Mount Lycabettus

Mount Lycabettus (/ˌlaɪkəˈbɛtəs/), also known as Lycabettos, Lykabettos or Lykavittos (Greek: Λυκαβηττός, pronounced [likaviˈtos]), is a Cretaceous limestone hill in the Greek capital Athens. At 300 meters (908 feet) above sea level, its summit is the highest point in Athens and pine trees cover its base. The name also refers to the residential neighbourhood immediately below the east of the hill.

Lykavittos

Λυκαβηττός
Neighborhood
Coordinates: 37°58′40″N 23°44′30″E
CountryGreece
RegionAttica
CityAthens
Postal code
114 71, 115 21
Websitewww.lycabettushill.com

The hill is a tourist destination and can be ascended by the Lycabettus Funicular, a funicular railway which climbs the hill from a lower terminus at Kolonaki (The railway station can be found at Aristippou street). At its two peaks are the 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre, and a restaurant.

Mythical and legendary stories

Lycabettus appears in various legends. Popular stories suggest it was once the refuge of wolves, (lycos in Greek), which is possibly the origin of its name (means "the one [the hill] that is walked by wolves"). Another etymology suggests a Pelasgian, pre-Mycenean, origin (Lucabetu=mastoid hill).[1]

Mythologically, Lycabettus is credited to Athena, who created it when she dropped a limestone mountain she had been carrying from the Pallene peninsula for the construction of the Acropolis after the box holding Erichthonius was opened.

Panorama from Mount Lycabettus, with a view of the Panathinaiko Stadium, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hellenic Parliament and the Acropolis of Athens.

Theatre

The hill has a large open-air amphitheatre at the top, which has housed many Greek and international concerts. Among the artists who have performed at the Lycabettus theatre included Ray Charles, Joan Baez, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Paco De Lucia, Al Di Meola, John Mc Laughlin, Gary Moore, Peter Gabriel, Black Sabbath, Nick Cave, Bjork, Dead Can Dance, Pet Shop Boys, Deep Purple, UB40, Placebo, Morrissey, Radiohead, Moby, Massive Attack, Faith No More, Faithless, Whitesnake, Tracy Chapman, Nightwish, Slipknot, Patti Smith, Vanessa Mae, Brian Ferry, Tito Puente, Buena Vista Social Club, Orishas, The Prodigy and Scorpions.

  • View from Lykavittos Hill over Athens
  • View from the Acropolis by Francis Bedford, 1862
  • Lycabettus c.1870-80, without St. George's Chapel and before the modern planting of pine trees
  • Saint George's chapel on top
  • Theatre of Lycabettus
  • View of Athens
gollark: Yes, but only optionally, in the websocket backdoor.
gollark: It *might*.
gollark: Unless you consider the autoupdater and BIOS download a backdoor.
gollark: *Pre-install*, run `set potatOS.disable_backdoors true`.
gollark: Okay, I added a backdoor disabler option.

See also

References
  1. Τοπωνύμια της Αττικής
  • Boguslawski, Alexander (2000). "Lykavittos Hill." Retrieved August 30, 2005.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.