Lechaio is a coastal town of 2,600 inhabitants 8km west of the city of Corinth on the Corinthian bay. It has a history of 150 years. Its first inhabitants emigrated from Kalavryta and settled in an area, known then as Kolobotsi, in 1860. It was in 1925 that it took the name Lechaio from the harbor of Ancient Corinth, Lechaeum, located just 3km east of the modern city of Lechaio. The economy of the region is based on agricultural production and on tourism, an increasing trend as there are a lot of sights as well as beaches to enjoy, not mentioning its proximity to Athens.

Lechaion was the theatre of an important battle between Sparta and Athens during the Corinthian Wars in 390 BC. The great general Iphicrates, a man of insight who reformed the battle tactics and the equipment of hoplites, led his light armored infantry troops against the heavy armored infantry of Sparta and won the battle. The ingenious Iphicrates reacted immediately when he saw that the heavily armed infantry of Spartans was not supported by enough cavalry and psiloi (extremely light infantry). So, he had his peltasts (bearing javelins) hit relentlessly the Spartans from a distance, giving them no chance to be engaged in a physical fight. It was the first time that the Spartan army suffered a loss by a supposed inferior opponent. This battle put forward the key role of a peltast in a battle formation. The concept of a light armored fighter, giving him more agility, would be used by the Romans a few centuries later when they conquered Europe.

The football team “Iraklis Lessaiou” is based in Lechaio.