Olympos, Karpathos

Olympos (Greek: Όλυμπος) is a village and a former self-governing community on the island of Karpathos, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Karpathos, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] It is located in the northern part of the island. Population 556 (2011). The total land area of the community is 104.876 km².[3]

Olympos
Όλυμπος
Olympos is located in Greece
Olympos
Olympos
Location within Karpathos
Coordinates: 35°44′N 27°11′E
CountryGreece
Administrative regionSouth Aegean
Regional unitKarpathos
MunicipalityKarpathos
 • Municipal unit104.9 km2 (40.5 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Municipal unit
556
 • Municipal unit density5.3/km2 (14/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

History

In antiquity in this place there was the Doric city Vrykous or Vrycous. Vrykous was one of the three ancient cities of Karpathos.[4] It was located near the village Avlona. Today a small part of the city and the walls are preserved as well as some ruins from graves and three old Christian churches.[5] The city of Vrykous was kept until the 7th or 8th century. Then the residents sought refuge in more mountainous areas on account of Saracen pirates. The refugees from Vrykous founded Olympos possibly in those years. Olympos was named after the mountain where it is built. The name of the village is feminine (Η Όλυμπος/I Olympos) contrary to the name of the mountain that is masculine (Ό Όλυμπος/O Olympos). The name Elympos (Έλυμπος) is used, mainly by local villagers.[6] The villagers of Olympos kept the local dialect and the traditional costume due to the isolation of this place from the rest of Karpathos. The traditional style of the village attracts many tourists nowadays.

Historical population
CensusSettlementCommunity
1991304
2001323480
2011270556

Notable people
  • Closer view of the village
    Closer view of the village
  • Houses
    Houses
  • Balcony with view to the ocean
    Balcony with view to the ocean
  • Local church
    Local church
  • Local women dressed for a festival of Mary, mother of Jesus
    Local women dressed for a festival of Mary, mother of Jesus
  • Diafani village, seaport of Olympos traditional village
    Diafani village, seaport of Olympos traditional village

References
  1. "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
  2. "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
  3. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece.
  4. Προστατευόμενη περιοχή Καρπάθου Σαρίας (PDF) (in Greek). fdkarpathos.gr. p. 51. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  5. Προστατευόμενη περιοχή Καρπάθου Σαρίας (PDF) (in Greek). fdkarpathos.gr. p. 41. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  6. Προστατευόμενη περιοχή Καρπάθου Σαρίας (PDF) (in Greek). fdkarpathos.gr. p. 35. Retrieved 22 February 2015.


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