Athens is the capital of which country. Open left menu Athena. Cuisine and restaurants of Athens

Athens

capital of Greece. The city already existed in the Mycenaean era, 1600-1200 gg. BC e. The name is presumably associated with the language of the Pelasgians, pre-Greek. inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula, where it meant "hill, eminence". The name was reinterpreted by the Greeks and is associated with the cult of the goddess Athena. Modern Greek Athenai, Russian traditional Athens.

Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. - M: AST. Pospelov E.M.

2001.

(Athens Athínai ), capital Greece , on the Attica Peninsula, near the shore of the Aegean Sea; on a hilly plain through which the Kifisos and Ilisos rivers flow. 745 thousand inhabitants (2001), in the Greater Agglomeration 3500 thousand people. The city already existed in the Mycenaean era (XVI-XII centuries BC). In Ancient Greece, a city-state in Attica. From 146 BC e. under the rule of Rome, from the 4th century. - as part of the Byzantine Empire; from 1204 - the capital of the Duchy of Athens; in 1458 it was conquered by the Turks. In 1821–29 – adm. and cultural-political. center, and since 1834 - the capital of Greece. Now the chief economist. and cult. center of the country. Concentrates approx. 2/3 prom. production: metallurgy, machinery, oil refinery, chemicals, cellulose paper, textiles, leather footwear, sewing, food. industry Important transport node; port, fused with its outport city.

Piraeus. Under the general editorship of academician. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006 .

Athens

the capital of modern Greece, the center of the nome (administrative district) of Attica and the famous city of Ancient Greece. The ancient city was located 5 km from Phaleron Bay (modern Faliron) of the Aegean Sea, the modern metropolis moved close to the sea and stretched along its shore (Saronikos Gulf) for 30 km.
Geographical location and climate. The plain on which Athens is located opens southwest to the Saronic Gulf, where the port of Piraeus, the sea gate of Athens, is located 8 km from the city center. On other sides, Athens is bordered by mountains ranging in height from 460 to 1400 m. Mount Pentelikon in the north still provides the city with white marble, from which the Acropolis was built 2500 years ago, and Mount Hymettus (modern Imitos), glorified by the ancients, in the east, with its unusual color Athens has the epithet “violet-crowned” (Pindar), and is still famous for its honey and spices.
From mid-May to mid-September, and often later, there is almost no rain in Athens. Temperatures can rise to 30°C or more in the middle of the day; summer evenings are usually cool and pleasant. When the rains come in autumn, the heat-weary landscape awakens as the leaves turn green and the evenings become cooler. Although there is almost no frost or snow in Athens (minimum temperatures rarely fall below 0°C), Athens winters are generally cold.
Population Athens itself, according to the 1991 census, numbered 772.1 thousand people, but in Greater Athens, which includes the port city of Piraeus and a significant part of the Attica region, there were over 3.1 million people - almost 1/3 of the total population of Greece.
The city's attractions. The central part of Athens is divided into a number of clearly distinct areas. Behind the Acropolis, which forms the core of the ancient city, lies Plaka, the oldest residential area of Athens. Here you can see monuments from the ancient, Byzantine or Turkish periods, such as the octagonal Tower of the Winds, built in the 1st century. BC, tiny Byzantine church from the 12th century. Agios Eleftherios (or the Lesser Metropolis), hidden in the shadow of the huge cathedral built in modern times (the Greater Metropolis), or the elegant stone door of the Turkish religious school - madrasah, the building of which has not survived.
Most of Plaka's old houses have now been converted into tourist shops, cafes, night bars and restaurants. Descending from the Acropolis in a northwest direction, you come out to the Monastiraki area, where artisan shops have been located since medieval times. This distinctive shopping area stretches north to Omonia (Concord) Square.
From here along University Street (Panepistimiou) in a south-easterly direction, you can walk to the center of the modern city, passing the richly decorated buildings of the National Library (1832), the University (1837, both by the Danish architect H.C. Hansen) and the Academy (1859, Danish architect T.E. Hansen), built in the neoclassical style after the liberation of Greece from the Turkish yoke, and get to Syntagma (Constitution) Square - the administrative and tourist center of Athens. On it stands the beautiful building of the Old Royal Palace (1834–1838, German architects F. Gärtner and L. Klenze, now the seat of the country's parliament), there are hotels, outdoor cafes, many banks and institutions. Further east towards the slopes of Lykabettus Hill are Kolonaki Square, a new cultural center including the Byzantine Museum (founded 1914), the Benaki Museum (founded 1931), the National Art Gallery (founded 1900), the Conservatory and the Concert Hall. To the south are the New Royal Palace, built at the end of the 19th century. (now the official residence of the country's president), the National Park and the Great Panathenaic Stadium, reconstructed to host the revived Olympic Games in 1896.
City and suburbs. The village of Kifissia, located among pine-covered hills 20 km north of Athens, has long been a favorite vacation spot for townspeople. During Turkish rule, wealthy Turkish families made up half of the population of Kifissia, and after the liberation of Greece, wealthy Greek shipowners from Piraeus built luxurious villas there and laid a railway to the port. This line, half underground and crossing the central part of Athens, is still the only urban rail road. In 1993, the city began construction of the metro, which was scheduled to be put into operation in 1998, but a number of archaeological finds made during the work delayed its launch until 2000.
Between the two world wars, Glyfada, located on the seashore about 15 km south of the city center, became a popular resort for Athenians.
The area between Kifissia and Glyfada is already almost completely built up, mainly with 6-9-storey buildings. Once outside the city, you can still escape the heat on the wooded slopes of the three large mountains that frame Athens. Mount Ymitos in the east, long known for its honey and herbs, is decorated with an elegant ancient monastery. Currently, a nature protection zone has been established here. Mount Pentelikon in the northeast is pitted with quarries (their marble was also used to build the Parthenon). There is a monastery and rural taverns on it. The highest mountain, Parnitos, north of Athens, is lined with numerous hotels.
Education and culture. The buildings of the University of Athens are a prominent architectural landmark in the city center, and its students take an active part in the life of Athens. Students make up a large part of the population in the part of the city that lies between the huge building of the National Archaeological Museum on Patission Street (October 28) and the ornate university buildings on Akademias and Panepistimiou streets. Athens has its fair share of international students, many of them studying at archaeological institutes established in Greece by other countries (such as the American School of Classical Studies and the British School of Archaeology).
In addition to numerous archaeological museums and institutes, Athens has the National Art Gallery, the Opera House and a number of other theatres, a new concert hall, many cinemas and small art galleries. In addition, during the summer months, the Athens Festival organizes evening performances in the ancient amphitheater at the foot of the Acropolis. Here you can enjoy ballets and other performances by famous world troupes, performances by symphony orchestras, as well as productions of dramas by ancient Greek authors.
City government. The small population in Greece and the desire to unite the people after long Turkish rule contributed to the strong centralization of government. Accordingly, although the position of the mayor of Athens is elected, his powers are very limited, and almost all decisions on the city's problems are considered by the country's parliament.
Economy. Athens has long served as the industrial and commercial center of Greece. In Athens, together with its suburbs, approximately 1/4 of all industrial companies in Greece and almost 1/2 of all those employed in Greek industry are concentrated. The following main industrial sectors are represented here (part of the enterprises are located in Piraeus): shipbuilding, flour milling, brewing, wine and vodka, soap making, carpet weaving. In addition, the textile, cement, chemical, food, tobacco and metallurgical industries are developing rapidly. Exports from Athens and Piraeus are mainly olive oil, tobacco, textiles, wine, leather goods, carpets, fruits and some minerals. The most important imports are machinery and transport equipment, including ships and cars, petroleum products, metals and hardware, fish and livestock products, chemicals and paper.
Story. In the 2nd century. AD, during the time of the Roman Empire, Athens was still a majestic city, the magnificent public buildings, temples and monuments of which Pausanias described in detail. However, the Roman Empire was already in decline, and a century later Athens began to be subject to frequent raids by the barbarian tribes of the Goths and Heruli, who in 267 almost completely destroyed the city and reduced most of its buildings to heaps of ruins. This was the first of four catastrophic destructions that Athens was to endure.
The first revival was marked by the construction of a new wall that surrounded a small area of the city - less than 1/10 of its original area. However, the prestige of Athens in the eyes of the Romans was still high enough for local philosophical schools to be revived, and already in the 4th century. Among the students was the future Emperor Julian. However, the influence of Christianity in the Roman world gradually increased, and in 529 Emperor Justinian anathematized all the hotbeds of “pagan” wisdom and closed the classical schools of philosophy in Athens. At the same time, all the main Greek temples were converted into Christian churches, and Athens became the center of a small provincial episcopate, completely drowned in the shadow of the new capital of Constantinople.
The next 500 years in the history of Athens were peaceful and calm. 40 Byzantine churches were built in the city (eight of them survive to this day), including one (St. Apostles, restored in 1956) between the Acropolis and the ancient Athenian agora (market square). When at the beginning of the 12th century. This peaceful period ended, Athens found itself at the center of clashes between Arabs and Christian crusaders, who challenged each other for dominance over the eastern Mediterranean. After predatory raids that lasted about a hundred years, in 1180 the Arabs turned most of Athens into ruins. In 1185, the Athenian Archbishop Acominatus vividly depicted the picture of destruction: the city was defeated and plundered, the inhabitants were hungry and in rags. Then, in 1204, the devastation of Athens was completed by the invading crusaders.
Over the next 250 years, the Athenians lived as slaves under the yoke of successive rulers - Western European knights ("Franks"), Catalans, Florentines and Venetians. Under them, the Acropolis was turned into a medieval fortress, a palace was built above the Propylaea, and a high observation tower was erected on the bastion of the Temple of Athena Nike (which stood out in the panorama of Athens throughout much of the 19th century).
After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453, Greece and with it Athens found themselves under the rule of new masters. The devastated surrounding lands gradually began to be cultivated again by Christian Albanians, who were transported here by the Turks. For two centuries, the Athenians lived poorly but relatively quietly in the Plaka quarter, while their Turkish overlords settled on the Acropolis and in the agora area. The Parthenon turned into the main city mosque, the Christian observation tower into a minaret, and built in the 1st century. The Tower of the Winds is in the tekke where the dervishes danced.
The peaceful period ended in the 17th century, when Athens was again devastated, this time by the Venetians, who drove out the Turks in 1687, but then were forced to leave the city after a plague epidemic. However, life in Athens resumed its normal course under Turkish rule, and it was not until the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s that the city came under siege. In 1826 it was destroyed for the fourth and last time when the Turks tried to expel the rebel Greeks from it. This time the Turkish victory was short-lived, and four years later Greek independence was confirmed by international agreement.
Almost immediately after liberation, ambitious plans arose to transform Athens into a majestic metropolitan city. These plans seemed unrealistic at the time: almost the entire city was in ruins, and its population had sharply declined. In fact, when the new Greek king Otto of Bavaria arrived here in 1834, Athens was little different from a village and did not have a palace suitable for a royal residence. However, several main streets and a number of monumental public buildings were soon rebuilt, including the royal palace in Syntagma Square and the complex of houses of the University of Athens. In the following decades, new structures were added: the National Park, the Zappion Exhibition Hall, the New Royal Palace, the Olympic Swimming Pool and the restored Panathenaic Stadium. At the same time, several richly decorated mansions appeared in Athens, which differed sharply from the typical one- and two-story buildings.
At the same time, archaeological excavations and restoration work were actively carried out; the layers of the Turkish and medieval periods were gradually removed from the Acropolis, and its ancient structures were carefully restored.
The next major change in the appearance of Athens, which had become a city of half a million people, came in the early 1920s, when a stream of Greek refugees expelled by the Turks from Asia Minor poured in, and the city's population almost doubled. To solve this critical problem, the suburbs were developed in a short time with international assistance, and the main directions of the future planning of Athens were outlined.
As a result of the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, secured by the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), Greece almost doubled its territory and population, and soon Athens took a prominent place among the capitals of the Balkan countries. Piraeus, the port of Athens, has become important on the Mediterranean Sea and has become one of the busiest ports in the world.
During World War II, Athens was occupied by German troops, followed by a civil war (1944–1949). At the end of this difficult decade, Athens entered another period of accelerated development. The city's population grew significantly, new suburbs emerged, the sea coast was landscaped, and villas and hotels appeared everywhere, ready to accommodate the expanding flow of tourists. Athens was almost completely reconstructed between 1950 and 1970. Traditional one- and two-story houses have given way to six-story residential complexes, and quiet, shady streets have given way to busy highways. As a result of these innovations, the traditional atmosphere of serenity for Athens disappeared, and many green spaces disappeared. The city continued to grow between 1970 and 1990, but authorities now have to pay much more attention to the problems of traffic control and pollution that Athens shares with many other modern capitals.
LITERATURE
Kolobova K.M. The ancient city of Athens and its monuments. L., 1961
Shakhnazaryan N.A. The emergence of the Athenian state. Yerevan, 1962
Brashinsky I.B. Athens and the Northern Black Sea region in the 6th–2nd centuries. BC. M., 1963
Zelin K.K. The struggle of political groups in Attica in the 6th century. BC. M., 1964
Frolov E.D. Social and political struggle in Athens at the end of the 5th century. BC. (Materials and documents). L., 1964
Ritsos D.N. . Technical problems caused by the rapid growth of Athens. Budapest, 1972
Brunov N.I. Monuments of the Athens Acropolis. Parthenon and Erechtheion. M., 1973
Gluskina L.M. . Problems of the socio-economic history of Athens in the 4th century. BC. L., 1975
Korzun M.S. Social and political struggle in Athens in 444–425 BC. Minsk, 1975
Dovatur A.I. Slavery in Attica in the 6th–5th centuries. BC. L., 1980
Mikhalkovsky K., Dzevanovsky A. Acropolis. Warsaw, 1983
Sidorova N.A. Athens. M., 1984
History of Ancient Greece. M., 1986
Strogetsky V.M. Greek historical thought of the classical and Hellenistic periods on the stages of development of Athenian democracy. Gorky, 1987
State, politics and ideology in the ancient world. L., 1990
Kumanetsky K. Cultural history of ancient Greece and Rome. M., 1990
Latyshev V.V. Essay on Greek Antiquities. St. Petersburg, 1997

Encyclopedia Around the World. 2008 .

ATHENS

GREECE
Attica, or the Attic Plain, is surrounded on all sides by mountains: from the west it is Aegaleos (465 m), from the north Parnet (1413 m), from the northeast Pentelikon (1109 m) and from the east Hymette (1026 m). To the southwest and south, a low range of hills slopes gently towards the Aegean Sea. Here, on the Attic plain, there is a city that has no equal in the world. This is Athens - the center of the centers of the whole world.
The name of the city comes from the name of the goddess Athena - the patroness of wisdom and knowledge. The first settlements on the site of modern Athens are known from the 16th-13th centuries. BC e. In Ancient Greece, Athens was a large city-state. After the enormous destruction caused by the Persian invasion, the city underwent reconstruction in the 5th century BC. e. This era is called the Golden Age of Greece. Rich silver deposits helped finance a widespread construction campaign, initiated by the famous politician of Ancient Athens - Pericles. At this time, the Parthenon, the most significant monument of the city, was built. Athens was the birthplace of many great thinkers: Plato and Aristotle, Sophocles and Euripides. The era of prosperity was followed by centuries of decline and dependence. In 146 BC. e. - 395 AD e. Athens was under the rule of Rome, and in the years 395-1204 - Byzantium. In 1204-1458, Athens became the capital of the Duchy of Athens, in 1458 it was captured by Turkey, and in 1834 it became the capital of independent Greece. Modern Athens is characterized by tall residential buildings, wide highways and sparse green spaces.
The capital of Greece and the region of Attica has about 900 thousand inhabitants. Together with the port of Piraeus and its suburbs, Athens forms Greater Athens with a population of about 4 million people.
When approaching the port of Piraeus past the island of Salamis or approaching the capital along the new highway, you can still recognize from afar the main monument of Athens - the Acropolis. And today, as in ancient times, it is the emblem of Athens and Greece. The Acropolis of Athens is a high hill, white ruins of once beautiful buildings. For three millennia, the walls of the Acropolis, rising 152 meters above sea level, protected the largest Greek settlement. Tourists often stop in the Greek capital only to visit the Acropolis with the majestic Parthenon - the temple of the city's patron goddess, Athena (VI century BC). Propylaea, look at the caryatids supporting the portico of the Erechtheion temple, stroll through the ancient quarter of Plaka, and then go to the islands. At the height of summer, heat and traffic jams cause inconvenience to tourists. In addition, Athens, surrounded on three sides by mountains, is known for its smog. And yet it is worth staying in this full of contrasts, exciting, sunny city to feel the charm of its countless taverns and coffee shops, enjoy the gourmet cuisine in the restaurants, and spend the night in an extravagant disco where oriental music plays. In Athens you can find absolutely everything: art galleries, cozy retro-style squares, museums with unique collections of ancient art, fashion boutiques and bustling markets with goods from all over the world and much more. The saying “Greece has everything” primarily applies to Athens.
The building of an ancient palace (1842), built in the city center, houses the country's highest legislative body - the parliament. Behind the palace lies the National Park, famous for its palm trees, tropical plants and abundance of cats. In front of the parliament building, a monument to the Unknown Soldier was erected in memory of the soldiers who died during the liberation of Greece from fascist troops. Tourists watch with interest the changing of the guard of Greek infantrymen dressed in traditional short pleated skirts and clogs with pom-poms.
Syntagma Square is located in the center of Athens. The most expensive hotels in the city are concentrated here. In contrast to the fashionable neighborhoods is Omonia Square with its adjacent neighborhoods. In the narrow streets, literally at every step you can come across shops selling cheap goods, street vendors scurry about everywhere, and numerous cafes, bars and inexpensive restaurants offer a variety of sandwiches, croissants, souvlaki and, of course, grape wine and aromatic Greek coffee.
In the eastern part of the city, north of the Acropolis, is the Plaka quarter. This corner of Athens seems to take us back to past centuries. The narrow, crooked streets here seem to climb up the slopes of the Acropolis, connecting to each other with stone stairs. In small houses with tiled roofs or flat terraced roofs, there are numerous workshops where artisans make souvenirs, often based on ancient Greek designs, and sell them right there in small shops. In Plaka there are buildings of the first university of Athens, several original churches, including the 11th century, and a very popular Shadow Theater in the city.
Fans of ancient history and culture will find several extremely interesting collections in the capital's museums. The National Archaeological Museum, founded in 1881, houses the treasures found by Schliemann and his followers in the tombs of the Mycenaean kings, exhibits a collection of sculptures from the earliest works to masterpieces of Hellenistic art, a collection of vases and terracotta, ancient Greek ceramics and paintings. The Byzantine Museum houses a unique collection of early Christian sculptures and mosaics, as well as Byzantine icons. In the Goulandris Museum you can see a collection of idols from the Cyclades islands, examples of ancient and Cycladic art.
In addition, Athens is home to several medieval churches from the Byzantine era. National Gallery of Paintings and Ceramics. Agora Museum and theaters, including the National Lyric Theater. National Greek folk.
Attica is unique in its beauty. Once here, you get a unique opportunity to visit Delphi, Argos, explore the Corinth Canal, visit the Lion Gate, the Palace of Agamemnon and the tombs.
Industrially, Athens plays a huge role in the Greek economy. Greater Athens produces over 2/3 of all-Greek industrial output. The textile, clothing, leather and footwear, food, chemical, oil refining, metallurgical, engineering (including shipbuilding), and automotive industries are developed. This large trading city is an important transport hub, industrial, cultural and scientific center of the entire country. Elinikon International Airport is located in Athens. It has its own metro. Athens is a center of international tourism of world importance.
A university was opened in Athens in 1837, and two conservatories were opened in 1871 and 1926. The Academy of Sciences and the National Library operate. Athens is the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The world's first Olympics were held here in 1896.

Encyclopedia: cities and countries. 2008 .

Athens

Athens - capital of Greece (cm. Greece) and the region of Attica, has 757,400 inhabitants (2003), and together with the port of Piraeus and its suburbs - about 4 million. Tourists often stop in the Greek capital only to visit the famous Acropolis. There is a subway. The Acropolis is a rocky hill 156 m high, a symbol of Greek civilization. It has been the center of the city since the 2nd millennium BC. e. Its classical buildings were made after the Greco-Persian Wars during the reign of the great Pericles, who wanted to emphasize the leading role of Athens in the liberation of Greece. At the top of the hill, the central place is occupied by the majestic temple of the virgin goddess Athena - the Parthenon, which is considered the most perfect structure of Greek antiquity. The temple was built in 448–438 BC. e. by the architect Callicrates, apparently based on the artistic image of the great Phidias. An elongated rectangular building with a gable roof forming triangular fields (pediments), surrounded by Doric columns with exquisite Ionic capitals, the famous sculptor Phidias and his students decorated it with friezes and bas-reliefs. The Propylaea, the entrance to the Acropolis in the form of a marble colonnade and adjacent rooms, was built in 437–432 BC.
Other ancient buildings are also impressive - the Erechtheion Temple, the Theater of Dionysus. In Greece, the beginning of theatrical performances was associated with a ritual in honor of the god Dionysus (in ancient Greek mythology, this is the god of the productive forces of nature, the life-giving sap of trees, mainly grapevines). The Acropolis underwent major changes, but still retained its appearance for a long time. The greatest damage was caused to it by the Crusaders, as well as the Turks, who set up a gunpowder warehouse in the Parthenon, which, naturally, exploded. The original sculptures of Phidias were sold by the Turkish administration to the British ambassador and now most of these treasures are in the British Museum. In the 20th century, environmental pollution took first place among the threats. Therefore, the remaining figures are already in museums, and exact copies are exhibited in the open air.
To the northwest of the Acropolis is the ancient Agora Square. To the southeast are visible the majestic columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus (175-132 BC). Monuments of Roman rule have also been preserved - the arch and library of Hadrian (120-130 AD), the Roman Agora, etc.; Byzantine period - churches of the Lesser Metropolia, Kapnikarea (both 12th century). On the northern slope of the Acropolis is the ancient district of Plaka with narrow, crooked streets connected by stone stairs. Along the streets there are small houses with tiled roofs or flat terraced roofs. This exotic quarter has many artisan workshops, shops, taverns and coffee shops that attract tourists. In Plaka there is the building of the first university of Athens, several original churches, including the 11th century, and the very popular Shadow Theater in the city.
Tourists usually limit themselves to visiting the antiquities and walking around the Plaka quarter, and then go to the islands. At the height of summer, the heat and traffic jams cause inconvenience. In addition, Athens, surrounded on three sides by mountains, is known for its smog. And yet it is worth staying in this full of contrasts, exciting, sunny city to feel the charm of its countless taverns and coffee shops, enjoy the gourmet cuisine in the restaurants, and spend the night in an extravagant disco where oriental music plays. In Athens you can find absolutely everything: art galleries, cozy retro-style squares, museums with rare collections of ancient art, fashion boutiques and bustling markets with goods from all over the world and much more.
The building of an ancient palace (1842), built in the city center, houses the country's highest legislative body - the parliament. Behind it lies the National Park, famous for its palm trees and tropical plants. In front of the parliament building, a monument to the Unknown Soldier was erected in memory of the soldiers who died during the liberation of Greece from fascist troops. Tourists watch with interest the changing of the guard of Greek infantrymen dressed in traditional short pleated skirts and clogs with pom-poms.
Syntagma Square is located in the center of Athens. The most expensive hotels are concentrated here, such as the Grand Bretagne. In contrast to the fashionable neighborhoods is Omonia Square with its adjacent neighborhoods. In the narrow streets, literally at every step you can come across shops selling cheap goods, street vendors scurry about, numerous cafes, bars and inexpensive restaurants offer a variety of sandwiches, croissants, souvlaki and, of course, grape wine and aromatic Greek coffee. There are many inexpensive but quite decent hotels here.
Fans of ancient history and culture will find several extremely interesting collections in the capital's museums. The National Archaeological Museum, founded in 1881, houses the treasures found by Schliemann and his followers in the tombs of the Mycenaean kings, exhibits a collection of sculptures from the earliest works to masterpieces of Hellenistic art, a collection of vases and terracotta, ancient Greek ceramics and paintings. The Byzantine Museum houses a unique collection of early Christian sculptures and mosaics, as well as Byzantine icons. In the Goulandris Museum you can see a collection of sculptures from the Cyclades Islands, examples of ancient and Cycladic art.
In 2004, the 28th Olympic Games were held in Athens.

Encyclopedia of tourism Cyril and Methodius. 2008 .

Athens is the capital of Greece, its largest city, attracting many tourists from all over the world. It has already become a tradition to start getting acquainted with Greece from Athens. And there are many reasons for this.

This is the oldest city in the country, which has experienced and seen a lot: luxury and poverty, prosperity and decline, grandeur and insignificance. Despite such changes, the entire civilized world symbolizes modern Athens with freedom and democracy.

The name of the capital of Greece comes from the name of the goddess of wisdom, Athena. Legend has it that the Phoenician Kekrops founded a city on a huge rock in Attica, and the goddess of wisdom Athena and the god of the sea Poseidon fought for the right to patronize him. In order to resolve this dispute, the gods from Olympus offered Athena and Poseidon to give gifts to the city. Poseidon hit the rock with his trident and gave him water, and Athena grew an olive tree with a spear on the rock. The gods considered Athena's gift more valuable, so the city was given to the goddess of wisdom.

Athens combines history and modernity, European appearance and ancient harmony. Artists and businessmen, young and old, married and single, fall in love with this romantic city. Athens blows people away with its stunning pace of life. And in numerous theaters, restaurants, shops and hotels you can always take a break from such a rhythm.

Climate and weather

The climate in Athens, as throughout Greece, is Mediterranean. But there is also a difference - low air humidity. You will never feel the sweltering heat in Athens, although the average temperature during the holiday season reaches +30 °C. The average temperature in winter is +5 °C, almost without snow, but with frequent rain.

Nature

In addition to its excellent climate, Athens can boast of its rich nature. The Greek capital is located along the shore of the Aegean Sea, and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. There are 12 hills throughout the entire area of Athens, the most significant of which are the Acropolis and Loukavittos. The most important natural attractions of Athens are olive groves, a variety of flowers, numerous vineyards and, of course, luxurious beaches. Despite such a beautiful appearance, the city still has environmental problems.

Attractions

When traveling around Athens, you cannot help but visit the symbol of the Greek capital - the Acropolis with its main temple, the Parthenon, the temple of the Virgin Athena. The old city is very popular among tourists, in particular the Place de la Concorde, where the Parliament building, a luxurious royal park and the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch are located. Thanks to the period of prosperity of the Byzantine Empire, Athens had a huge number of churches: the Church of the Holy Apostles, the Church of Saints Theodore, Kapnikarea, Panagia Gorgoepikoos, the Church of St. George. Keramikos is the most important monument of ancient Athens, where the ashes of famous Athenians are kept. Also of interest to tourists are the Tower of Fans, the Lantern of Diogenes and, of course, the Arch of Hadrian. All this is just a small list of what is worth visiting in Athens.

Nutrition

In the Greek capital you will find a huge number of taverns, cafes and restaurants. Their highest concentration is in the areas of Plaka and Psirri - the city center. Here you can find absolutely everything: oriental exoticism and European sophistication, small eateries and luxurious restaurants serving traditional Greek cuisine.

If you are a little hungry during city tours, you simply don’t have time for long meetings in a restaurant, but you prefer tasty and healthy food, then welcome to Gregory’s and Everest, the main Greek fast food chains.

In the evening, after long walks around the city, after swimming and sunbathing, you really want to sit in a good establishment with a cozy atmosphere, delicious cuisine and a generous menu... A glass of excellent wine, traditional Greek dishes, excellent music - all this can be combined in one establishment, the Filistron restaurant, which located next to the entrance to the city park. And the main feature of the establishment is a gorgeous view of the Acropolis! Here you will be offered a huge selection of national cuisine. The establishment is so popular that sometimes a table is booked here a month in advance! Therefore, we recommend that you visit it on a regular weekday.

There is one peculiarity in Greek alcoholic drinks. They often contain anise, which can cause allergic reactions or simply discomfort.

Accommodation

The most demanding travelers will be delighted to be greeted by the NJV Athens Plaza (Grecotel), located in the city center, with a magnificent view of the Acropolis. The Grande Bretagne Hotel has stood on the same square for 130 years, adding a touch of antiquity to the establishment, but the service here is modern and first-class. Not far from the Temple of Zeus is the luxurious five-star Royal Olympic Hotel. The leader among four-star hotels is the Titania Hotel, located in the city center between Syntagma and Omonia squares.

Entertainment and relaxation

Your holiday in Athens will be filled with unforgettable contrast. It’s quite easy to choose a tour to Athens depending on the interests of the tourist. For families with children, there are playgrounds and water slides on the beach with shallow seas.

Fans of active recreation will also be pleasantly surprised by the wide range of entertainment: diving and water jumps, volleyball and tennis fields.

The most popular among tourists are the largest amusement park in Greece, Allou Fun Park, and one of the largest in the world, the Athens Planetarium. The park is divided into two large areas: for adults and children. The park is open from 10:00 to 24:00. In the planetarium you can watch 3D films about the distant future, space travel and even the ancient Greek past! Planetarium opening hours: 9:30-16:30. The entrance ticket for children is 5-6 €, for adults – 4-8 €.

Purchases

Among fans of Greek shopping, the most popular places in Athens are the Monastiraki area and the Ermous pedestrian street in the Syntagma Square area. This is where you can visit the largest number of different retail outlets.

Here is a small list of the most famous stores:

Hellenic Folk Art Gallery - folk art gallery,
Stavros Melissinos - luxury designer shoe store,
Eleftheroudakis is a unique six-story bookstore, located between Omonia and Syntagma squares,
The mall is the largest shopping center in Athens, located at Neratziotissa metro station.

And you don’t have to worry about small gifts for friends, because souvenir sellers are always located exactly where the tourists are!

Transport

The fare system in Athens is differentiated depending on your route, its length and the type of public transport. The cost of one trip on the metro and bus costs 1 €, on the tram - ---0.6 €. A 24-hour pass costs €3, and a weekly pass costs €10.

An interesting fact remains that movement to or from the airport automatically increases the cost of your trip several times. So a one-time ticket on the metro will already cost 6 €, on the bus - 3.2 €, and the taxi driver will automatically add 3.2 € to the established tariff.

The main features of transport in Athens include the following: city buses stop only at the request of passengers, the daily rate per kilometer of a taxi ride (0.34 €) doubles at night, you will pay a small surcharge for calling a taxi by phone and heavy luggage .

Connection

Internet services in Greece, and especially in Athens, are excellent. It’s easy enough to find an Internet cafe or hotspot here. For an hour of access to the World Wide Web in an Internet cafe you will pay from 1.5 to 4 €. But don’t rush to pay for using this valuable resource! After all, many hotels provide free access to their guests, so be sure to inquire. And Syntagma Square already has a free Wi-Fi hotspot.

Those who want to stay “always in touch” can purchase a Greek SIM card. SIM cards are sold at the office of the telecom operator, in shopping centers and supermarkets. The cost of a service package can vary from 3 to 20 € depending on the tariff plan. Top-up cards are also easy to buy at any store. Q-Telecom is considered the most profitable operator due to its interesting tariffs, high coverage and various promotions and special offers.

You can also easily use a regular telephone connection. There are telephone booths throughout the city, most of which work with prepaid cards (these can be purchased at newsstands). This card contains a certain limit of negotiations with anywhere in the world; its cost ranges from 4 to 20 €. And in bars and hotels you can find coin-operated machines. Their main feature is that they can accept incoming calls.

Safety

Athens can confidently be called a safe city. But still, in some moments it’s worth keeping your ears open. Firstly, the political life of Greece has recently become particularly tense due to the crisis. The city often hosts strikes, rallies and demonstrations. Therefore, be especially attentive and careful in the capital so as not to get into an unpleasant situation in a foreign city and country. Secondly, there are not entirely favorable areas in Athens, which tourists are not recommended to visit after sunset. These areas include Omonia Square, Larissis train station and its surroundings, Sophocles, Liossion, Metaxourgio and Filis streets. Some of these streets are home to legal brothels in Greece. In addition, these areas earned their criminal reputation due to drug trafficking.

Business climate

Athens is the center of business activity in Greece. And there are two reasons for this: geographical and historical. World practice confirms that in most countries the capital is the leading link in business. And history reminds us that from ancient times the Athenians were traders, which remains true to this day. Athenians prefer small family businesses to huge corporations. The business “heart of Athens” is the lower part of Omonia Square. The stock exchange is located on Sophocles Street.

Real estate

Recently, television screens and newspaper pages have been filled with information about the crisis in Greece. Due to this, many believe that investing in Greek real estate is dangerous and short-sighted. It is impossible not to agree that there is a grain of wisdom in such reasoning. But contrary to all the laws of economics, the demand for real estate in Athens is growing rapidly! Because of this liquidity, many business people choose to invest in Greek real estate. This sector of the Greek economy provides a 100% guarantee of winnings if the purchased housing is rented out. Even purchasing real estate exclusively for yourself will be profitable here.

Obviously, real estate in Athens is much more diverse than on the islands. Here you can buy houses, villas and apartments in residential complexes. The estimated cost of housing in the city is from 1000 to 1500 € per square meter, while luxury suburbs set prices up to 10,000 € for the same square meter.

In Athens, you will have to pay 350-500 € per month to rent a three-room apartment. And the resort area of the capital will add another 70-80% to this cost during the season.

When relaxing alone, be vigilant when accepting an invitation to drink from outsiders. It is possible that you will be taken to a bar or pub where you will have to pay the bill, no matter what. This is a common rule in such pubs, and even the police will not be able to help you. Today in Athens, almost all such “cunning” establishments are closed, except for two - Pub Love and New York Pub, located in Plaka.

The archaeological study of Athens began in the 30s of the 19th century, but excavations became systematic only with the formation of the French, German and English archaeological schools in Athens in the 70s and 80s. Literary sources and archaeological material that have survived to this day help to reconstruct the history of the Athenian polis. The main literary source on the history of Athens during the period of state formation is Aristotle’s “The Athenian Polity” (IV century BC).

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Subtitles

Formation of the Athenian state

Hellenistic era

During the Hellenistic period, when Greece became an arena of struggle between the major Hellenistic states, the position of Athens changed several times. There were short periods when they managed to achieve relative independence; in other cases, Macedonian garrisons were introduced into Athens. Probably the most disastrous thing for Athens in that period was the defeat in the Chremonides War from the Macedonian king Antigonus II. In 146 BC. e. Having shared the fate of all of Greece, Athens fell under the rule of Rome; being in the position of an ally city (lat. civitas foederata), they enjoyed only fictitious freedom. In 88 BC. e. Athens joined the anti-Roman movement raised by the Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator. In 86 BC. e. The army of Lucius Cornelius Sulla took the city by storm and plundered it. Out of respect for the powerful past of Athens, Sulla preserved their fictitious freedom. In 27 BC. e. after the formation of the Roman province of Achaia, Athens became part of it. In the 3rd century AD. BC, when Balkan Greece began to be invaded by barbarians, Athens fell into complete decline.

Planning and architecture

Hills

Akropolis Hill.
Areopagus, that is, the hill of Ares - west of the Acropolis, gave its name to the highest judicial and government council of Ancient Athens, which held its meetings on the hillside.
Nymphaeion, that is, the hill of the nymphs, is southwest of the Areopagus.
Pnyx - a semicircular hill southwest of the Areopagus; meetings of the ekklesia were originally held here, which were later moved to the Theater of Dionysus.
Musaeion, that is, the Hill of Musaeus or Muses, now known as the Hill of Philopappou - south of the Pnyx and Areopagus.

Acropolis

Initially, the city occupied only the upper area of the steep hill of the Acropolis, accessible only from the west, which simultaneously served as a fortress, political and religious center, and the core of the entire city. According to legend, the Pelasgians leveled the top of the hill, surrounded it with walls and built an outer fortification on the western side with 9 gates located one after another. The ancient kings of Attica and their wives lived inside the castle. Here stood an ancient temple dedicated to Pallas Athena, along with whom Poseidon and Erechtheus were also revered (hence the temple dedicated to him was called Erechtheion).

The golden age of Pericles was also a golden age for the Acropolis of Athens. First of all, Pericles instructed the architect Ictinus to build a new, more magnificent Temple of the Virgin Athena - the Parthenon, on the site of the old Hekatompedon (Temple of Chaste Athena) destroyed by the Persians. Its splendor was enhanced by the numerous statues with which, under the leadership of Phidias, the temple was decorated, both outside and inside. Immediately after the completion of the Parthenon, which served as the treasury of the gods and for the celebration of the Panathenaia, in 438 BC. e. Pericles commissioned the architect Mnesicles to build a new magnificent gate at the entrance to the acropolis - Propylaea (437-432 BC). A staircase of marble slabs, winding, led along the western slope of the hill to the portico, which consisted of 6 Doric columns, the spaces between which symmetrically decreased on both sides.

Agora

Part of the population, subject to the owners of the fortress (acropolis), eventually settled at the foot of the hill, mainly on its southern and southeastern side. It was here that the most ancient sanctuaries of the city were located, in particular dedicated to Olympian Zeus, Apollo, Dionysus. Then settlements appeared along the slopes that stretch west of the Acropolis. The lower city expanded even more when, due to the unification of the various parts into which Attica was divided in ancient times into one political whole (tradition attributes this to Theseus), Athens became the capital of the united state. Gradually, over the following centuries, the city was also settled on the northern side of the Acropolis. It was predominantly home to artisans, namely members of the respected and numerous class of potters in Athens, hence a significant quarter of the city east of the Acropolis was called the Ceramics (that is, the potters' quarter).

Finally, in the era of Peisistratus and his sons, an altar to the 12 gods was built in the southern part of the new Agora (market), which was located at the northwestern foot of the Acropolis. Moreover, from the Agora the distances of all areas connected by roads to the city were measured. Peisistratus also began construction in the lower city of the colossal Temple of Olympian Zeus east of the Acropolis, and on the highest point of the Acropolis hill - the Temple of Chaste Athena (Hecatompedon).

Gates

Among the main entrance gates of Athens were:

in the west: Dipylon Gate, leading from the center of the Keramik district to the Academy. The gate was considered sacred because the sacred Elefsinian Way began from it. Knight's Gate were located between the Hill of the Nymphs and the Pnyx. Piraeus Gate- between Pnyx and Museion, led to a road between long walls, which in turn led to Piraeus. The Miletus Gate is so named because it led to the deme of Miletus within Athens (not to be confused with the polis of Miletus).
in the south: the gate of the dead was located near Museion Hill. The road to Faliron began from the Itonia Gate on the banks of the Ilissos River.
in the east: the Diochara gate led to the Lyceum. The Diomean Gate received this name because it led to the demome Diomeus, as well as the hill of Kinosargus.
in the north: the Acarnian gate led to the deme Acarneus.

Athens (Greece) - the most detailed information about the city with photos. The main attractions of Athens with descriptions, guides and maps.

Athens city (Greece)

Public transport in Athens includes the metro, commuter trains, trams, trolleybuses and buses. A single ticket is valid for all types of transport. The metro has three lines: M1 (green) - connects the port and northern suburbs through the city center, M2 (red) - connects western and southern Athens, M3 (blue) - connects the southwestern suburbs with the northern suburbs and the airport.

Attractions

The most famous landmark of Athens is the sacred hill - the Acropolis. Here are the amazing ancient ruins of ancient temples that symbolize the heyday of Greek civilization.

The Acropolis is 156 meters high and visible from almost everywhere. In ancient times, there was a royal palace, majestic temples to the gods, religious objects and numerous sculptures here. Most of the main structures of the Acropolis were built during the reign of Pericles (5th century BC) during the heyday of Athens.

The most famous landmark of the Acropolis is the magnificent Parthenon, which, despite time, is one of the best preserved ancient Greek structures in Athens. The Parthenon is considered the largest temple of the classical period of Ancient Greece and is dedicated to Aphrodite. It was completed in 438 BC. The temple is famous for its monumental Doric columns and was decorated with numerous sculptures.

Among the ancient ruins of the Acropolis, the Temple of Nike Apteros, built in 427-424 BC, stands out. and dedicated to Athena the Victorious, the propylaea (the main entrance formed by columns and porticoes), the Erechtheion, a temple built between 421-406 BC. and dedicated to Athena, Poseidon and King Erechtheus.

All structures and ruins of the Acropolis:

Hecatompedon.
Statue of Athena Promachos.
Propylaea.
Eleusinion.
Bravronion.
Chalcotheca.
Pandroseion.
Arreforion.
Athens altar.
Sanctuary of Zeus Polyaeus.
Sanctuary of Pandion.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
Eumenes standing.
Asklepion.
Odeon of Pericles.
Temenos of Dionysus.
Sanctuary of Aglavra.

300 meters away is the Acropolis Museum, which is one of the most important modern buildings in Athens and is built of steel, glass and concrete. Priceless finds and antiquities that were found here during excavations are stored here.

An archaeological path leads from the Acropolis into the city, along which you can see other antiquities of Athens, which belong to different periods and cultures. So, at the foot of the hill, are the ruins of Olympion, a temple dedicated to Zeus. It was the largest building in Ancient Greece. It began to be built in the 6th century BC. and finished only in the 2nd century AD. under the Roman Emperor Hadrian. More than a hundred huge marble columns once supported the grand sanctuary. Only 15 of them have survived to this day.

The Theater of Dionysus is located on the south side of the Acropolis and is considered the oldest structure of its type in Greece. Many of the most famous ancient Greek comedies and tragedies were presented on this stage. The theater, originally built as a temple, dates back to the 6th century BC. It was dedicated to Dionysus, the god of fun and wine, and could accommodate 17,000 people.

The ancient Agora was the market and center of daily life in ancient Athens. Most of the surviving ruins are from the Roman period and date back to the 1st century AD. The Agora was surrounded by colonnades and columns. It also hosted sporting events and theatrical performances. To the east is the 12-meter tall Wind Tower.

An excellent view of the Agora opens from the northern wall of the Acropolis.

Arch of Hadrian

Hadrian's Arch was built in 131 AD. and symbolizes the entrance to the ancient city. Not far from the western slope of the Acropolis is the Pnyx Hill. Here the citizens of Athens could exercise their democratic rights. To the southwest of the Athenian Acropolis is the Philopappos Hill, which was known as the Hill of the Muses and preserves several ancient ruins. There is also a tiny 12th-century Byzantine chapel with 18th-century frescoes.

The core of the historical center of Athens is the Plaka district, located on the eastern side of the Acropolis. This area has been inhabited since ancient times. Now it is a labyrinth of narrow, flower-filled, picturesque streets lined with traditional 19th-century houses. Plaka is famous for its provincial atmosphere (sometimes you can’t even believe that this is the center of a bustling metropolis), cute restaurants and historical churches.

From Plaka, the Athenian streets will lead to Monastiraki Square, which is one of the central squares of old Athens with narrow streets and small buildings. A traditional market (Yousouroum) is held in the square. Monastiraki is a popular shopping area with over 2,000 different shops.

Anafiotika is another atmospheric village quarter of Athens, located north of the Acropolis. Here tourists can enjoy traditional Greek food and a stroll through the winding Cycladic-style streets. Anafiotika was built in the 60s of the 19th century.

Herodes' Odeon is an ancient Roman theater built in the 2nd century AD. on the steep slopes of the Acropolis by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife. The theater seated 6,000 spectators and was restored in the 1950s.

The Olympic Stadium was built in the 19th century for the first modern Olympics. It seats 50,000 spectators and is the largest sports facility made entirely of marble. The first stadium on this site was built in the 3rd century BC. and rebuilt in 144. In ancient times, the stadium hosted a religious festival dedicated to the goddess Athena every four years.

The Church of Our Lady of Kapnicarea is a magnificent example of 11th-century Byzantine architecture. The church is located on one of the central streets of Athens - Ermou.

The Church of the Holy Apostles is a 10th-century religious building on the site of the ancient Agora, built in typical Byzantine style. The inside of the dome is decorated with original frescoes. A significant part of the ancient iconostasis from the 11th century has also been preserved.

Syntagmatos Square is the central square of modern Athens. The Presidential Guard in national costumes stands in front of the Greek Parliament building. The change of guard takes place in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier at 11 a.m. daily.

The National Archaeological Museum is one of the largest museums in Greece, which has one of the largest exhibitions of Antiquity in the world. The 8,000 square meter building contains 11,000 exhibits.
Byzantine Museum - more than 25,000 exhibits, representing a treasure trove of religious artifacts from the Byzantine period, as well as works of early Christian, medieval and post-Byzantine art.
Museum of Cycladic Art - ancient artifacts found in the Cycladic Islands and Cyprus.

The age of Athens is two and a half thousand years. The glorious past of the city is still clearly visible: the ancient Acropolis, towering above the city, is literally visible from everywhere. Today Athens is a modern metropolis, home to about four million people. This great city has changed in the twenty-first century. This happened partly thanks to the 2004 Olympic Games. Now Athens is more than a repository of antiquities. The city has changed a lot and, contrary to the perception of it as a city with a polluted environment and unbearable traffic, it leaves an amazing impression.

The construction boom after the end of World War II and the increase in population from 700 thousand to 4 million people turned into an architectural disaster. However, now the appearance of the city is changing: new roads and metro are being built, and the expansion of the pedestrian zone in the city center has already saved Athens from painful traffic jams and even reduced the cloud of smog, which literally poisons the metropolitan atmosphere. The cleaner air is evident in the rediscovery of the views for which Athens was once famous, and despite the skyscrapers and fast-food outlets, the city manages to retain its unique character and charm.

Oriental bazaars compete with fashion boutiques and shops filled with goods from Armani and Benetton. Rapid modernization is balanced by a sense of homely atmosphere in the air: any Greek will tell you that Athens is the largest village in the country. No matter how often you come to Athens, your attention will be attracted by what has been preserved from the classical ancient city - first of all, the Parthenon and other monuments of the Acropolis, as well as the updated one, which presents the best collection of antiquities.

Most of the several million visitors who visit Athens every year limit themselves to visiting these monuments, adding to them only an evening in a romantic atmosphere in one of the Plaka taverns designed for tourists. But in doing so, they miss the chance to see the Athens that the Athenians themselves know and love. Even if you only visited the city for a short time, this does not justify the desire to see Athens only as a collection of preserved antiquities and museum exhibits. It would also be worth spending a little time getting to know the outskirts of the capital and visiting near Athens.

The most accessible place for tourists is probably Plaka, an area where Turkish, neoclassical and Greek island architecture is mixed. Further on there are interesting museums dedicated to traditional arts and crafts, from ceramics to music. A little further north are the souks, almost the same as in the Middle East, and the added reward is the cafes, bars, clubs in Psirri and the rapidly developing, as well as the National Park and the shady and elegant. Not so far from Plaka are the hills Lycabettus and Philopappou, from which the entire city is visible at a glance, and there is a tram (in the summer it will take you to the beach). All of the above attractions can be seen during.

But what surprises visitors most of all in Athens is the bustling life of the city. The cafes are always crowded, during the day and after midnight, the streets are not empty until three or even four o’clock in the morning, bars and clubs attract night owls. There are also places to eat in a way that will be remembered for a long time: there are many traditional taverns, and chic restaurants await discerning gourmets. In the summer, cafe tables move onto the street pavements, club life moves to the beaches, and you can go to the movies, attend concerts and open-air performances based on the works of classical ancient Greek drama. Shopping lovers' eyes run wild: lively colorful bazaars and huge shopping spaces in the suburbs, called "malls" in the American style, and, of course, boutiques filled with the creations of the most fashionable fashion designers.

And very good – and also priced – public transport, inexpensive taxis, so you won’t have any special difficulties getting around. Describing the outskirts of Athens - they and the region as a whole will be discussed in other articles - attention is paid here, first of all, to the monuments of antiquity. The most popular place to visit is the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion: that wonderful architectural monument is located on a cliff overlooking the cape. Not so well known and not so frequently visited are the sanctuaries of Ramne (Ramnus), Eleusis (Elephsina) and Vravrona, as well as the funeral mound built in honor of the great victory at Marathon.

Fans of hiking may want to climb – the mountains have encircled the city, and it is best to climb Mount Parnitha. If it is in the spring, then at the same time you will pick up an armful of a variety of wonderful forest and wildflowers. The beaches on the Attic coast are good enough to attract city-weary Athenians, but if you're visiting the islands, exploring the beaches here isn't necessary. Getting out of Athens is easy: dozens of ferries and hydrofoils leave daily from the Athens suburban port of Piraeus, and also, less often, from two other Attic ports with ferry piers - Rafina and Lavrion.

A Brief History of Athens

Athens is a city where life began more than seven thousand years ago. The low rocky hill, which later became the Acropolis of Athens, has attracted people since ancient times as a convenient place of settlement. It rises in the middle of a valley watered by the rivers Cephisus and Ilissos and surrounded by the mountains of Hymetta, Penterikon, Parnet and Aigalei. The slopes of the hill, whose height is 156 meters above sea level, are inaccessible, and therefore it is natural that all these advantages were appreciated by the ancient inhabitants of Attica. The Mycenaeans built a palace-fortress on the rock.

Unlike other Mycenaean villages, Athens was neither abandoned nor sacked during the Dorian invasion (circa 1200 BC), so the Athenians always prided themselves on being “pure” Ionians, without Dorian “admixture”. But the Mycenaean-type state did not survive in Athens. Gradually the village turned into a polis (ancient city-state) and a cultural center. The rulers of Athens were considered kings - the basilei, who then ceded power to the clan nobility - the eupatrides. Public meetings took place at the Propylaea of the Acropolis. To the west rose the rocky hill of Apec, named after the god of war. Here, on the leveled peak, the Areopagus, the council of elders of the noble families of the city, the Areopagites, gathered. Athens at that time remained in the shadow of large and powerful policies, such as and.

Athens grew richer, and the increased prosperity contributed to the rapid growth of arts and crafts, especially pottery. But economic growth increased political tension: there was growing discontent among farmers and Athenians, who were excluded from public life, but paid taxes and taxes on land that went to the landed aristocracy. The discord could only be stopped by the reconstruction of society, which was aimed at by the laws of Dracon (his “Dracontic” code was promulgated in 621 BC) and the election of Solon as ruler (594 BC), who was given powers to carry out radical political and economic reforms.

Solon's reforms provided civil rights to large sections of the population and laid the foundations of the system that over time grew into Athenian democracy. In the middle of the 6th century BC, Peisistratus seized power. Peisistratus is usually called a tyrant, but this only means that he took power by force: his populist policies earned him the loyalty and love of many of his fellow citizens, and he turned out to be a very successful ruler, under whom Athens became much more powerful, richer and more influential. His sons Hippias and Hipparchus were not so happy: Hipparchus was killed in 514 BC, after which Hippias tried to establish a dictatorship.

He was greatly disliked by the people and was overthrown with the help of an army called from Sparta in 510 BC. The new leader Cleisthenes carried out more radical changes: he introduced a government board of 10 strategists, created territorial phyles instead of tribal ones, and each of them sent fifty representatives to the State Council of Bule. Boulet made decisions on issues discussed in the Assembly. All citizens could participate in the Assembly and it performed the functions of both the legislative branch and the supreme court. The reforms proposed by Cleisthenes served as the basis for Athenian democracy, which existed, almost unchanged, until Roman rule.

Around 500 BC, Athens sent a detachment of warriors to Asia Minor to help the Ionian Greeks who rebelled against the Persian Empire, which provoked a retaliatory Persian invasion of Greece. In 490 BC, the Athenians and their allies defeated vastly superior Persian forces at the Battle of Marathon. In 480 BC, the Persians returned, captured and sacked Athens and left almost the entire city burned to the ground. In the same year, however, victory in the naval battle of Athens put an end to the Greek struggle with the Persians, simultaneously securing Athens' position as the leading city-state in the Greek world, and Athens was able to unite the cities of the islands of the Aegean Sea and central Greece into the Delian League, also called Athens Maritime Union.

This newfound power gave rise to the so-called classical period, during which Athens reaped the fruits of its successes and the triumph of democracy along with the flowering of the arts, architecture, literature and philosophy, and the influence of this era on world culture is felt to this day. In the second century BC, power passed to the Romans, who revered Athens as a spiritual source but made little effort to give the city more splendor.

Christians and Turks in Athens

The emergence of Christianity is perhaps the most significant milestone in the process of the long decline of Athens, which lost the glory that the city knew in the classical era. At the end of Roman rule, during which the appearance of the city changed little, Athens lost its role as a connecting link in the Greco-Roman world, and the reason for this was the division of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western and the formation of Byzantium (Constantinople) as the capital of the eastern Byzantine Empire. In this empire, the new Christian worldview very soon eclipsed the ethics developed by Athens, although Neoplatonism was still taught in the philosophical schools of the city.

In 529, these lyceums were closed, and Justinian I, who put an end to them, ordered at the same time to rededicate the city churches, and all of them, including the Parthenon, became Christian churches. Then Athens almost ceased to be mentioned in chronicles and annals; a hint of revival appeared only during the reign of foreign rulers and the Middle Ages: as a result of the Fourth Crusade, Athens with the Peloponnese and a considerable part of the central one ended up in the hands of the Franks. The ducal court was located on the Acropolis, and for a whole century Athens returned to the mainstream of European life. The Frankish power, however, had almost no one to rely on except the provincial aristocracy.

In 1311, Frankish troops fought with Catalan mercenaries entrenched in Thebes and were driven into a swamp. The Catalans, who organized their own principality, were replaced by the Florentines, and then very briefly by the Venetians, until in 1456 the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II appeared, the conqueror of Constantinople. Athens during the period of Turkish rule was a military settlement with a garrison stationed in it, every now and then (and to considerable damage to the buildings of the classical period) finding itself on the front line of battles with the Venetians and other Western powers.

Ties with the West were severed, and only occasionally did French and Italian ambassadors appear in the Sublime Porte. Sometimes rare travelers or curious painters visited Athens. During this period, the Greeks enjoyed some degree of self-government, and the Jesuit and Capuchin monasteries flourished. turned into the residence of the Ottoman ruler, and the Parthenon was converted into a mosque. The areas around the Acropolis returned to the distant past, switched to a partial peasant existence, and the port in Piraeus was forced to be content with servicing a dozen or two fishing boats.

Four hundred years of Ottoman rule ended in 1821, when the Athenian Greeks, along with the inhabitants of dozens of cities in the country, rebelled. The rebels occupied the Turkish areas of the lower city - this is the current one - and besieged the Acropolis. The Turks retreated, but five years later they returned to reoccupy the Athenian fortifications; the Greek rebels had to go deeper into the mainland. When the Ottoman garrison left forever in 1834 and a new, German monarchy arose, 5 thousand people lived in Athens.

Modern Athens

Despite its ancient past and the natural advantages of its location, Athens did not immediately become the capital of modern Greece. This honor initially went to Nafplio in the Peloponnese - the city in which Ioannis Kapodistrias developed plans for the War of Independence, and from where he later led it, and where the first meeting of the country's first parliament, the National Assembly, took place in 1828. And if I. Kapodistrias had not been killed in 1831, it is quite possible that the capital would have remained the same, or maybe it would have been moved from Nafplio to Corinth or better-equipped and quite large cities.

However, after the death of Kapodistrias, the intervention of the Western European “Great Powers” followed, imposing their monarch on the country - he became Otto, the son of Ludwig I of Bavaria, and in 1834 the capital and royal court moved to Athens. The justification for the move came down to symbolic and sentimental reasons, because the new capital was an insignificant settlement and was located on the very edge of the territory of the new state - it had yet to include northern Macedonia and all the islands except those already existing.

In the 19th century, the development of Athens was a gradual and completely manageable process. While archaeologists were ridding the Acropolis of all the architectural layers with which the Turks and Franks had decorated it, the city was gradually being built: the streets intersected at right angles, and neoclassical buildings in the Bavarian style appeared. Piraeus managed to once again turn into a full-fledged port, because until the beginning of the 19th century it was greatly hampered by competitors - the largest ports of Greece on the islands and. In 1923, at the end of the tragic Greco-Turkish war in Asia Minor, a peace treaty was signed, according to which an “exchange of population” took place: the Turks moved to Greece, the Greeks to Greece, and nationality was determined solely by religion.

One and a half million Greek Christians from centuries-old villages in Asia Minor and the Turkic-speaking but Orthodox population of Anatolia arrived in Greece as refugees. And more than half of this flow settled in Athens, Piraeus and nearby villages, changing the appearance of the capital in one fell swoop. The integration of the new settlers and their efforts to survive constituted one of the greatest pages in the history of the city, and this phenomenon itself left deep traces that are noticeable to this day. The names of the areas located on both sides of the metro line connecting Athens with Piraeus testify to the longing experienced by the new settlers for their forever lost homeland: Nea Zmirni (New Smyrna), Nea Yonia, Nea Philadelphia - such names are common for city blocks and streets.

At first, these neighborhoods were villages in which people from the same Anatolian town settled, who built houses from whatever they could find, and it happened that one well or water tap supplied drinking water to a dozen or two families. The merger of these suburbs with Athens and Piraeus continued until World War II. But the war brought such new concerns that all the old ones were temporarily put aside. Athens suffered greatly from the German occupation: in the winter of 1941-1942, according to rough estimates, two thousand people died of starvation every day in the city. And at the end of 1944, when the German occupation ended, the civil war began.

British soldiers were ordered to fight their recent allies in the Greek Resistance Army EL AS because the army was led by communists. From 1946 to 1949, Athens was an island in the stormy sea of war: the roads both to the north and to the north could only be called passable with a very big stretch. But in the 1950s, after the Civil War, the city began to expand rapidly. A program of powerful capital investments in industry was implemented - the money was invested mainly by Americans who wanted to convince Greece to enter the US sphere of influence, while at the same time the capital experienced an influx of immigrants from impoverished villages devastated by the war.

The vacant lots between the neighborhoods began to be quickly developed, and by the end of the 1960s, Athens had become a major city. Often new developments look dull. Old buildings were demolished; the elements of destruction raged with particular force in 1967-1974, during the junta. Homeowners replaced demolished buildings with multi-apartment residential buildings up to six stories high. The central streets are like canyons - narrow streets seem to be cut between concrete high-rise buildings. Booming industry took over the outskirts, and the combined efforts of city planners and industrialists quickly turned Athens into a polluted megalopolis, suffocating from the toxic fog that descends on it, which is called nefos.

Since the 1990s, in preparation for the Olympics, measures have finally been taken to improve the situation in the city. Although Athens still has a long way to go in terms of green spaces and open spaces, the results of the efforts are already visible. Everything that has survived from the city’s architectural heritage is being restored, public transport is clean, the construction of houses is controlled, new buildings of interesting ultra-modern architecture have appeared (for example, some buildings erected for the Olympics and the unfinished new Acropolis Museum), and the air is not so polluted, like before. I would like to hope that changes in this direction will continue.

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