Botanical Forest of Hymettus

What I can see

A 10 minute drive from Syntagma Square, and on an area of ​​4,460 acres on the west side of Hymettus, there is the Hymettus Botanical Forest or otherwise the “Hymettus lounge”. Olive groves, Mediterranean herbs, pomegranates, locusts, cypresses and cedar trees are some of the rich flora to be found there. It also hosts 104 species of birds and many other animals, such as foxes, hedgehogs, hares, badgers, turtles, lizards, snakes and a donkey over 40 years old, Vangelis. Inside the forest is a “secret garden” with rare plants and bird and insect observation equipment. The botanical forest is ideal for walks, forest biking, picnics (paying close attention to garbage and fires) and includes some unique sights.

What I can't see

This forest is artificial. Previously, the landscape was completely bare due to fires and grazing, with the exception of 2 cypresses that survive to this day. Shortly after the war, Keti Argyropoulou flew over the then-destroyed Kaisariani Monastery and set about restoring and reforesting the area. To finance the project, she put bees and sold honey to wealthy Athenians while organizing tea parties. By the 1960s, the forest had reached Hilton Hotel, but the dictatorship decided to build the campus of the University of Athens there and much of it was destroyed. At the same time (1968), the film “Cyprus in Flames” was shot where a large part of the forest was deliberately burned. Today, it is integrated into the NATURA network and is an important city “lung”. It is forbidden to enter and travel from sunset to sunrise.

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