The centre of Athens was largely rebuilt, leading to the demolition of a number of neoclassical buildings. Municipal sport facilities have also been upgraded with the … Other universities that lie within Athens are the Athens University of Economics and Business, the Panteion University, the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Piraeus. Greek composers begin to write music using the tunes of the tango, waltz, swing, foxtrot, some times combined with melodies in the style of Athenian serenades' repertory. Beyond Athens and across the prefecture of Attica, outdoor activities include skiing, rock climbing, hang gliding and windsurfing. Ancient monuments and works of art are present in every street and at every corner. The Entry of King Otto in Athens, Peter von Hess, 1839. Nikos Gounaris was probably the most renowned composer and singer of the time. The intercalated competitions were intermediate games to the internationally organized Olympics, and were meant to be organized in Greece every four years, between the main Olympics. The official guide to the city of Athens. The most successful songs during the period 1870–1930 were the so-called Athenian serenades (Αθηναϊκές καντάδες), based on the Heptanesean kantádhes (καντάδες 'serenades'; sing. Athens is the capital of Greece and largest city of Greece. Apart from the neoclassicals by Leonidas Drosis at the Academy of Athens (Plato, Socrates, Apollo, Athena), other notable include the statue of Theseus by Georgios Fytalis at Thiseion, of philhellenes like Lord Byron, George Canning and William Gladstone, the equestrian statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis by Lazaros Sochos in front of the Old Parliament, statues of Ioannis Kapodistrias, Rigas Feraios and Adamantios Korais at the University, of Evangelos Zappas and Konstantinos Zappas at Zappeion, of Ioannis Varvakis at the National Garden, the "woodbreaker" by Dimitrios Filippotis, the equestrian statue of Alexandros Papagos at Papagou district and various busts of fighters of Greek independence at the Pedion tou Areos. For example, Kifissia and Glyfada serve as inter-municipal centres for northern and southern suburbs respectively. Acharnae, Afidnes, Cytherus, Colonus, Corydallus, Cropia, Decelea, Euonymos, Vravron among others was important towns in Athenian countryside. Photo about Athens, capital city of Greece. It is the largest city in the country and one of the oldest cities in the world. [131] The tram network spans a total length of 27 km (17 mi) and covers ten Athenian suburbs. The Municipality of Athens, the City Centre of the Athens Urban Area, is divided into several districts: Omonoia, Syntagma, Exarcheia, Agios Nikolaos, Neapolis, Lykavittos, Lofos Strefi, Lofos Finopoulou, Lofos Filopappou, Pedion Areos, Metaxourgeio, Aghios Kostantinos, Larissa Station, Kerameikos, Psiri, Monastiraki, Gazi, Thission, Kapnikarea, Aghia Irini, Aerides, Anafiotika, Plaka, Acropolis, Pnyka, Makrygianni, Lofos Ardittou, Zappeion, Aghios Spyridon, Pangrati, Kolonaki, Dexameni, Evaggelismos, Gouva, Aghios Ioannis, Neos Kosmos, Koukaki, Kynosargous, Fix, Ano Petralona, Kato Petralona, Rouf, Votanikos, Profitis Daniil, Akadimia Platonos, Kolonos, Kolokynthou, Attikis Square, Lofos Skouze, Sepolia, Kypseli, Aghios Meletios, Nea Kypseli, Gyzi, Polygono, Ampelokipoi, Panormou-Gerokomeio, Pentagono, Ellinorosson, Nea Filothei, Ano Kypseli, Tourkovounia-Lofos Patatsou, Lofos Elikonos, Koliatsou, Thymarakia, Kato Patisia, Treis Gefyres, Aghios Eleftherios, Ano Patisia, Kypriadou, Menidi, Prompona, Aghios Panteleimonas, Pangrati, Goudi, Vyronas and Ilisia. Over the past decade, the city's infrastructure and social amenities have improved, in part because of its successful bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. In the last round of voting, Athens defeated Rome with 66 votes to 41. The largest and oldest university in Athens is the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. [20] It was to be the second time Athens would host the games, following the inaugural event of 1896. 745–752. It is one of the most famous cities in the world.It is also one of the world's oldest cities. Notable composers of operettas or nocturnes were Kostas Giannidis, Dionysios Lavrangas, Nikos Hatziapostolou, while Theophrastos Sakellaridis' The Godson remains probably the most popular operetta. [97] The expansion is now particularly toward the East and North East (a tendency greatly related to the new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and the Attiki Odos, the freeway that cuts across Attica). ... crowds of people catching the neon lights and waiting patiently to see special performances taking place all around the city centre. [24] In an alternative version of the myth from Vergil's Georgics, Poseidon instead gave the Athenians the first horse. In 2000 the Organising Committee's president was replaced by Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who was the president of the original Bidding Committee in 1997. According to data from 2014, Athens as a metropolitan economic area produced 130 billion US-dollars as GDP in PPP, which consists nearly a half of the production for the whole country. In January 2007, Athens faced a waste management problem when its landfill near Ano Liosia, an Athenian suburb, reached capacity. Events in other sports such as athletics, volleyball, water polo etc., have been hosted in the capital's venues. Casinos operate on both Mount Parnitha, some 25 km (16 mi)[77] from downtown Athens (accessible by car or cable car), and the nearby town of Loutraki (accessible by car via the Athens – Corinth National Highway, or the suburban rail service Proastiakos). After an unsuccessful bid in 1990, the 1997 bid was radically improved, including an appeal to Greece's Olympic history. Updates? [131] The network runs from Syntagma Square to the southwestern suburb of Palaio Faliro, where the line splits in two branches; the first runs along the Athens coastline toward the southern suburb of Voula, while the other heads toward Neo Faliro. ... the focus has shifted to living in this city – an energetic Athens in which age-old artistic impulse and 21st-century conditions clash and coalesce. Athens was voted as the third best European city to visit in 2015 by European Best Destination. [119], Tourism is also a great contributor for the economy of the city, which is considered as one of the top destinations in Europe for city-break tourism and is also the gateway for excursions to the islands or the mainland. The Athens area encompasses a variety of terrain, notably hills and mountains rising around the city, and the capital is the only major city in Europe to be bisected by a mountain range. The ancient heroes, too, were vain about both themselves and honour, boasting as much about outwitting the enemy as about outfighting him. Globalization and World Cities Research Network, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Names of European cities in different languages: A, Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, List of twin towns and sister cities in Greece, New Athens Township, St. Clair County, Illinois, Athens Township, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, Athens Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, Athens University of Economics and Business, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, population exchange between Greece and Turkey, "Regions and Cities at a Glance 2018 – Greece", "Contents and Principles of the Programme of Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens", "Greece uncovers 'holy grail' of Greek archeology", "Port of the month: Piraeus Port Authority", "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. [42] It also ranks as a very safe city (39th globally out of 162 cities overall) on the ranking of the safest and most dangerous countries. (2001). Start your walking tour from Kallimarmaro Roman Stadium (Syntagma or Evangelismos metro station), the place where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. The architects of this era employed materials such as glass, marble and aluminium, and many blended modern and classical elements. Athens' Metropolitan Area is served by the motorway network of the Attiki Odos toll-motorway (code: A6). International Conference "Passive and Low Energy Cooling for the Built Environment", May 2005, Santorini, Greece, pp. It is also a major national hub for Intercity (Ktel) and international buses as well as for domestic and international rail transport. The Saronic Gulf lies to the southwest. The capital of Greece, Athens, is a very easy place to walk around. Interim Report, POLIS Research Project, European Commission, Directorate General for Science, Research and Development and human wellbeing and health. The old one Phaliro was in the site of modern Palaio Faliro and gradually declined after the construction of the new prototype port but remained as a minor port and important settlement with historic significance in late Classical times. Of the venues used for these Olympics, the Kallimarmaro Stadium, and Zappeion were most crucial. [17] As Eurostat the FUA of Athens had in 2013 3,828,434 inhabitants, being apparently decreasing compared with the pre-economic crisis date of 2009 (4,164,175)[18]. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Athen sits within the Attica basin, where it was built around a number of hills and other raised land formations. The long oral tradition, alive even under the invader, has reflected and stimulated a taste for rich talk. The Athens City Hall in Kotzia Square was designed by Panagiotis Kolkas and completed in 1874.[103]. area and average elevation)", http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_lpop1&lang=en, "Sentiment a factor as Athens gets 2004 Olympics", "As forest fires burn, suffocated Athens is outraged", "Rot sets in as Athens's trash problem mounts", "SAFE CITIES INDEX 2017: Security in a rapidly urbanizing world", "Is Athens Safe? [41], Athens ranks in the lowest percentage for the risk on frequency and severity of terrorist attacks according to the EU Global Terrorism Database (EIU 2007–2016 calculations). Beside the above clubs, inside the boundaries of Athens Municipality there are some more clubs with presence in national divisions or notable action for short periods. The revival of the modern Olympic Games was brought forth in 1896, by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. Line 1 mostly runs at ground level and the other two (Line 2 & 3) routes run entirely underground. Kifissos provides connections towards Peloponnese, North Greece, West Greece and some Ionian Islands, whereas Liosion is used for most of Central Greece. The millennia of oppression, instead of driving the Athenians into obtuse moroseness, have honed their wit and rendered them tough but supple, while centuries of privation have only preserved their warmth and generosity. At any given time, hundreds of international scholars and researchers in all disciplines of archaeology are to be found in the city. Your Athens Capital City Greece stock images are ready. It has been the official capital of Greece since 1834 when the capital was moved there from the Greek city of Nafplio. The Athens Municipality forms the core and center of Greater Athens, which in its turn consists of the Athens Municipality and 34 more municipalities, divided in four regional units (Central, North, South and West Athens), accounting for 2,641,511 people (in 2011)[2] within an area of 361 km2 (139 sq mi). As a whole the economy of Athens and Greece has been severely hit with today's data showing a change from long recession to growth of 1.4% in 2017. Where to eat, drink, and swim, top archaeological sites and museums to visit, plus all the essential tips to help plan your trip. The 2004 Olympic Games were described as Unforgettable, dream Games, by IOC President Jacques Rogge for their return to the birthplace of the Olympics, and for meeting the challenges of holding the Olympic Games. The decades that followed became known as the Golden Age of Athenian democracy, during which time Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece, with its cultural achievements laying the foundations for Western civilization. [124] Of those 1,839 buses 416 run on compressed natural gas,[124] making up the largest fleet of natural gas-powered buses in Europe[125] and all trolleybuses are equipped to enable them to run on diesel in case of power failure.[126]. Athens is also home to several museums and cultural institutions, such as the National Archeological Museum, featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. The span of the Attiki Odos in all its length is 65 km (40 mi),[144] making it the largest metropolitan motorway network in all of Greece. Ziller also designed many private mansions in the centre of Athens which gradually became public, usually through donations, such as Schliemann's Iliou Melathron. The meteorology of Athens is deemed to be one of the most complex in the world because its mountains cause a temperature inversion phenomenon which, along with the Greek Government's difficulties controlling industrial pollution, was responsible for the air pollution problems the city has faced. The capital of Greece is Athens (in Greek Αθήνα, Athína) currently the largest city in the country. Important Greek companies such as Hellenic Aerospace Industry, Hellas Sat, Mytilineos Holdings, Titan Cement, Hellenic Petroleum, Papadopoulos E.J., Folli Follie, Jumbo S.A., OPAP, and Cosmote have their headquarters in the metropolitan area of Athens. In this era, the first Christian churches were built in Athens, and the Parthenon and other temples were converted into churches. Katsoulis B.D., Theoharatos G.A. Parnitha National Park is punctuated by well-marked paths, gorges, springs, torrents and caves dotting the protected area. Kassomenos P.A. [158], This article is about a city in Greece. Localities with a great number of such buildings include Kolonaki, and some areas of the centre of the city; neighbourhoods developed in this period include Kypseli.[148]. Be on the European mainland and the other two ( Line 2 & )! 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