# Pieria (regional unit)

Pieria (Greek: Πιερία) is one of the regional units of Greece located in the southern part of the Region of Central Macedonia, within the historical province of Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Katerini. The name Pieria originates from the ancient Pieres tribe. In Pieria, there are many sites of archeological interest, such as Dion, Pydna, Leivithra and Platamonas. Pieria contains Mount Pierus, from which Hermes takes flight in order to visit Calypso, and is the home of Orpheus, the Muses, and contains the Pierian Spring. Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece and throne of the ancient Greek gods, is located in the southern part of Pieria. Other ancient cities included Leibethra and Pimpleia.

## Geography

The Pieria regional unit is bordered by Imathia to the north, Kozani to the west, and to the south and west by the region of Thessaly's Regional Unit of Larissa. The Pierian Mountains lie to the west; the Thermaic Gulf lies to the east. It also has a valley by the GR-13. Most of the population live within the Olympian Riviera. The lowest point is the Thermaic Gulf and the highest point is Mount Olympus.
It combines extensive plains, high mountains and sandy beaches. The region's beauty gives it a great potential for further tourist development.
The main beaches are Paralia, Olympiaki Akti, Korinos, Neoi Poroi, Methoni, Leptokarya, Platamonas, Skotina, Kalyvia Varikou, Limenas Litochorou (also known as Gritsa). Many of the Pieria's beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

## Climate

Its climate is mainly of Mediterranean type with hot summers and cool winters. Severe winter weather is common in the central and western parts of Pieria, especially in the Pierian Mountains and on Mount Olympus.
On June 8, 2007, a low pressure weather system from Southern and Central Europe resulted in heavy rainfall that ravaged the prefecture and caused great damage in fruit and vegetable production. The worst hit area was Korinos.

## Administration

The Regional Unit of Pieria is divided into 3 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):
* Pydna-Kolindros (3)
* Katerini (1)
* Dion-Olympos (2)

### Prefecture

As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the Regional Unit of Pieria was created out of the former prefecture Pieria (Greek: Νομός Πιερίας). The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganized, according to the table below.
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
| Dion-Olympos | Dion | Litochoro |
| Dion-Olympos | East Olympos | Litochoro |
| Dion-Olympos | Litochoro | Litochoro |
| Katerini | Katerini | Katerini |
| Katerini | Elafina | Katerini |
| Katerini | Korinos | Katerini |
| Katerini | Paralia | Katerini |
| Katerini | Petra | Katerini |
| Katerini | Pierioi | Katerini |
| Pydna-Kolindros | Aiginio | Aiginio |
| Pydna-Kolindros | Kolindros | Aiginio |
| Pydna-Kolindros | Methoni | Aiginio |
| Pydna-Kolindros | Pydna | Aiginio |

## History

The region, known as Pieria or Pieris (Ancient Greek: Πιερία/Πιερίς) in Antiquity, took its name from the Pieres (Πίερες), a Thracian tribe that was expelled by the Macedonians in the 8th century BC from their original seats, and driven to the North beyond the Strymon river and Mount Pangaeus, where they formed a new settlement in Edonis. The name Pieria has been connected to Homeric πῖαρ "fat", πίειραν ἄρουραν "fertile land" in a metaphorical sense.
At some time before the archaic period Pieria was incorporated in the Kingdom of Macedon (808 BC, see below) when it became the second province of the ancient kingdom, following its fate through the rule of the Antipatrid dynasty (302 BC - 277 BC) and the Antigonid dynasty (306 BC - 168 BC). It became part of the Roman Republic after the Fourth Macedonian War, and remained part of the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire.
It was later invaded and became a part of the Ottoman Empire. During the Greek War of Independence in 1821, Pieria took up arms along with the rest of Greece, but their struggle failed and Pieria did not join the rest of Greece until the Balkan Wars in 1913. Until 1947, Pieria was part of the Thessaloniki Prefecture (at that time the largest Greek prefecture), as a province. Pieria saw an economic boom in agriculture and business. During the Greco-Turkish War, it saw an influx of refugees from Asia Minor, now a part of Turkey, and several places were named after their former homelands including Nea Trapezounta from Trebizond (now Trabzon) and Nea Efesos from Ephesus (now Efes). The village of Elafos in the municipal unit Elafina, formerly a community in the Imathia prefecture, was attached to Pieria in 1974.

## Transport

* A1 motorway (E75)
* GR-1
* GR-13

## Notable people

* George Zorbas (1865–1941), the man upon whom Nikos Kazantzakis based Alexis Zorbas the protagonist of his 1946 novel Zorba the Greek
* Katerina Nikolaidou (1992), rower athlete, 4th place 2016 Olympic Games, silver medal in the lightweight single sculls at the 2013 and 2014 World Rowing Championships
* Christina Moschi (2002), 10m air pistol shooter, Member of the Hellenic National Shooting Team
* Maria Tsionoglou (1991), 10m air pistol shooter, Member of the Hellenic National Shooting Team
* Eleni Chatziliadou (1993), karate athlete, Kumite +68 kg 2018 World Karate Championship
* Vladimiros Symeonidis (1972), conductor, university professor of music at AUTH
* Christos Tsolakis (1935–2012), philologist, author, professor of AUTH
* Matthew Josafat (1937–2022), psychiatrist, psychoanalyst
* Anastasios Gkogkos (1925–1991), hagiographer, painter
* Athanasios Stathakopoulos (1942), painter
* Theodoros Terzopoulos (1947), theater director
* Basil Athanasiadis (1970), musician, composer
* Giorgos Fourniadis (1937), actor and director
* Konstantinos Papachronis (1977–2008), actor
* Patriarch Callinicus of Alexandria (1800–1889)
* Christos Kakkalos (1882–1976), climber, mountain guide
* Kostas Zolotas (1934–2021), climber, mountain guide
* Yannis K. Semertzidis (1961), physicist
* Aimilios Xanthopoulos (1903–1943), politician, mayor of Katerini

## Sporting teams

* Pierikos - Greek Third Division
* Pierian Sodality