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The plan ...has been set up to undertake the creation
of a large open museum, a project of crucial importance
for the capital is aesthetic appearance and cultural
role, a project which shall unify the rich heritage
of the past and the city's everyday life.
It is a particularly ambitious and long-term project,
the first phase of which shall nevertheless be completed
before the landmark year 2004, the final aim being the
possibility of an uninterrupted walk in space and historic
time from the city's birth to the present day.
Some walking through the center of the city is necessary
in order to see some monuments and sights. The sights
shown below are all with in walking distance.
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THE GREEK
PARLIAMENT.
The plain, neoclassical building which is the Parliament
of the Greeks today, was built between 1834-1838 as
the palace of the first kings. In front is the monument
of the Unknown Soldier, with the two guards, called
"Evzoni".
who are the presidential guards (changing of the guards
every two hours). Every Sunday there is a parade and
a band playing the National Anthem at 10:45 a.m.
-
SYNTAGMA SQUARE.
Here beats the heart of the modern city. The Parliament
at the east of the square reminds us the deviation
of its name. In 1843, the Greeks, received their
first constitution from King Otho, after numerous
and persistent demonstrations.
- NATIONAL GARDEN.
The green lung in the center of the city. Beautiful
and rare flowers, trees and bushes as well as little
ponds decorate the garden, which is open all day
long.
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PANEPISTIMIOU STREET
(EL. VENIZELOU). El. Venizelou street, which is known as
Panepistimiou street, is one of the central roads of Athens.
Beautiful neoclassical buildings decorate it: "Iliou Melathron",
meaning the palace of Troy. This was the house of Erik Schlieman.
"The Academy", the highest spiritual institution of the
country. "The University","the National Library"with thousands
of manuscripts and books,"the Bank of Greece" etc. These
buildings are typical copies of ancient Greek architecture
and will help you to imagine how Athens looked 2500 years
ago.
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PLAKA.
Come to the heart of the city, to the neighborhood of the
Olympic Gods, come to Plaka. 5' walk from Syndagma. At the
foot of the
Acropolis, there spreads out, the most alive
part of the city, an open exhibition of the history of the
Athens and a panorama of people, monuments and tastes too.
Narrow small roads, numerous taverns, restaurants, coffee
shops, small picturesque squares and beautiful interesting
corners. Walk through it- get to know it - feel it. Being
in Plaka, you cannot but come upon some monument, witness
of the past. You cannot but have at every corner an opportunity
to do your shopping, to buy something for the ones you love
and care about. Plaka is a place of contrasts. It can be
vivid and tranquiller, it can be crowdie and quiet, noisy
and calm. It all depends on the place you pick up to enjoy
a cold glass of beer or ice coffee. After dark Plaka comes
alive. The taverns with their cavernous rooms decorated
with barrels and their trellis covered terraces are illuminated
with multicolored lights: savoring the Greek cuisine with
glasses of retsina, listening to the bouzouki music
and the latest singers and dancing the modern sirtaki.
MONASTIRAKI.
This was the centre of the Turkish town with the bazaar
and the shops as well as the main mosques and administrative
buildings. Now it is popular commercial district incorporating
the Athens flea market. Start from Syntagma Square. Go west
down Odos Ermou, a busy shopping street lined with boutiques
selling feminine apparel, dress materials and ready - to
- wear clothes, furs and shoes, leather goods and jewelers.
Some columns from the Adrian's library are in site, a mosque
which has been turned into a library and a beautiful small
church (Kapnikarea built on 11 C) are some of the interesting
monuments of this place.
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ATHINAS
STREET. A central road of Athens connecting Omonia
square with Monastiraki. Its here that one can feel
the oriental character of the city. The main market
of the city, the little shops, with their peculiar merchandises
make this busy, noisy street very attractive.
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The restoration of
Plaka, and then Thission, Psyrri and the other old neighborhoods
in the centre of Athens started in the early 1990s. A vast
network of pedestrian streets, together with financial incentives
given to the owners of properties to renovate their homes
completely changed the face of these areas. They have now
become favorite spots for a quiet stroll during the day
or at night. Athenians and tourists alike gather at the
multitude of nice, tiny restaurants in Psyrri, or climb
up to the northern side of the Acropolis, through the picturesque
streets of Plaka, lined with beautifully restored private
homes. The so-called historic triangle of Athens, the old
commercial part of the city, has also improved dramatically.
Ermou, the principal
commercial street, as well as many other narrower side streets
have been freed from traffic and turned over to pedestrians,
giving new life to this lovely part of downtown Athens,
which for years had declined progressively. The Unification
of Archaeological sites plan, which also incorporates these
restored neighborhoods, consists of the creation of a long
network of pedestrian ways and open spaces.
These stretch from
Ardettos hill, the marble Stadium and the temple of Olympian
Zeus, all the way to Kerameikos, through Dionysiou Areopagitou
and Apostolou Pavlou streets, on the southern side of the
Acropolis, crossing the Thission. The plan also
includes the area past Kerameikos, reaching as far as Gazi
- the former large gasworks plant, which is now a very lively
cultural center. We needed to take in to account the needs
of locals and visitors alike as we carefully knitted together
the urban areas with the archaeological and the natural
sites , explains Maria Kaltsa, an architect and Yale graduate,
who is part of the team working on the project. Dionysiou
Areopagitou and its continuation, Apostolou Pavlou Street,
running along the southern and southwestern sides of the
Acropolis, is the backbone of the plan.
Acropolis Museum
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During the large-scale excavations carried out with
state-of- the-art instruments for the long awaited Athens
Metro ( Web Site:
http://www.ametro.gr/),
more incredibly interesting ancient monuments and artifacts
have surfaced. The Metro, although only partly finished,
has greatly improved the life of Athenian commuters.
But besides providing stress-free transportation, it
has also created several underground museums at most
of the new stations. At Syntagma, for example, one can
admire the stunning cross-section of the ground, illustrating
the various eras that once flourished in Athens. There
are also cases of ancient objects found during the work
on the station. Many people also are drawn particularly
to the turn-of-the-century photographs of Syntagma square,
which speak louder than words about the changes the
capital of Greece has undergone in its most recent past.
At the newer
Acropolis station, visitors can admire a
different permanent exhibit: copies of the Parthenon
s eastern frieze, wonderfully depicting goddess Athinas
creation, together with many other of the most important
Parthenon sculptures that enrich the British Museum
of London. The station pays homage to the late Melina
Mercouri, the well-known actress who - as Minister of
Culture - had made it her life s goal to get these so-called
Elgin Marbles back to Athens. Melina is shown sitting
in front of the Parthenon in a large photograph, while
another most impressive picture on display at the station
shows hundreds of ancient vases being unearthed as the
huge crane moved the earth while digging for the station.
It is not only the works of the various ancient creators
and craftsmen that adorn the various stations of the
Athens Metro. The compositions of modern, well-known
Greek artists may also be admired. Yannis Moralis work
can be seen at Panepistimiou station, Zongolopoulos
flying umbrellas hang at an atrium on the Syntagma stop,
Chryssa s creation is at Evangelismos, while at Dafni,
Dimitris Mytaras bas-reliefs inspired by the 4th century
BC depiction of the fighter Dexileos cover an area 3
x 11 meters and dominate the station. These are just
an example of the many important artworks that can be
admired at the Metro stops, which have created small
underground art museums in various parts of the city,
forcing even commuters who would never consider going
to an art gallery or museum to get a glimpse of what
they have been missing. On the other hand, these new
well designed stations make Athenians appreciate their
city again, restoring the pride which was almost lost
after all they had to endure on their way to work.
Web design and hosting
by
Nick
email
http://www.panoramio.com/user/45649/tags/Athens
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