A live History Museum
In the heart of mountainous Arcadia, on the banks of the Lousios River and on the outskirts of Mainalos, Dimitsana has preserved its traditional character intact over time.
Built on the location of the ancient city named Tefthis, the city is known for its historical significance concerning the struggles of our nation,its rare historical monuments and tourist attractions.
Visit Ancient Gortyna or Gortys, the Arcadians’ ancient city. Its ruins are near the village of Atsicholo between Karytaina and Dimitsana. According to our mythology, it was founded by Gortynos who built it next to the river Lousios. The wider area is named by the ancient city and it is called Gortynia, Municipality of Gortynos.
Lousios is a tributary of river Alpheus, and according to the legend it was where Zeus bathed after his birth. It forms one of the most beautiful gorges of the Peloponnese with a length of 15 km and a width of almost 2 km. On both sides, we find the historical monasteries of Filosofou and Prodromou. The surrounding area has been designated and protected as a "unified archaeological area" by the Ministry of Culture.
The Prodromou Monastery is located between the villages of Dimitsana and Stemnitsa. Thanks to its impressive architecture, it is an attraction for visitors, as it is built on a vertical rock in the gorge of the Lousios river. The monastery was built in the 16th century and played an important role during the Greek War of Independence of 1821 as it gave Greek fighters medical assistance and supplies.
The Filosofou Monastery is located in the south of Dimitsana, in the gorge of Lousios river. It is considered one of the oldest Byzantine monuments in Greece as it was founded in 963 by Ioannis Lampardopoulos from Dimitsana, the so-called "philosopher", who was the secretary of the emperor Nikephoros Phokas. It consists of two monastic complexes, the old and the new one, which are located close to one another and are dedicated to the Dormition of Virgin Mary and celebrate the feast in question on August 23.
The Ecclesiastical Museum of Dimitsana was created in 1992 and is housed in the restored house of Gregory V, near the square of Dimitsana. One of the most rare priestly schools of the Peloponnese, the School of Greek Letters, functionned in the historic village. Αrchbishops and scholars, among them Gregory V and Palaion Germanos of Patras, were graduates. In the Ecclesiastical Museum there is a rare collection of old sacred utensils, icons and robes.
The Open Air Water Power Museum is located just outside of Dimitsana. It belongs to the Museum Network of the Piraeus Group Cultural Foundation. It was founded in 1997 by the ETVA Cultural Technology Foundation after the renovation of the abandoned pre-industrial facilities. In this thematic museum,you will find a presentation of the basic pre-industrial techniques that use water as the main source of energy for the production of various products.Moreover,the
