such as raptors- and are strictly protected under international agreements and conventions. The golden eagle, the short-toed eagle, the buzzard, the honey buzzard, the goshawk, the rock partridge, the black stork, the alpine chough, the tawny owl, the alpine accentor, the shore lark, the wallcreeper, the coal tit and many species of woodpeckers, crossbills and treecreepers are some of the species can be found in the area.<\/p>\n Also 32 species of reptiles and amphibians have been scoped in the protected area of Mount Olympus, 24 of which are strictly protected, such as Yellow\u2013bellied Toad, greek stream frog, Macedonian crested newt, common wall lizard, cata snake, grass snake, nose-horned viper etc. Lilium chalcedonicum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Aquilegia ottonis subsp. Amalia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Campanula oreadum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hypericum olympicum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pinguicula crystallina ssp. hirtiflora<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ophrys oestrifera<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rupicarpa rupicarpa ssp.balcanica<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nFlora and fauna of mount Olympus<\/h3>\n
\nIn 1976, Olympus was included in the European Network of Biogenetic Reserves and in 1981, UNESCO included it in the list of World Biosphere Reserves. In 2006 it was officially designated as a protected area within the European Natura 2000 Network. Olympus has also been included in the \u201cImportant Bird areas of the European Community\u201d.
\nThe Olympus National Park Management Agency was founded in 2002 and it began to operate in 2003.
\nIn 1985 and 1987 Pierian Olympus and Thessalian Olympus respectively were declared by the Greek Ministry of Culture as \u201carchaeological and historical site\u201d. In 2011 Pierian Olympus was re-delimited as an archaeological site and in 2014 archeological protection zones were designated.
\nOlympus National Park is one of the richest areas in Greece regarding flora with over 1,700 species and subspecies of plants representing 25% of all the Greek flora. Among them, 187 have been characterized as important, 80 can be found only in the Balkan Peninsula, 37 are endemic to Greece and 26 are endemic to Mount Olympus. Depending on the altitude, beautiful wildflowers grow, such as orchids, anemones, irises, bellflowers, Crane\u2019s bills, cornflowers, knapweeds, saxifrages, violets as well as shrubs and trees like Kermes oak, strawberry tree, prickly juniper, ash, smoke tree, black pine, Bulgarian fir, yew , beech, Bosnian pine etc.<\/p>\n
\nThe number of insects presently known is more than 237 species , while some of them are protected like the stag beetle, -the largest beetle of Europe-, the southern festoon butterfly and the belonging to the odonata order, very impressive -due to its size- emperor dragonfly and many others.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n