Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus also translated Olympos or on Greek maps Oros Olympos is the tallest mountian in Greece, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) away from Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece. Mount Olympus has about 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, which means nose, rises to 2,917 metres (9,570 ft). It is one of the highest peaks in Europe in terms of Topographic Prominence. Mount Olympus is also known for its different flora with several species. It is a National park of Greece and a Worldwide Biosphere Reserve. In Greek Mythology Olympus was noted as the home of the Twelve Olympian Gods of the ancient Greek world. They came together after the gods beat the Titans in the Great Titan War, and soon the gods took over the palace. Mount Olympus is the setting of many Greek mythical stories. In the words of Homer who is a famous Greek poet: Olympus was not shaken by winds nor ever wet with rain, nor did snow fall upon it, but the air is outspread clear and cloudless, and over it hovered a radiant whiteness. Climbing Mount Olympus is an enjoyable hike, except for the last part from Skala summit to Mytikas summit, which is YDS class 3 rock scramble which is quite difficult. It is estimated that 10,000 people climb Mount Olympus each year, most of them reaching only the Skolio summit. Most climbs to Mount Olympus start from the town of Litochoro, which took the name City of Gods because of its location at the base of the mountain. A local from Litochoro, Christos Kakalos, became the first to reach the Mytikas summit on 2 August 1913. From there a road goes to Prionia, where the hike begins at the bottom of the mountain Mount Olympus and the national Park around it were selected as the main motif for the Greek National Park Olympus commemorative coin, minted in 2005. On the reverse, the War of Titans on Mount Olympus is portrayed along with flowering branches on the lower part of the coin. Above the scene is written, in Greek, "National Park Olympus". Mount Olympus is probably the most known mountain in Greece.