Attican Grove (Attiko Alsos)

With a total area of 238.78 hectares, total perimeter (km) 10.1, maximum altitude (m) 337.0 and minimum altitude (m) 200.0, Attican Grove (also known as Attiko Alsos), is located between Galatsi, Kypseli, Polygono and Psychiko. Two hills with bare rocky slopes and cliffs. There are also groves of pines, cypresses and other trees after reforestation. The ecological value of the site is considered interesting due to the presence of endemic plants of Attica. Risks and vulnerability come from the covering of endemic natural vegetation with soil for the purposes of reforestation and residential construction. Reforestation works and embankments threaten the rare flora, as well as continuous construction. Notable Plants: Malcolmia graeca bicolor. The grove has been reshaped with embankments over old culverts. Infrastructure and facilities have been created for Running, walking, tennis, basketball, volleyball, and 5x5, sports for children, outdoor theater and cinema. Viewpoints have also been created in all directions with the south side being dominant where the visitor can see Athens spread out at his feet, Piraeus and the Saronic Islands. In the central part of the grove there is the settlement of Georgios Papandreou. The quarries caves were the biggest attraction of the mountain. Before the German occupation, the area was a forest area with wild fauna. Forests were destroyed by the expansion of dams, residential construction and fires. The Germans during the occupation exploited the quarries and made use of their raw materials and used the area as an execution ground.