Location: 4 km (2.5 mi) West of Paiania
Tel. 210 664 2108
+30 10 664 2910
Open: 9am- 4:30pm daily
Entrance Fee: 2 Euro
Koutouki Cave is located on the eastern slope of Mount Ymittos,
about 4 km (2.5 mi) West of Paiania or Peania (birthplace of
Socrates and Demosthenes) in Greece. Occasionally Koutouki Cave
is referred as Peania Cave. Koutouki Cave was accidentally
discovered in 1926 by a shepherd who went to retrieve his goat
that fell through the crevice in the roof of the underground
tunnels. Today the cave is well lighten by electric light.
Furthermore handles and steps were added for the safety of
tourists as well as to preserve unique picturesque stalagmites
and stalactites that are abundant in Koutouki Cave.
The first explorer of the Cave is considered to be the journalist
D. Hatzopoulos, who, with the help of the locals, made the first
descent from the natural entrance of the cave, where a kid had
previously fallen. This was followed by many visits by various
groups of nature lovers, the most important being that of Giannis
and Anna Petrocheilos of the Hellenic Speleological Society in 1954,
who also did its mapping.
Koutouki Cave is part of the
underground karst system of Hymettus. Its creation is due to the
high solubility of limestone in rainwater. This is the primary cause
of the birth of the Caves. Thus, most of the Cave of Peania has been
created, with rich stone decoration, with a variety of stalactite
formations and evocative atmosphere, elements that pushed to give
different names to the halls, balconies, squares and corridors. The
"Olympic Torch" can be distinguished, "Altar", "Coral", a "Harmony",
and the "Red Waterfall" from the iron oxides that penetrate inside
the cave along with the water from the ground.
Koutouki is a
cavern with a vertical height of 38.5m. and corridor length 350m.
about. The huge central chamber, measuring 60 x 60 m. Is divided by
stalagmites, stalactites and columns into other smaller ones. The
temperature inside is 17 oC. Today the visit is made from an
artificial entrance that was built to facilitate access, in the
context of the tourist development carried out by the Hellenic
Tourism Organization (EOT) in the four years 1963 - 1967.
Recently, the Cave came to the Ministry of Culture, which aims at
the complete renovation of the space, the restoration of the
interior and the modernization of its operation with the cooperation
of the Local Government and the support of the local community.
After appropriate environmental studies, the green algae that
overlaps the stalactites and burdens the cave will be removed and
the lighting that until now caused it will be changed. We hope that
soon there will be an outdoor space in addition to the cafe and a
screening room and educational programs to better inform the public
about the Caves, which are not only attractions, natural monuments,
but also an integral part of cultural heritage, and are protected by
the Archaeological Law.