eKathimerini — State officials and representatives of the Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration were dispatched on Wednesday to the small town of Leonidio in Arcadia, in the Peloponnese, over fears about the stability of a huge rock on a mountain overlooking the town.
The rock became partially dislodged by a bolt of lightning a few days ago.
Regional Governor Petros Tatoulis was also to travel to Leonidio to consult with local authorities on whether any intervention is required.
During the Middle Ages, Leonidio found itself used only as a winter refuge for the inhabitants of Prastos, the former capital of Tsakonia. When Prastos was burned to the ground by Ibrahim Pasha during the Greek Revolution its refugees found shelter in Leonidio, protected by the morphology of the landscape. In ensuing years the town flourished and thrived, counting among its residents wealthy merchants and seamen, closely associated with Constantinople and Odessa; during this period beautiful neo-classical house and tower house structures were built within its limits, including the “Tsikaliotis Tower”. On January 21, 1949, a major battle of the Greek civil war took place in the town.
