Mount Lycabettus (), also known as Lycabettos, Lykabettos or Lykavittos ( el, Λυκαβηττός, ), is a
Cretaceous limestone hill in the
Greek capital
Athens. At 277 meters (908 feet) above sea level, its summit is the highest point in Central Athens and
pine trees cover its base. The name also refers to the residential neighbourhood immediately below the east of the hill.
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
Kolonaki (, ), literally "Little Column", is an upscale neighborhood in central Athens, Greece. It is located on the southern slopes of Mount Lycabettus. Its name derives from the two metre column (located in Kolonaki Square) that defined the area ...
(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
he hill
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
that is walked by wolves"). Another etymology suggests a
Pelasgian, pre-Mycenean, origin (''Lucabetu=mastoid hill'').
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
An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
after the box holding
Erichthonius In Greek mythology, Erichthonius (; grc, Ἐριχθόνιος, Erikhthónios) may refer to the following figures:
* Erichthonius, the son of Hephaestus, and legendary king of Athens.
* Erichthonius, son of Dardanus, and king of Troy.Homer, ''Ilia ...
was opened.
Theatre
The hill has a large open-air
amphitheatre near the top, which has housed many Greek and international concerts. Since 2008 it is closed due to safety concerns. By 2022 the city of Athens suggested the renovation and reopening of the theatre.
Among the artists who have performed at the Lycabettus theatre are
Ray Charles,
Joan Baez,
B.B. King,
Chuck Berry,
Jerry Lee Lewis,
Leonard Cohen,
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
,
Bob Dylan,
Paco De Lucia,
Al Di Meola
Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music, he began his career as a guitarist of the group Return to Forever in 1974. Between the 1970s and 1980s, albums such as ' ...
,
John Mc Laughlin,
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...
,
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
,
Black Sabbath,
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...
,
Bjork,
Dead Can Dance,
Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
,
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
,
UB40,
Placebo,
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...
,
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
,
Moby
Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
,
Massive Attack,
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
,
Faithless
Faithless are an English band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, '' Reverence'', was released in 1996 and their most recent, ''All Blessed'', in 2020. They have sold millions ...
,
Whitesnake,
Tracy Chapman,
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neva ...
,
Slipknot,
Patti Smith,
Vanessa Mae
Vanessa-Mae (陈美 Chén Měi; born 27 October 1978) also called Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, is a Singaporean-born British violinist with album sales reaching several million, having made her the wealthiest entertainer under 30 in the Uni ...
,
Bryan Ferry,
Tito Puente,
Buena Vista Social Club,
Orishas,
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional l ...
,
Iron Maiden,
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
,
Blackmore's Night
Blackmore's Night is a British-American neo-medieval folk rock band formed in 1997, consisting mainly of Ritchie Blackmore (acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpe, and electric guitar) and Candice Night (lead vocals, lyri ...
and
Scorpions.
Gallery
File:Mount Lycabettus.jpg
File:Blick vom Lykavittos auf Athen - View from Lykavittos Hill over Athens.jpg, View from Lykavittos Hill over Athens
File:The_Acropolis_of_Athens_at_Night.jpg, View of the Acropolis at night
File:Athens Francis Bedford 1862.jpg, View from the Acropolis by Francis Bedford, 1862
File:Lykavittos1880.png, Lycabettus -80, without St. George's Chapel and before the modern planting of pine trees
File:Chapel of Saint George.jpg, Saint George's chapel on top
File:Attica 06-13 Athens 46 View from Lycabettus.jpg, Theatre of Lycabettus
File:Athens view2007.jpg, View of Athens
See also
*
List of contemporary amphitheatres
References
* Boguslawski, Alexander (2000).
Lykavittos Hill" Retrieved August 30, 2005.
External links
Lycabettus Hill Website*
*High-resolution 360° Panorama o
Mount Lycabettus , Art Atlas
Lycabettus
Outdoor theatres
Tourist attractions in Athens
Neighbourhoods in Athens
Pelasgian words
{{Athens-geo-stub