Greece bids for Mount Olympus to be included on UNESCO World Heritage list
Greece has long campaigned for Mount Olympus to gain UNESCO World Heritage status; the committee is now reviewing the bid in South Korea.
More than four decades after Evangelos Geroliolios first climbed Mount Olympus, the mayor of Dion-Olympus still recalls the awe he felt at the summit. Greece's highest mountain, rising 2,918 meters, is steeped in myth as the home of the ancient gods, described by Homer as the "seat of the immortals."
Greek officials have pushed for UNESCO recognition since 2014, citing cultural and environmental significance. The area became Greece's first national forest in 1938, a biosphere reserve in 1981, and a national park in 2021. Last year, some 500,000 tourists visited—a number expected to rise after Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" released in July.
The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Busan, South Korea, began discussing the nomination on Sunday. Of Greece's 21 UNESCO sites, only two are mixed cultural and natural. Designation would provide technical and financial support, helping combat threats like forest fires and overtourism.
However, advisory bodies ICOMOS and IUCN reportedly recommended further details, suggesting the bid may be referred back to Greece. Geroliolios insists there is no time to waste: "Even if we don't succeed, further protective measures have to be taken."
