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The mythical realm of the gods of ancient Greece is just one step away from historic international recognition. Mount Olympus’s nomination for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a mixed site, of both natural and cultural value, is expected to be examined at this year’s session of the World Heritage Committee, which will take place from 19 to 29 July in Seoul.
Mount Olympus, Greece’s highest mountain, with its summit at 2,918 metres, is not only a unique natural landscape. For centuries it has stood at the heart of Greek mythology, as tradition holds it was the home of Zeus and the twelve gods of the ancient world. At the same time, it shelters a rich ecosystem, rare species of flora and fauna, as well as important monuments that link the area to history and culture.
Greece submitted the nomination for the inclusion of the wider mountainous mass of Mount Olympus on UNESCO’s list back in 2014. However, international evaluators from IUCN and ICOMOS, UNESCO’s advisory bodies, requested additional information in order to strengthen the dossier.
According to their observations, further evidence is needed to substantiate the international significance of the area’s geological features, biodiversity and ecological processes. At the same time, they have called for the mountain’s cultural value to be clarified even more, with a proposal to add the archaeological site of Dion, at the foot of Mount Olympus, to the nomination.
The mayor of Dio-Olympos, Evangelos Geroliolios, describes the local community’s relationship with the mountain:
“Mount Olympus is our life. It is the place where we grew up, the place we see every day. At the same time, though, it is a place that carries myth, history, biodiversity, unique natural beauty and enormous cultural significance.”
As he notes, any inscription of Mount Olympus by UNESCO would go beyond local and national boundaries. “It would be something that concerns the entire world,” he said, while emphasising that such recognition would also bring greater responsibilities for protecting the environment.
Protecting the ecosystem is also a key issue for the people who live and work in the area. Mountaineer and president of the Litochoro Mountaineering Club, Babis Marinidis, stresses that inclusion on UNESCO’s list could attract more visitors, but at the same time would require stricter management.
“The question is how many people this mountain and this ecosystem can sustain,” he said, pointing out that there are already problems with compliance with protection rules, such as bans on camping and swimming in sensitive areas.
Mount Olympus attracts thousands of visitors and climbers from all over the world every year. Sudden weather changes, its rugged relief and demanding routes, however, make it a mountain that demands respect and careful management.
For the residents of Litochoro, possible recognition by UNESCO would confirm their enduring bond with the mountain. Hotel owner Stavroula Vourou notes characteristically: “Mount Olympus is not something we are discovering now. All these years it has been the source of life for Litochoro. Litochoro has lived from Mount Olympus.”
UNESCO’s final decision is awaited with particular interest, as the inclusion of Mount Olympus on the World Heritage List would be a major international acknowledgement for a place where mythology, history and unique natural heritage come together.