The Greek capital entombed its major rivers in concrete during its car-centred postwar development. Now the most storied of them, Ilisos, could be set free _Photographs by Christian Sinibaldi_ Walking through the densely built metropolis of Athens, few visitors or even locals realise the Greek capital was once crisscrossed by three major rivers, not to mention some 700 smaller streams that flowed into them. The Kifisos, the Iridanos and the Ilisos were buried under concrete during the city’s postwar car-centred development, in what daily newspaper Kathimerini has labelled “a crime against the city”. The Ilisos River is one of three major rivers to cross Athens, but much of it was buried under concrete during postwar redevelopment Tramlines running over the Ilisos have been closed because of the parlous state of the walls keeping the river contained The Kifisos River Sections of the Kifisos still above ground Kaliroi, the ancient spring that fed the Ilisos, no longer exists, which means the river has limited flow and ‘daylighting’ the Ilisos may not be straightforward Continue reading...
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