Acrocorinth holds a special place in the history and mythology of Corinth. It was the favorite place of the sun god since he was the first to receive his golden rays every morning. On its highest peak (575 m.) Helios had his throne which he later gave to Aphrodite. The natural fortification of the rock and the walls made Acrocorinthos impregnable, only through hunger or treachery was it managed in its history to be beaten by the attackers. The view from the top is panoramic and reaches from the Corinthian to the Saronic and from Helikon and Parnassos to the Argolic mountains. Acrocorinth was the stronghold of Moria in the various raids and had therefore been carefully fortified since prehistoric times. Today, most of the fortifications are Venetian, but prehistoric ones are preserved in some places, classical, Hellenistic and Byzantine fortifications. There is the famous spring of Pirini and ruins of the famous temple of Aphrodite. At the foot of the rock there was a Thesmophorium (temple) of Demeter and Persephone. In Acrokorinthos, the Byzantine Despot Leo Sgouros met a tragic death by falling with his horse over the cliff in order not to surrender to the Frankish besiegers. Apart from its archaeological importance, Acrocorinth is a rich botanical garden with many endemic wild flowers of the Greek land and belongs to the "NATURA 2000" European network of habitats
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
