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14-524: The Hymettus mountains lie to the northwest and the Mesogeian plain to the north. Another mountain lies toward the northeast. Most of the area's streets take names from Greek mythology, and its main street, Poseidonos, forms a connection with the route running from Neo Faliro down toward the Glyfada boundary. Forests cover partpart of the municipality, but much of the mountainous area is rocky and grassy. Varkiza has

28-521: A church, restaurants, bars, taverns, a post office and a couple of squares ( plateies ). Since 2001 Varkiza has been hugely modernised. Varkiza just after the World War II was a small village for fishermen but today has developed to a small town for the rich with one of the best beaches in Attiki. In the summer the population triples as Varkiza resort is right next to the top summer clubs which are located on

42-402: A widely known beach, which has tennis courts, parkland and fields, restaurants, taverns, complexes and other amenities. The urban sprawl sporadically covers the farmlands and moves west of Varkiza. The population were rural until the 1960s while suburban housing sprang up between the 1960s and the 1990s, making most of the population urban and expanding to this day. Housing development began in

56-417: Is rocky, deforested, grassy and made out of limestone . The flanks of Hymettos are dotted with caves. The largest and most notable is Koutouki cave  [ el ] , which has its entrance on the east flank of the mountain, near Paiania. The smaller Liontari cave has its mouth at the north end of the mountain, west of Glyka Nera and is named after the lion of Hymettos which is said to have lived on

70-557: The East Attica regional unit and is part of the municipality Paiania , of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 9.238 km . Glyka Nera is situated on the eastern slope of the northernmost part of the forested Hymettus mountain. It is 11 km east of central Athens, and 11 km northwest of the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport . Adjacent towns are Gerakas to

84-526: The Saronic Gulf . It is 6 to 7 km from east to west. In ancient times, the highest point was known as Megas Hymettos and the southern peaks as Elasson (Ἐλάσσων "lesser, smaller") and Anydros Hymettos (Ἄνυδρος Ὑμηττός, "waterless Hymettos"). Today the southern peaks are called Mavrovouni (Μαυροβούνι, "black mountain") and Kontra (Κόντρα). It was noted for its thyme honey . Marble has been quarried since antiquity. The neighboring communities that surround

98-496: The "Glyfada strip". Hymettus Hymettus ( / h aɪ ˈ m ɛ t ə s / ), also Hymettos ( / h aɪ ˈ m ɛ t ɒ s / ; Greek : Υμηττός , romanized :  Ymittós pronounced [imiˈtos] ; Ancient Greek : Ὑμηττός [hymɛːt.tós] ), is a mountain range in the Athens area of Attica , East Central Greece. It is also colloquially known as Trellós (crazy) or Trellóvouno (crazy mountain);

112-551: The central part of district where farmland once used to dominate its central areas and within the Saronic Gulf . Later, Varkiza became part of the Athens urban area, and in the 1960s, the connecting highway had two lanes added. The Treaty of Varkiza was signed in 1945 in an attempt to end the Greek Civil War . It was signed at the Kanelopoulos Mansion, which is located at Vari. Varkiza has one school (dimotiko), banks,

126-622: The latter originates from the French "très long" (very long) in awe of its winding length of 16 km, as used by French travelers during the occupation of Greece by the Ottomans . Hymettus was assigned the status of a protected area in the EU 's Natura 2000 ecological network . The highest point of the mountain range is Evzonas (Εύζωνας) with an elevation of 1,026 m (3,366 ft). The 16 km (9.9 mi) length of Hymettus stretches from Athens to

140-439: The lowest passes are to the south and one further south. The mountain range features about six to seven landfills in the western part and another in the eastern part. Glyka Nera Glyka Nera ( Greek : Γλυκά Νερά [ɣliˈka neˈra] , meaning "sweet waters", named after an underground water source) is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens Metropolitan Area . Since the 2011 local government reform it belongs to

154-401: The mountain are Athens (proper), Zografou , Kaisariani , Vyronas , Ilissia (a region of Zografou), Ymittos , Ilioupoli , Argyroupoli , Elliniko , Glyfada , Voula and Vouliagmeni in the west, Varkiza , Vari , Markopoulo and Paiania to its east, and Papagou , Cholargos , Agia Paraskevi , Gerakas and Glyka Nera . Most of the forest is in the north, and much of the mountain

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168-525: The mountain in the past and to have terrified the inhabitants of the surrounding area. In antiquity there was a sanctuary to Zeus Ombrios ("Zeus rain bringer") on the summit with numerous offerings dating especially to the 8th-7th centuries BC; they are on the site of a military base and not currently accessible. There is also an ancient quarryman's hut on the western slopes of the mountain, one of two buildings in ancient Attica which preserves its roof. There are several notable Byzantine monasteries on

182-611: The mountain, including: Major campuses of the University of Athens and the National Technical University of Athens (collectively called "University Town") are located on the west-facing slope, between the A62 motorway , a ring road connected with the A6 , and the urban sprawl of Athens. A transmitter park for several major TV and radio stations, along with military radar is located at

196-428: The top of the mountain. Built up urban areas almost surround the entire mountain range. Access to the top of the mountain is restricted to authorized vehicles for maintenance of the towers. Almost all of Attica, Athens' eastern suburbs and the new airport can be seen from the mountain top along with the mountains of Parnitha to its northwest, Penteli to its north and Aigaleo to its west. The valley areas that create

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