Four mountain ranges extend into city boundaries and thousands of kilometres of trails criss-cross the city and neighbouring areas, providing exercise and wilderness access on foot and bike. Sustainable Cities and Society, 1, pp. Her superiority also derives in part from the vastly greater variety and importance of her functions and from the patriotism of Homer’s predecessors, Ares being of foreign origin. The Athens Mass Transit System consists of a large bus fleet, a trolleybus fleet that mainly serves Athens's city center, the city's Metro, a Proastiakos service[122] and a tram network, connecting the southern suburbs to the City Centre. Athens is home to three European multi-sport clubs: Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens. In January 2007, Athens faced a waste management problem when its landfill near Ano Liosia, an Athenian suburb, reached capacity. I’ve put together a list of our favourite things to do in Athens, which includes archaeological sites, museums, beaches, shopping recommendations, unique tours, and what to see on day trips as well. [129] It then ascends to ground level and continues to Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, using the Suburban Railway infrastructure, extending its total length to 39 km (24 mi). The city is also home to the Demokritos laboratory for Archaeometry, alongside regional and national archaeological authorities that form part of the Greek Department of Culture. 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. The Kallimarmaro is a replica of the ancient Athenian stadiums, and the only major stadium (in its capacity of 60,000) to be made entirely of white marble from Mount Penteli, the same material used for construction of the Parthenon. The line 1 (Green Line) serves 24 stations, and is the oldest line of the Athens metro network. They settled in poor neighborhoods and brought with them Rebetiko music, making it popular also in Greece, which became later the base for the Laïko music. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology, Roman and Greek Gods - Facts about Athena, National and Kapodestrian University of Athens - Faculty of History and Archaeology - Athena’s Peplos: Weaving as a Core Female Activity in Ancient and Modern Greece, Athena - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Athena - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Mycenean Athens in 1600–1100 BC could have reached the size of Tiryns; that would put the population at the range of 10,000–15,000. Nikos Gounaris was probably the most renowned composer and singer of the time. Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. There is so much to see and do in Athens, Greece! In 2018, the airport handled 24,135,736 passengers, a huge increase over the last 4 years. Classical Greek theatre was written and performed solely by men, including all the female parts and Choruses. The Municipality of Athens has an official population of 664,046 people. [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. Measures taken by the Greek authorities throughout the 1990s have improved the quality of air over the Attica Basin. Voir plus d'idées sur le thème circuit grece, grece, athènes. The network covers the majority of the Athens coastline. They together with the regional unit of Piraeus (Greater Piraeus) make up the dense Athens Urban Area which reaches a total population of 3,090,508 inhabitants (in 2011). Updates? It is the largest container port in East Mediterranean Sea Basin. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me. A center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum,[6][7] it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy,[8][9] largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent, and in particular the Romans. of the 10th International Conference on Meteorology, Climatology and Atmospheric Physics, Patras, Greece, 25–28 May 2010, pp. Theseus was responsible, according to the myth, for the synoikismos ("dwelling together")—the political unification of Attica under Athens. All the activities of UNIWA are carried out in the modern infrastructure of the three University Campuses within the metropolitan region of Athens (Egaleo Park, Ancient Olive Groove and Athens), which offer modern teaching and research spaces, entertainment and support facilities for all students. Athens is one of the major economic centres in south-eastern Europe and is considered as a regional economic power in Europe generally. [10] In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Moral and physical interpretation is often intermingled.…. The Pontic Greek spoken in Pontus and Caucasus Greeks in South Caucasus region has some 500,000 people speaking the language. [21] It was possibly rendered in the plural later on, like those of Θῆβαι (Thêbai) and Μυκῆναι (Μukênai). Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Her birth and her contest with Poseidon, the sea god, for the suzerainty of the city were depicted on the pediments of the Parthenon, and the great festival of the Panathenaea, in July, was a celebration of her birthday. The municipality (City) of Athens is also the capital of the Attica region. The architects of this era employed materials such as glass, marble and aluminium, and many blended modern and classical elements. She was also worshipped in many other cities, notably in Sparta. Although the heavy cost was criticized, estimated at $1.5 billion, Athens was transformed into a more functional city that enjoys modern technology both in transportation and in modern urban development. In the Iliad, Athena is the divine form of the heroic, martial ideal: she personifies excellence in close combat, victory, and glory. The Presidential Mansion, formerly the Crown Prince Palace, in Herodou Attikou Street. Beginning in the 1920s, modern architecture including Bauhaus and Art Deco began to exert an influence on almost all Greek architects, and buildings both public and private were constructed in accordance with these styles. The "Golden Age" of Ancient Greece then inspired the literature that has been read by people for centuries. In 1896, the city had a population of 123,000[99] and the event helped boost the city's international profile. For the greatest part of the 19th century Neoclassicism dominated Athens, as well as some deviations from it such as Eclecticism, especially in the early 20th century. Lycabettus, Philopappos hill and the area around it, including Pnyx and Ardettos hill, are planted with pines and other trees, with the character of a small forest rather than typical metropolitan parkland. The line 3 (Blue Line) runs from Nikaia station, through the central Monastiraki and Syntagma stations to Doukissis Plakentias avenue in the northeastern suburb of Halandri. [159], This article is about a city in Greece. While its main purpose is transport, it also houses Greek artifacts found during construction of the system. The new stations will be Maniatika, Piraeus and Dimotiko Theatro. "On the impact of urban climate on the energy consumption of buildings". Special prices for Schools,Universities,Clubs. The municipality of Piraeus, the historic Athenian port, with 4 other municipalities make up the regional unit of Piraeus. The Greek Tourism Ministry recently announced guidelines for visitors that are arriving, leaving or already staying in Greece during the national lockdown.. Greece has been in lockdown since November 7, to curb the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country, and movement is restricted with exceptions.According to the latest updates, the lockdown is expected to end on January 7, 2021. "On the characteristics of the summer urban heat island in Athens, Greece". By the late 1970s, the pollution of Athens had become so destructive that according to the then Greek Minister of Culture, Constantine Trypanis, "...the carved details on the five the caryatids of the Erechtheum had seriously degenerated, while the face of the horseman on the Parthenon's west side was all but obliterated. Extensions are under construction to the west southwest suburbs of Athens, as far as the port of Piraeus. [125] Of those 1,839 buses 416 run on compressed natural gas,[125] making up the largest fleet of natural gas-powered buses in Europe[126] and all trolleybuses are equipped to enable them to run on diesel in case of power failure.[127]. She was particularly known as the patroness of spinning and weaving. The earliest coinage of Athens, c. 545–525/15 BC, Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Athens during the rule of the de la Roche family (13th century). [39] Damage to the park has led to worries over a stalling in the improvement of air quality in the city. Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland and the warmest major city in Europe. By the 6th century BC, widespread social unrest led to the reforms of Solon. As a war goddess Athena could not be dominated by other goddesses, such as Aphrodite, and as a palace goddess she could not be violated. Ahead of Eurovision 2020, she had plans to work her magic like a true “Superg!rl” on the Rotterdam stage. [27] In classical literature, the city was sometimes referred to as the City of the Violet Crown, first documented in Pindar's ἰοστέφανοι Ἀθᾶναι (iostéphanoi Athânai), or as τὸ κλεινὸν ἄστυ (tò kleinòn ásty, "the glorious city"). The new port of Piraeus was a prototype harbour with the infrastructure and housing located in the site between modern passenger section of the port (named Kantharos in ancient times) and the Pasalimani harbour (named Zea in ancient times). Athens' other major stadium, located in the Piraeus area, is the Karaiskakis Stadium, a sports and entertainment complex, host of the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final. [132] The tram network spans a total length of 27 km (17 mi) and covers ten Athenian suburbs. [132] 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 regional units of Central Athens, North Athens, South Athens, West Athens and Piraeus with part of East[80] and West Attica[81] regional units combined make up the continuous Athens Urban Area,[81][82][83] also called the "Urban Area of the Capital" or simply "Athens" (the most common use of the term), spanning over 412 km2 (159 sq mi),[84] with a population of 3,090,508 people as of 2011. Corrections? The 17-year-old star has landed in Athens and is recording with Dimitris Kontopolous, Sharon Vaughn and the songwriting collective Arcade Music. [121], Athens is the major transportation hub of Greece. The Athens Urban Area (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Αθηνών), also known as Urban Area of the Capital (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Πρωτεύουσας), today consists of 40 municipalities, 35 of which make up what is referred to as the Greater Athens municipalities, located within 4 regional units (North Athens, West Athens, Central Athens, South Athens); and a further 5, which make up the Greater Piraeus municipalities, located within the regional unit of Piraeus as mentioned above. [163] The only observable problem was a somewhat sparse attendance of some early events. Quand partir ? 12/01/2021: 49.888 internships and jobs in 122 countries | Personalised work abroad recommendations for students and graduates | Graduate Jobs in Athens, Greece | Sign-up free. (2001). The banking sector is represented by National Bank of Greece, Alpha Bank, Eurobank, and Piraeus Bank, while the Bank of Greece is also situated in the City Centre. A symbol of being autochthon (earth-born), because the legendary founder of Athens, Erechtheus was an autochthon or of being musicians, because the cicada is a "musician" insect. Greek tragedy developed specifically in the Attica region around Athens in the 6th Century or earlier. It is also the busiest passenger port in Europe and one of the largest passenger ports in the world. 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. [atʰɛ̂ːnai̯]) is the capital and largest city of Greece. Its main section extends from the western industrial suburb of Elefsina to Athens International Airport; while two beltways, namely the Aigaleo Beltway (A65) and the Hymettus Beltway (A64) serve parts of western and eastern Athens respectively. She was widely worshipped, but in modern times she is associated primarily with Athens, to which she gave her name. It has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the largest passenger port in Europe,[12][13] and the second largest in the world.[14]. Also in the Iliad, Zeus, the chief god, specifically assigns the sphere of war to Ares, the god of war, and Athena. The city also supports music venues, including the Athens Concert Hall (Megaro Moussikis), which attracts world class artists. However, Athens, like many other Bronze Age settlements, went into economic decline for around 150 years afterwards. She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. Sparta was by far the better of the two City-States in Ancient Greece to be woman. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97] This figure is highly suspect because of the lopsided number of slaves and does not include free women and children and resident foreigners: an estimated based on Thucydides is: 40,000 male citizens, 100,000 family members, 70,000 metics (resident foreigners) and 150,000-400,000 slaves. A collection of useful phrases in Greek, a Hellenic language spoken spoken mainly in Greece and Cyprus. The Municipality of Athens (also City of Athens), which actually constitutes a small administrative unit of the entire city, had a population of 664,046 (in 2011)[2] within its official limits, and a land area of 38.96 km2 (15.04 sq mi). "Evolution of the air temperature in Athens and evidence of climatic change: A review". The revival of the modern Olympic Games was brought forth in 1896, by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. With Greece in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic and having just successfully dealt with a major migration crisis asymmetrically launched by Turkey, anarcho-feminists have taken the opportunity under the cover of darkness on the lockdown quiet streets of Athens to vandalise a church for their political agenda. Iakovides, S. 1962. Plan your trip to Athens; attractions; experiences; lodging; stories; guidebook; Drinking and nightlife. Notable composers of operettas or nocturnes were Kostas Giannidis, Dionysios Lavrangas, Nikos Hatziapostolou, while Theophrastos Sakellaridis' The Godson remains probably the most popular operetta. Landmarks of the modern era, dating back to the establishment of Athens as the capital of the independent Greek state in 1834, include the Hellenic Parliament and the so-called "architectural trilogy of Athens", consisting of the National Library of Greece, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Academy of Athens. Santamouris M., Papanikolaou N., Livada I., Koronakis I., Georgakis A., Assimakopoulos D.N. By this process Athens has engulfed many former suburbs and villages in Attica, and continues to do so. A visitor will quickly notice the absence of tall buildings: Athens has very strict height restriction laws in order to ensure the Acropolis hill is visible throughout the city. 24, Issue 12, pp.1296–1302. The first modern city plan consisted of a triangle defined by the Acropolis, the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos and the new palace of the Bavarian king (now housing the Greek Parliament), so as to highlight the continuity between modern and ancient Athens. The Athens Metropolitan Area (Greek: Μητροπολιτική Περιοχή της Αθήνας), also commonly known in English as Greater Athens,[85] spans 2,928.717 km2 (1,131 sq mi) within the Attica region and includes a total of 58 municipalities, which are organized in seven regional units (those outlined above, along with East Attica and West Attica), having reached a population of 3,737,550 based on the preliminary results of the 2011 census. [150] After World War II, internationally known architects to have designed and built in the city included Walter Gropius, with his design for the US Embassy, and, among others, Eero Saarinen, in his postwar design for the east terminal of the Ellinikon Airport.