The museum collection contains approximately 30,000 items of works of art such as jewelries, wall paintings, mosaics, icons (3.000, the richest world collection covering more than 1.000 years of history), sculptures, ceramics, paintings, ecclesiastical textiles. The permanent exhibition is devoted to Byzantine Empire, “Byzantium”, Asia Minor, the Black Sea, Easter Trace, Coptic Egypt and the Romania during the 4th -15th centuries AD.

Address: 22, Vas. Sophias, Athens

Tel: 2132139500

Website: www.byzantinemuseum.gr

Open: May-October: Tuesday-Sunday: 08:00 a.m. -08:00 p.m., Monday: 13:30 p.m. -08:00p.m.

November – April: Tuesday-Sunday: 08:00 a.m. -03:00 p.m., Monday: Closed

For security reasons, the last visitors have to enter 30 min before the closing.

Fee: General admission: 4 €. Discount: 2 €. Free admission: under 18 years old

Metro Station: Evangelismos

Address: 44, Patission str.

Τel: 2108217717

Website: www.namuseum.gr

Open: Monday: 13:30^a.m.-08:00p.m. – Tuesday-Sunday: 08:00a.m. -03:00p.m.

Fee: 7 €, Reduced fee: 3 € for E.U. senior citizens (over 65 years old), students from countries outside the E.U.

Free entrance: visitors under 19 years old, students from E.U. countries, admission card holders (Free Entrance Card, Culture Card, ICOM, ICOMOS), journalists, guides, soldiers

Train Station: Victoria

The history of the Acropolis of Athens is long, with moments when democracy philosophy and art flourished, leading to its creation. Then there were the times when its best standing pieces were removed and shipped away from the city, dividing the monument in two. Today, the international community wants to reunite all of the Acropolis sculptures in Athens and restore both its physicality and meaning.

The Acropolis, and the Parthenon in particular, is the most characteristic monument of the ancient Greek civilisation. It continues to stand as a symbol in many ways: it is the symbol of democracy and the Greek civilisation. It also symbolises the beginning of the Western civilisation and stands as the icon of European culture. The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of the city of Athens and goddess of wisdom. It was built under the instructions of Pericles, the political leader of Athens in the 5th century BC. The Parthenon was constructed between 447 and 438 BC and its sculptural decoration was completed in 432 BC. In 1987 it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO, 1987). Uniquely, capturing the gravity of the Athenian Acropolis as a symbol, UNESCO recognises that “[…] the Acropolis, the site of four of the greatest masterpieces of classical Greek art – the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheum and the Temple of Athena Nike – can be seen as symbolizing the idea of world heritage” (UNESCO, 2006).

Photo by Steve Swayne in Wikimedia Commons

Despite the unique symbolic and cultural value of the monument, the issue of the removal of the sculptures from the Athenian Acropolis by Elgin continues to shadow their history. Today, more than half of the Parthenon sculptures are in the British Museum in London and their return to Athens, for their display in the Acropolis Museum together with the other originals, is a cultural issue awaiting to be settled.

It is recommended that you start your reading about the Parthenon and the Acropolis of Athens at the Acropolis of Athens page of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. You can also start from The Review of the Seizure of the Parthenon sculptures, or read The Memorandum of the Greek Government for The Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles. But there is more to discover. This website brings you the key concepts associated with the Acropolis sculptures and the reasons why they should be reunited in Athens. You can find links to official pages and initiatives about the issue, as well as resources for your research as a traveller, student or academic.

Info

Address: Dionysiou Areopogitou str., Athens

Phone: 0030 210 3214172

Website: www.acropolisofathens.gr

Open: Daily 8.00-19.30 (April– Oct.), 08:30-15:00 (Nov.-Οκτ.)

Ticket: Adults EUR 20, Reduced: EUR 10, Children (up to 18 y.) free,

For more info, click here

The New Museum of Acropolis

The monuments of the Acropolis have withstood the ravages of past centuries, both of ancient times and those of the Middle Ages. Until the 17th century, foreign travellers visiting the monuments depicted the classical buildings as being intact. This remained the case until the middle of the same century, when the Propylaia was blown up while being used as a gunpowder store. Thirty years later, the Ottoman occupiers dismantled the neighbouring Temple of Athena Nike to use its materials to strengthen the fortification of the Acropolis. The most fatal year, however, for the Acropolis, was 1687, when many of the building’s architectural members were blown into the air and fell in heaps around the Hill of the Acropolis, caused by a bomb from the Venetian forces. Foreign visitors to the Acropolis would search through the rubble and take fragments of the fallen sculptures as their souvenirs. It was in the 19th century that Lord Elgin removed intact architectural sculptures from the frieze, the metopes and the pediments of the building.

Photo by Tomisti in Wikimedia Commons

In 1833, the Turkish garrison withdrew from the Acropolis. Immediately after the founding of the Greek State, discussions about the construction of an Acropolis Museum on the Hill of the Acropolis began. In 1863, it was decided that the Museum be constructed on a site to the southeast of the Parthenon and foundations were laid on 30 December 1865.

The building program for the Museum had provided that its height not surpasses the height of the stylobate of the Parthenon. With only 800 square meters of floor space, the building was rapidly shown to be inadequate to accommodate the findings from the large excavations on the Acropolis that began in 1886. A second museum was announced in 1888, the so-called Little Museum. Final changes occurred in 1946-1947 with the second Museum being demolished and the original being sizably extended.

By the 1970s, the Museum could not cope satisfactorily with the large numbers of visitors passing through its doors. The inadequacy of the space frequently caused problems and downgraded the sense that the exhibition of the masterpieces from the Rock sought to achieve.

The Acropolis Museum was firstly conceived by Constantinos Karamanlis in September 1976. He also selected the site, upon which the Museum was finally built, decades later. With his penetrating vision, C. Karamanlis defined the need and established the means for a new Museum equipped with all technical facilities for the conservation of the invaluable Greek artifacts, where eventually the Parthenon sculptures will be reunited.

For these reasons, architectural competitions were conducted in 1976 and 1979, but without success. In 1989, Melina Mercouri, who as Minister of Culture inextricably identified her policies with the claim for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum, initiated an international architectural competition. The results of this competition were annulled following the discovery of a large urban settlement on the Makriyianni site dating from Archaic to Early Christian Athens. This discovery now needed to be integrated into the New Museum that was to be built on this site.

In the year 2000, the Organization for the Construction of the New Acropolis Museum announced an invitation to a new tender, which was realized in accord with the Directives of the European Union. It is this Tender that has come to fruition with the awarding of the design tender to Bernard Tschumi with Michael Photiadis and their associates and the completion of construction in 2007.

Today, the new Acropolis Museum has a total area of 25,000 square meters, with exhibition space of over 14,000 square meters, ten times more than that of the old museum on the Hill of the Acropolis. The new Museum offers all the amenities expected in an international museum of the 21st century.

Read more: – Architectural fact sheet, Construction fact sheet

Address: 15, Dionysiou Areopagitou str.,

Phone: 0030 210 9000900-1

Website: www.theacropolismuseum.gr

Open: Tuesday – Sunday 08:00 – 20:00 (Friday 08:00 – 22:00 and the restaurant at 2nd floor till 00:00. Closed on Mondays).

Fee: Regular EUR 5, Reduced EUR 3

• Metro Station: Acropolis

Mount Lycabettus, also known as Lycabettos, Lykabettos or Lykavittos (Greek: Λυκαβηττός), is a Cretaceous limestone hill in Athens, at 300 meters (908 feet) above sea level. Pine trees cover its base, and at its two peaks are the 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre, and a restaurant. The hill is a tourist destination and can be ascended by the Lycabettus Funicular, a funicular railway which climbs the hill from a lower terminus at Kolonaki (The railway station can be found at Aristippou street). Lycabettus appears in various legends. Popular stories suggest it was once the refuge of wolves, (lycos in Greek), which is possibly the origin of its name (means “the one [the hill] that is walked by wolves”). Another etymology suggests a Pelasgian, pre-Mycenean, origin (Lucabetu=mastoid hill).

Mythologically, Lycabettus is credited to Athena, who created it when she dropped a limestone mountain she had been carrying from the Pallene peninsula for the construction of the Acropolis after the box holding Erichthonius was opened. 

Photo by giggel in Wikimedia Commons

The Philopappu Monument (Greek: Μνημείο Φιλοπάππου) is an ancient Greek mausoleum and monument dedicated to Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos or Philopappus, (Greek: Γάιος Ιούλιος Αντίοχος Επιφανής Φιλόπαππος, 65–116 AD), a prince from the Kingdom of Commagene. It is located on Mouseion Hill in Athens, Greece, southwest of the Acropolis. Philopappos died in 116, and his death caused great grief to his sister Julia Balbilla, citizens of Athens and possibly to the imperial family. As a dedication to honor the memory of Philopappos, Balbilla with the citizens of Athens erected a tomb structure on Muse Hill (Lofos Muson) near the Acropolis of Athens. His marble tomb monument is still known as the Philopappu Monument, and the hill is today known as Philopappu Hill (Λόφος Φιλοπάππου).

Visit Psiri best known for its abandoned buildings and leather shops, but Psiri is undergoing a facelift and is currently one of the hottest addresses in the city. Yes, its narrow, meandering streets are still covered with graffiti and there are local grocery shops unchanged for decades but today Psiri is a magnet to locals and increasingly visitors.

Photo by C messier in Wikimedia Commons

Syntagma Square is the heart of modern Athens. Also known as Constitution Square, it is a huge public plaza stretching out in front of the Greek Parliament. The neoclassical Parliament Building at one end of Syntagma Square was built around 1843 as a palace for the unwelcome King Otto of Bavaria. It had 365 rooms and one bathroom. Hopefully when it was remodeled in 1910 to house Parliament.

 Ermou str., located at Syntagma Square, is perfect for Jewelry and clothing.

 Finally, Psiri district, it’s slowly becoming home to small independent boutiques selling organic soaps, unusual handmade jewelry and old posters.

Delphi is located in upper central Greece, on multiple plateaux along the slope of Mount Parnassus, and includes the Sanctuary of Apollo (the god of light, knowledge and harmony), the site of the ancient Oracle. This semicircular spur is known as Phaedriades, and overlooks the Pleistos Valley.

In myths dating to the classical period of Ancient Greece (510-323 BC), Zeus determined the site of Delphi when he sought to find the centre of his “Grandmother Earth” (Gaia). He sent two eagles flying from the eastern and western extremities, and the path of the eagles crossed over Delphi where the omphalos, or navel of Gaia was found.

Photo by Skyring in Wikimedia Commons

Earlier myths include traditions that Pythia, or the Delphic oracle, already was the site of an important oracle in the pre-classical Greek world (as early as 1400 BC) and, rededicated from about 800 BC, when it served as the major site during classical times for the worship of the god Apollo. Apollo was said to have slain Python, a “drako” a serpent or a dragon who lived there and protected the navel of the Earth. “Python” is claimed by some to be the original name of the site in recognition of Python which Apollo defeated. The Homeric Hymn to Delphic Apollo recalled that the ancient name of this site had been Krisa. Others relate that it was named Pytho  and that Pythia, the priestess serving as the oracle, was chosen from their ranks by a group of priestesses who officiated at the temple.

Excavation at Delphi, which was a post-Mycenaean settlement of the late 9th century, has uncovered artifacts increasing steadily in volume beginning with the last quarter of the 8th century BC. Pottery and bronze as well as tripod dedications continue in a steady stream, in contrast to Olympia. Neither the range of objects nor the presence of prestigious dedications proves that Delphi was a focus of attention for a wide range of worshippers, but the large quantity of valuable goods, found in no other mainland sanctuary, encourages that view.

Arachova is situated at about a 970 m (3182 ft) elevation on the southern slope of Mount Parnassus, above the valley of the river Pleistos. Arachova is located 8 km E of Delphi, 9 km northwest of Distomo, 18 km southeast of Amfissa and 26 km west of Livadeia. The Greek National Road 48 (Naupactus – Delphi – Livadeia) passes through the town. The Parnassos Ski Centre is situated to the north.Arachova has a panoramic view, uphill small houses and the cobbled streets show a picturesque architecture. The town center includes a huge and steep cliff, the Bell Tower, covered with dense ivy. At the top of the tower is a large 10m height clock. Arachova is famous for its black wine, its “brusque”, the colorful textiles, carpets and rugs, handicrafts and woodcut creations as well. The Formaela cheese from Arachova has been designated as a protected designation of origin.