Taygetus

The Taygetos Mountains (Greek Ταΰγετος) are a mountain range in the Peloponnese Peninsula in southern Greece. It is located in the Mani landscape and separates Laconia from Messenia. The highest peak is the pyramid-shaped Hagios Ilias (or Profitis Ilias) at 2407 m, which is also the highest mountain in the Peloponnese.

The mountain range consists mainly of limestone from the Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous, which is largely horizontally bedded. However, it is crossed longitudinally by a strip of crystalline shale. This is much more overgrown, as it offers better soil and water conditions.

On the northeastern edge of the Taygetos Mountains lies the ruined city of Mistras, founded by Frankish princes at the time of the Crusades.

Two events from the Greek mythological world are entwined around the Taygetos: Zeus and Leda are said to have conceived the Dioscuri here. In addition, this mountain range is said to have served as a place of death for weak children from Sparta: The fathers of children born with defects were obliged to throw them into a crevice in the mountain massif near present-day Sparta.

The mountain range got its name from the nymph Taygete, the daughter of Atlas and the okeanide Pleione.

Today, the Taygetos Mountains are well developed for tourism. Several hiking trails such as the European Long Distance Trail E4 invite you to extensive tours.