Here in 480 b.J. the Spartan King Leonidas and the 300 soldiers along with 700 Thespians and 80 Mycenaean repelled the Persian King Xerxes during his campaign in Greece, falling heroically and made this place World Pilgrimage.
Nowadays, there is a modern monument at the site, called the "Leonidas Monument", in honor of the Spartan king. It features a bronze statue of Leonidas. A sign, under the statue, reads simply: "Μολὼν λαβέ" ("Come and take them!"—as in answer to Xerxes' demand that the Greeks give up their weapons). The metope below depicts battle scenes. The two marble statues on the left and the right of the monument represent, respectively, the river Eurotas and Mount Taygetos, famous landmarks of Sparta.
Sources: wikipedia.org www.lamia.gr