General Information
Athens is the capital of Greece. They are located on the Attica peninsula near the Saronic Gulf. Approximately 664 thousand people live here. Together with the surrounding cities, such as the port of Piraeus, they form an agglomeration of over 4 million inhabitants.
History
The origin of Athens dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Around 1400 BC, a royal castle was the first to be built on the Acropolis. The written history of Athens begins in the 8th century BC.
An important milestone in the history of Athens was the year 594/593 BC, when the Solomon's Constitution was introduced, which allowed all citizens to participate in the judiciary.
Athens reached the peak of democracy during the reign of Pericles. During this "golden age" in Athens, the philosopher Socrates and representatives of the ancient tragedy, such as Sophocles, Aeschylus or Euripides, worked.
In the Middle Ages, most of the inhabitants of the Attica peninsula, as today, lived in the city of Athens.
Quick guide
The architecture of the city of Athens is as cosmopolitan as Athens itself. It is possible to admire the preserved original ancient Greek monuments, monuments from the time of the Roman Empire, Byzantine shrines, as well as you can follow the development of modern Greek architecture.
Many important buildings built mostly at the end of the 19th century were designed as copies of ancient buildings. The squares and parks are enriched with statues of Greek gods, philosophers, heroes of the struggle for independence of Greece. Most of these sculptures are in antique style. The typical architecture of Athens' 21st century is the Olympic Stadium. The simple houses of ordinary people built in recent decades are also interesting.
Fun facts
From antiquity (philosophers Socrates, Plato or Aristotle, historian Herodotus), through the Middle Ages (Byzantine Empress Irena) to the present (discoverer Troy Heinrich Schliemann, Greek kings Constantine I of Greece and Paul I of Greece), Athens is the birthplace of important personalities.
