Myth and History
Αthens is the capital of Greece, located in Central Greece and is considered, along with Rome, the city with the greatest historical value, a milestone, in European history, known worldwide for its historical monuments, which survived over the centuries.
It is the economic, cultural and administrative center of the country, spreads over 412,000 square acres, and has a population of around 3,100,000 inhabitants, rising to the 1/3 of the total population.
According to mythology, the position of the protector of the city claimed by the gods Poseidon and Athena, who offered Cecrops, the first kink of the city, a gift in order to choose between them: the first one created a spring of seawater, forming a small lake, the “Erechthiida” sea, while the second one made a little olive tree grow, by touching the ground of the sacred rock of the Acropolis with her spear.
The strange plant impressed the people of Athens, as well as the king, it was a promise of glory and happiness, and thus the city was named Athens, in honor of the goddess of wisdom. The myth is symbolic and the tow gods reflect that Athens is a city of wisdom as well as a power of the sea.
While the establishment of Athens is lost in the mists of legend, it is generally accepted that it predates the Mycenaean period and, according to Plato, is dated before 9,600 BC. The mythical king Theseus united the ten municipalities of Attica, creating the Athenian state in the form that is known to us throughout the duration of Ancient Times.
During the “Golden Age” of Greece from 500 BC until 300 BC, this city – state was the major intellectual and cultural center in Europe, providing the foundation for what we now call “Western Civilization” and even establishing democracy itself. The policy of Pericles (462-461 BC), the famous politician, orator and general of the time, consolidated the dominance of Athens. It was then that the famous Parthenon was built and arts, philosophy and drama reached their peak.
Nowadays, Athens is the center of modern Greece. It was named capital of the newly established Greek State in 1834 and was rebuilt by Kleanthis, Schubert and Leo von Klenze. It was the center of the political developments in modern Greece, the place where the landmark events of recent history took place and where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were hosted in 1896.
Due to its location at the center of the country, Athens is the perfect starting place to travel to all the beautiful parts of Greece. The International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” is a modern project, completed in 2001 that gives us access to all domestic and major European destinations. Simultaneously, the port of Piraeus is one of the main gates of entry / exit of Athens with 20 million passengers each year, mainly heading to the magnificent islands of the Aegean Sea.
Sights of Athens
The historic center of Athens lies peripherally of the hill of the Acropolis, where the most famous monument of the ancient city, the Parthenon, dominates the sacred rock. The Acropolis also includes the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaea. located in the southern part are the exceptional Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Asklipieio and other monuments, while at its foothills stands the complex of the Ancient Agora, the commercial, political and social center of ancient Athens.
Around the Acropolis, the areas of Thissio, Plaka, Monastiraki, Psiri and the pedestrianized street of Dionysius Areopagite are popular destinations where you have the opportunity to walk on the old, picturesque neighborhoods of Athens overlooking the Parthenon.
The museum that steals the show is the new Acropolis Museum, with remarkable exhibits as the Caryatids, simply designed and providing plenty of natural light that illuminates the exhibits. Other interesting museums are the National Archaeological Museum, the museum of Ancient Agora, the museum of Byzantine Art, the Benaki Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery etc.
Also do not omit to visit the ancient Kallimarmaro Theater, Hadrian’s Gate, the Pnyx, the Olympieion, the Roman Forum, Plato’s Academy, the Panathenaic Stadium, Zappeion, Kerameikos area, Syntagma Square, where the old royal palace houses the Parliament, as well as other elegant public buildings of the 19th century in the center of the modern city. Wonderful sights of Attica close to Athens are also the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, which is a true work of art, the archaeological sites of Vravrona, Eleusis and Ramnounta.
Finally, close to Athens there are numerous beaches, mainly in the south and east of Attica that give the chance for a refreshing dip during the hot summer months just a few kilometers outside the city. You can find beaches with sand or pebbles, with tourist facilities or not, famous for their scenery or their services.