List of attractions in Athens
Due to its culturally and historically significant archaeological sites, museums and monuments, Athens is one of the most visited cities in Europe .
Museums
The great museums
Acropolis Museum Athens
| museum | Greek name | Website |
|---|---|---|
| National Archaeological Museum | Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο | www.namuseum.gr |
| Acropolis Museum | Μουσείο Ακρόπολης | www.theacropolismuseum.gr |
| Byzantine and Christian Museum | Βυζαντινό και Χριστιανικό Μουσείο | www.byzantinemuseum.gr |
| Museum of Cycladic Art | Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης | www.cycladic.gr |
|
Benaki Museum Dependencies in Athens / Attica: - New Benaki Museum at 138 Pireos Street - Benaki Museum of Islamic Art - Toy Museum in Villa Kouloura - Historical archive in the house of Penelope Delta - Atelier Nikos Chatzikyriakos-Ghika - Atelier Giannis Pappas |
Μουσείο Μπενάκη | www.benaki.gr |
Other public museums
| museum | Greek name | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeological Museum of the Ancient Agora | Μουσείο Αρχαίας Αγοράς | www.agathe.gr |
| National Historical Museum | Εθνικό Ιστορικό Μουσείο | www.nhmuseum.gr |
|
National Gallery - Alexandros Soutzos Museum - Dependance: National Glyptothek |
Εθνική Πινακοθήκη | www.nationalgallery.gr |
| National Museum of Contemporary Art | Εθνικό Μουσείο Σύγχρονης Τέχνης | www.emst.gr |
| Piraeus Archaeological Museum | ||
| Acharnes Archaeological Museum | ||
| Kerameikos Archaeological Museum | ||
| Athens City Museum of the Vouros Eutaxias Foundation | Μουσείο της Πόλεως των Αθηνών | www.athenscitymuseum.gr |
| Athens Municipal Gallery | Δημοτική Πινακοθήκη της Αθήνας | |
| Museums of the National and Kapodistrian Universities of Athens - History Museum - Museum of Anthropology - Museum of Archeology and Art History - Museum of Botany - Museum of Criminology - Museum of Mineralogy and Petrology - Museum of Paleontology and Geology - Museum of Zoology |
||
| Museum of Greek Folk Art | Μουσείο Ελληνικής Λαϊκής Τέχνης | www.melt.gr |
| Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments | Μουσείο Ελληνικών Λαϊκών Οργάνων | www.instruments-museum.gr |
| War museum | Πολεμικό Μουσείο | www.warmuseum.gr |
| Numismatic Museum | Νομισματικό Μουσείο | www.nma.gr |
| Epigraphic Museum | Επιγραφικό Μουσείο | |
| Botanical Museum in the National Garden | ||
| Jewish Museum | Εβραϊκό Μουσείο | www.jewishmuseum.gr |
Private museums
| museum | Greek name | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Goulandris Museum of Natural History | Μουσείου Γουλανδρή Φυσικής Ιστορίας | www.gnhm.gr |
| Vorres Museum | Μουσείο Βορρέ | www.vorresmuseum.gr |
| Frissiras Museum of Contemporary Painting | Μουσείο Φρυσίρα | www.frissirasmuseum.com |
| Spathario Museum of Shadow Theater | Σπαθάρειο Μουσείο Θεάτρου Σκιών | www.karagiozismuseum.gr |
| Alex Mylona Museum | ||
| Exile Museum | Μουσείο Πολιτικών Εξόριστων Αϊ Στράτη | www.exile-museum.gr |
| Railway Museum | Σιδηροδρομικό Μουσείο | www.ose.gr |
| Post and Philately Museum | Ταχυδρομικό & Φιλοτελικό Μουσείο | www.postalmuseum.gr |
| Telecommunication Museum of the OTE | www.ote.gr | |
|
|
Θεατρικό Μουσείο | www.theatremuseum.gr |
| Children's Museum | Ελληνικό Παιδικό Μουσείο | www.hcm.gr |
| Ceramic Museum | Μουσείο κεραμικής | www.potterymuseum.gr |
| Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum | Μουσείο Κοσμήματος Ηλία Λαλαούνη | www.lalaounis-jewelrymuseum.gr |
| Herakleidon Museum of Fine Arts | www.herakleidon-art.gr | |
| Tsarouchis Museum | Τσαρούχης | www.tsarouchis.gr |
| Paul and Alexandra Kanellopoulos Museum | Μουσείο Κανελλοπούλου | www.pakanellopoulosfoundation.org |
| Hellenic Motor Museum | www.hellenicmotormuseum.gr | |
| Greek Air Force Museum | Μουσείο Πολεμικής Αεροπορίας | www.haf.gr |
| Trokadero Marina Ship Museum | ||
| DESTE art museum | ||
| George Economou Collection Museum |
Buildings
Buildings of antiquity
- Acropolis , including the Parthenon Temple, Niketempel, Erechtheion, Propylaea
- Agora , including the Temple of Hephaestus and Athena (the best preserved temple in Greece), the replica of the Stoa of Attalos (with Agora Museum )
- Kerameikos , ancient city wall with the Dipylon, the largest Athens city gate; Grave Street
- Pnyx , hill west of the Acropolis, site of popular assemblies in classical Athens
- Philopappos Monument on the hill of the same name south of the Acropolis
- Areopagus , rock northwest of the Acropolis and seat of the highest court or supreme council (later only blood jurisdiction)
- Dionysostheater , here the classical tragedies of the great dramatists Aeschylus , Sophocles and Euripides as well as the comedies of Aristophanes and Menander were premiered and from 330 BC. The popular assembly held
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus
- Roman agora with the tower of the winds , model of later octagon buildings and weather towers.
- Hadrian's Library
- Olympieion , Temple of Olympian Zeus , the mightiest temple on the Greek mainland, with over 17 m high columns and Hadrian's Gate , which was the model for the triumphal arches and is also an early example of setting structures.
- Kallimarmaro Stadium or Panathenaic Stadium, 330 BC The stadium was built for the Panathenaic Games (under Demosthenes ) and renovated in 140 AD by Herodes Atticus with Pentelic marble . The reconstruction was made possible by a donation from the Greek merchant Georgios Averoff . Most of the competitions of the Olympic Games in 1896 and the Intermediate Olympics in 1906 were held in this stadium . In 2004 archery and marathons took place here.
Medieval and Ottoman buildings
- Byzantine churches, e.g. B. Hagioi Theodoroi ( 11th century ), Kapnikarea Church (11th century), Hágios Ioánnis Theológos (11th / 12th century ) or Panagia Gorgoepikoos - the small metropolis (11th / 12th century)
- Daphni Monastery (with Byzantine mosaics)
- Kaisariani Monastery
- Fatih Camii (Mosque of the Conqueror) at the Roman Market (presumably 16th century)
- Agii Anargyri , former monastery in Plaka, 17th century
- Portal of the madrasah (Koran school), 18th century
- Tsisdarakis Mosque (late 18th century; now museum of traditional ceramics)
- Turkish bath in Plaka (17th century)
- Pantanassa Church in Monastiraki Square (17th century)
19th century architecture in Athens
With the founding of the Greek state, building activity began. Many Greeks and foreigners from abroad invest in the city. Under King Otto and the city architects Stamatios Kleanthis and Eduard Schaubert , today's city center of Athens is laid out. The architect Ernst Ziller alone builds over 600 buildings , partly together with his younger brother Paul Ziller , and even becomes the court architect of George I. Some important buildings of this time are:
- Late classical ensemble of the university, academy and national library. First the university building was built (1842) according to plans by Hans Christian Hansen . In 1891 the Academy of Athens was inaugurated according to plans by Theophil Hansen in the execution of Ernst Ziller (completion was delayed due to the expulsion of King Otto from Athens). The National Library was also completed in 1891 based on a design by Theophil Hansen. The Catholic Episcopal Church (design: Leo von Klenze ) and the eye clinic are in the immediate vicinity .
- Palais "Ilissia" of the Duchess of Plaisance ; Today Byzantine Museum ( Stamatios Kleanthis )
- "Old University", the home of Stamatios Kleanthis and Eduard Schaubert and the city's first (temporary) university building using one of the few remaining houses from the Ottoman period (today the Museum of the University of Athens); in the Plaka district
- Parliament building (the former royal palace) on Sýntagma-Platz by Friedrich von Gärtner , adjoining National Garden and Zappeion exhibition building (F. Boulanger and Th. Hansen)
- The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Technical University (Lyssandros Kaftantzoglou); Site of the student uprising against the dictatorship on November 17, 1973
- National Museum ( Ludwig Lange )
- Presidential Palace (first Crown Prince Palace and later Castle; Ernst Ziller )
- Old Parliament (now the National Historical Museum) by F. Boulanger
- Athens City Hall by Panagiotis Kalkos (1874)
- German Archaeological Institute ( Ernst Ziller )
- Peloponnesian station and Lárissa station by Ernst Ziller
- City villas or palaces by Ernst Ziller , the best known are: Iliou Melathron (Schliemann house, today: Numismatic Museum), the Stathatos house (today part of the Cyclades Museum) and the Megaro Mela on Town Hall Square (formerly the main post office and now owned by the National Bank )
- City villas by French architects ( Piat , Eugene Troumpe : Megaro Athinogenous , the Megali Bretania (Μεγάλη Βρετανία, today: Hotel "King George"), Athens Plaza )
- Functional buildings by Ziller, e.g. B. the hotels "Bangeion" and "Megas Alexandros" at the confluence of Athinas Street with Omonia Square
- Hotel Grande Bretagne , originally Palais Dimitriou based on plans by Th. Hansen, has undergone major changes
20th century architecture in Athens
The architecture of the 19th century in Athens was largely shaped by classicism and the restoration of the Greek state. Early Greek modernism was all the more radical. Driven by the housing shortage after the Greeks were expelled from Turkey in 1921, building activity began again. The Athens Charter , the manifesto of modern architecture, was signed in 1933. Later they regretted the loss of classicist houses, but in recent years people have started to appreciate the centrally located apartment houses of the early modern era in Athens.
After the Second World War, more and more internationally known architects were building in Athens. During the time of the junta , a large number of second-class apartment houses were built for speculative reasons, which characterize the image of some suburbs. Some outstanding modern buildings in Athens:
- Apartment houses in Kolonaki , Exarchia and in the wider center 1920–1940 (description will follow soon)
- Terminal East at the former Athens Hellenikón Airport by Eero Saarinen , 1960–1963
- Embassy of the USA to the Leoforos Vasilissis Sofias by Walter Gropius , 1961
- Hilton Athens, 1963
Contemporary architecture
In Athens, new residential buildings are mainly being built in the suburbs, but most of the large projects involve infrastructure or are administrative buildings. The Olympic Games of 2004 were an urban blessing, for which many planned projects were pushed ahead or only just realized. The largest city park in Europe is to be built on the site of the former Hellenikon airport in the near future. Some examples are:
- Pedestrian bridge at Katehaki metro station by Santiago Calatrava
- New building for the National Bank on the corner of Odos Eolou and Odos Sofokleous by Mario Botta , 1999–2001
- Design of the coastline complex in Faliro by B. Reichen and P. Robert, 2004
- New Acropolis Museum by Bernard Tschumi
- Onássis House of the Arts, Leoforos Andrea Syngrou 109, from Architecture Studio 2003–2005
- Ethniki Asfalistiki Zentrale, Leoforos Andrea Syngrou 103–105 by Mario Botta
- National Museum of Modern Art in the old Fix brewery .
- Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Kallithea
Cityscape
Districts
Anafiotika , the last informal settlement in Athens, at the foot of the Acropolis
- Plaka , Athens' old town at the Acropolis. Plaka is the oldest district in Athens. There, below the Acropolis, you will find many taverns, restaurants and small shops in a labyrinthine maze of alleys .
- Psyrri and Gazi, two "in-areas" with many pubs , theaters, galleries etc.
- Monastiraki, flea market, café and shopping district around the square of the same name in the old town
- Kolonaki , home-style "Schickeria" and artists as well as embassy and museum district
- Exarchia , student district with intensive alternative culture ("Athens Kreuzberg")
- Halls of the city's central market for fish and meat (built around 1880) as well as the surrounding market area around the Odos Athinas
- Lykavittos (mountain of 277 m in the middle of Athens, excellent view of Athens, funicular )
Olympic sports facilities from the Games of 1896, 1906 (intermediate games) and 2004
- Kallimarmaro Stadium or Panathenaic Stadium, 330 BC Chr. The stadium for the Panathenaic Games was built (under Demosthenes ) and 140 n. Chr. Of Herodes Atticus with Pentelic marble renewed. The architect and archaeologist Ernst Ziller found the stadium on a property belonging to him and began to excavate it. King George I bought the property from him to finance further excavation and later reconstruction costs. The reconstruction was supported by a donation from the Greek merchant Georgios Averoff. After the Olympics in 1870, most of the competitions of the Olympic Games in 1896 and the Intermediate Olympics in 1906 as well as individual competitions (archery, goal of the marathons) of the Olympic Games in 2004 took place in this stadium.
- Zappeion , fencing competitions in 1896 and first Olympic village in 1906; 2004 press center
- Athens Olympic Sports Complex , by Santiago Calatrava , 1998-2004; Basic structure from 1982
Streets and squares
- Syntagma Square , Sýntagma Square subway station (also designed as a museum with antique objects found during construction), Parliament building (Royal Palace), hourly changing of the Evzones in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Sunday morning march) and luxury hotels (including the traditional house " Grande Bretagne ") and several ministries
- Omonia Square , "Navel Athens", today rather unsightly, earlier important because of the subway station, with some beautiful classical buildings and the renovated traditional café NEON. The square is the cornerstone of both the center and the multicultural districts.
- Platia Klafthmonos , "Place of Lament", popular place for protest actions because of the adjoining Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Economy.
- Panepistimiou (Leoforos Eleftheriou Venizelou) and Odos Stadiou, the two parallel streets between Syntagma and Omonia Square. On the Panepistimiou is the Athens Trilogy (University, Academy and National Library) by Hansen and the Catholic Cathedral. At the Stadiou the old parliament, today's historical museum.
- Leoforos Vasilissis Sofias, Embassy and Museum Mile
- Odos Voukourestiou, shopping street with jewelry stores
- Odos Ermou, the main shopping street in the center (pedestrian zone), between Syntagma and Monastiraki, with numerous international chains
- Odos Athinas, between Omonia and Monastiraki, with town hall and town hall square (Platia Kotzia) as well as central market
- Leoforos Irodou Attikou , government district with the presidential palace and the official residence of the prime minister, leading to the Panathenaic (Kallimarmaro) stadium at the rear of the national garden
- Odos Dionissiou Areopagitou, pedestrian zone at the foot of the Acropolis
Others
- First Athens Cemetery , graves of Heinrich Schliemann and his wife Sophia, Georgios Averoff , Melina Merkouri , Andreas Papandreou , Adolf Furtwängler (archaeologist), Giorgos Seferis (poet and Nobel Prize winner), Georgios Papadopoulos (dictator), Ernst Ziller (architect and building researcher), several heroes of the Greek War of Independence and high church princes; as the tomb of Sophia Afendakis the "Sleeping Woman" (Koimoméni), the work of one of the most important Greek sculptors, Giannoulis Chalepas (1851-1938)
Sights around Athens
Athens has merged with Piraeus and some suburbs to form a closed metropolitan area. Outside the metropolitan area can be found:
- Hydra Island
- Aegina Island
- Cape Sounion , the southern tip of the Attica peninsula
- Site of the Battle of Marathon in Marathon
- Vorres museum . Private art museum in Peania consisting of a folk art and contemporary art section. Embedded in a winding garden.
- Attic zoological park
Individual evidence