Municipal Park

Covering an area of approximately 52 stremmas, the Municipal Park of Katerini was first demarcated in the 18th century during the Ottoman Empire, when the city was still part of Thessaloniki.

The original area was used as a military camp for Ottoman military exercises, evidenced by the two cannons now located on the northern side of the Park, historical relics that commemorate the liberation of the city as well as the Turkish occupation.

Immediately after the liberation, the city authorities rushed to designate this large area as a communal-municipal space and convert it into a recreational and greenery park. The area was named Olympiada Square, and in 1922 a pine nursery was established there.

Later, and up until the 1950s, a large part of the park was occupied by the 1st Municipal Stadium of Katerini, which served as the home of the historic football teams of the era, Megas Alexandros and Olympus. The merger of these teams later led to the creation of the city’s greatest team, Pierikos, which has played over time a leading role in the sports scene of the entire country.

Over the years, the Municipal Park of Katerini has become a magnet for residents and visitors, hosting various recreational activities, as well as the Municipal Café “Moulin Rouge,” a building of exceptional architecture constructed in the mid-1930s, and the zoo, with many animal species, such as deer, peacocks, roes, foxes, pigeons, monkeys and birds.