Olympiada

LocationOlybiada

Olympiada is a village in the northeast of the prefecture of Chalkidiki. It is the homonymous Municipal District, in the Municipality of Aristotle. About 700 meters is the archaeological site of ancient Stagira. The area is protected by the Natura 2000 program. The village, built along a beautiful beach, lies in the middle of its natural harbor. It is surrounded by green mountains and enchanting beaches that attract numerous visitors every summer. The most important events are the two-day celebration of the mussel, at the feast of Agia Kyriaki (7 July), as well as the theatrical events outside the archaeological site, which take place every August. On New Year’s Eve, the inhabitants say screaming songs.

The settlement of the Olympiada was created in 1923, in a location where there was a rough rural settlement with huts where few families lived. Here refugees from Agia Kyriaki of Asia Minor arrived after the uprooting of 1922, and the inhabitants of the rural settlement moved to today’s Stageira. The area is of great historical significance as here are the Ancient Stageira. They are located in the eastern part of the settlement, at a distance of about 700 meters, at Liotopi. The main occupation is tourism and fishing. The main temple is that of Saint Sunday.

According to a local tradition, the village’s name comes from Olympiada, the mother of Alexander the Great. King Cassander had exiled her to Ancient Stageira, or, in others, to the nearby island of Capra. It is opposite the Olympiad, at a distance of 1.5 nautical miles, and is called Caucasus. Capra is also mentioned by the ancient geographer Strabo. According to him, the same name was given to the port of the city of ancient Stagira.