Homeless people and drug addicts are occupying the “balcony of Athens”

One of the hills of the capital has been in a state of full collapse in the past few years. It is the hill of Saint John the Hunter or Kynosargous, which is situated at the borders between the Athens and Dafni municipalities overlooking Vouliagmenis Avenue.

The “balcony of Athens” as it is called by many people due to its 1.500 m distance from the rock of the Acropolis, has difficult access because of its poor maintenance and destruction of its infrastructure, as illustrated in the photos.


It’s worth noting that local residents are complaining about its abandonment, while reporting the frequent visits of bag thieves, who often throw away their unwanted loot, thus spoiling and further degrading the beautiful green hill in the centre of Athens.

Neglected paths and recreation areas and lack of lighting and cleaning are some of the problems, while in recent years and due to the economic problems of the Greek society the hill has been “inhabited” by homeless people and drug users.

It is also worth noting that previous attempts by the Greek Scouts to locate the 1st System of Forest Scouts of Dafni on the hill – a move that would have contributed to the improvement of the area – were unsuccessful.