01.03.2024
The West Hills of Athens
An oasis in the heart of the city
TRACES OF HISTORY…
Pnyx where the place where the ‘’Ecclesia of the Deme’’ held and made decision whilst the great orators of antiquity spoke from the rock-step that is still there.On the hill of the Nymphs stands the original observatory building, facing the Parthenon and Theseion; it is one of the landmarks of Athens. The National Observatory of Athens was the first research institution created in Greece and the Balkans, in 1842. It was financed by the Greek entrepreneur and national benefactor George Sinas and designed by the famous Danish architect Theophilus Hansen. It is a beautiful cruciform building, oriented to the four horizon points.
The highest of the three hills was dedicated to the Muses; the hill of the Muses. It is also known as Philopappos Hill (the Philopappou), as on its top is preserved part of the monument erected in honor of the Roman benefactor of Athens, Gaius Julius Antiochus Philopappos who lived here in exile towards the end of 1st AD century. Until early 20th century, the hill was called Seggio (segno in Latin), as it’s believed that during the Frankish period, signals were sent from there to the ships and the Saronic Islands. Overall, the hill had a defensive role throughout the history of Athens: Decisive battle of the Amazonomachy in the 13th BC century took place here; Demetrius ‘’the Besieger’’ (294 BC) had built a fortress on the peak to watch over the road to Piraeus; from the same position, in 1687, Morosini bombarded the Acropolis and destroyed the Parthenon. On the slopes of this hill are indicated Socrates’ prison and the Kimon’s tombs.
The demes of Koile and Melitti that were located on the hills, was the most populated area of Ancient Athens, especially during the classical period, protected by the Themistoclean Wall. The main street of Koile connected the Acropolis and the center of Athens to Phaleron and the port of Piraeus, inside the Long Walls.
Beyond its historical wealth, the area of the three hills is today one of the most important ‘’green lungs’’ of Athens and a place of recreation for Athenians and visitors to the city.
The landscaping of the hills and the space between them and the Acropolis, with the café next to St. Demetrius Loubardiaris Church, the cobblestones, the stone benches and the viewpoints towards the Acropolis, belongs to the architect Dimitrios Pikionis, whose aim was to show the continuity from the ancient Greek to the modern folk architecture of Attica.
The hills were afforested with pine-trees and cypresses sometime at the end of the 19th century. In the mid-1950s, with the insistence again of D. Pikionis, who wanted a hill freely accessible to Athenians and visitors, new plantings of indigenous trees and shrubs were made.
About 40 years ago, some works were done; stone paths, rainwater channels, wooden bridges, stone fountains, wooden picnic benches were built and fire hydrants were installed.
BIODIVERSITY
Unexpectedly rich in fauna and flora is the area of the western hills.Birds such as Owls (Athene noctua), Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus scops), Hoopoes (Upupa epops), Blackbirds (Turdus merula) nest in the hills, whilst reptiles such as Turtles (Testudo marginata) are very common.
As far as plants are concerned, besides the common Mediterranean species, such as Pine trees, Cypress, Carob trees, Olive trees, Strawberry-trees, Tree-Alfalfa, that characterize the landscape, there are about 8 indigenous Greek species; many of them chasmophytes, that is, developing in the crevices of the steep rocks.
Typical endemic species of the area are: Campanula drabifolia subsp. Drabifolia, Centaurea raphanina subsp. mixta, Inula methanaea.
TODAY
For Athenians, the area of the West Hills is an oasis in the heart of the bustling city center, where they can go for a walk, picnic and outdoor exercising. Walk up to the peak with Philopappos monument to watch the city from above, enjoy the view to the sea, the island of Aegina and even the nearest mountains of the Peloponnese.If you choose a late afternoon visit, you will have the chance to admire spectacular sunsets to the Saronic Gulf. Then, walking down through Pikionis’s cobblestones, you will see the city changing its outfit and the lightened temples of the Acropolis appearing as a vision, witnesses of the Golden Age of Athens.
Guided by locals, explore the hidden beauties of the Western Hills, learn more about their history, nature and everyday life and experience a different aspect of the city of Athens.
