Athens
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ABOUT ATHENS
Athens is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica
periphery of central Greece. Named after goddess Athena, Athens is one
of the oldest cities in the world with a recorded history of at least 3,000
years.
Today, the Greek capital is Europe's 8th largest conurbation, a bustling and
cosmopolitan metropolis with an urban population of 3.2 million people and a
metropolitan population of 3.7 million people. The Athens metropolitan area is
the centre of economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in
Greece. The city is also rapidly becoming a leading business centre in the
European Union. The city proper has a land area of 39 km² while the urban
agglomeration of Athens spans 412 km².
Ancient Athens was a powerful city-state. Center of the arts, learning and
philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, Athens was
also the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles, Sophocles and many other prominent
philosophers, politicians and writers of the ancient world. It is widely
referred to as the cradle of Western Civilization and the birthplace of
Democracy, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements
during the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the rest of the then known European
Continent
The classical era heritage is still evident in the city, portrayed through a
number of ancient monuments and artworks, the most famous of all being the
Parthenon on the Acropolis, standing as an epic landmark of western
civilization. The city has also a vast variety of Roman and Byzantine
monuments, as well as a small remaining number of Ottoman monuments that
project the city's long history through the centuries. Modern landmarks can
also be found, dating back as far as 1830 (establishment of the new,
independent Greek State). The Greek Parliament (19th century) , the Athens
Trilogy (Library, University, Academy) and the new (2004) Athens Olympic Sports
Complex are only some of these architectural landmarks.
Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896
and in 2004 it welcomed the Summer Olympics back home with great success.
Athens is a melting pot of many different architectural styles, ranging
from Greco-Roman, Neo-Classical, and modern styles. Many of the prominent
buildings of the city are either Greco-Roman, or Neo-Classical style. Most of
the Neo-Classical buildings, were built during the time of the rule of King
Otto of Greece. Under the guide of Theophil Freiherr von Hansen or as he is
more commonly known as Theofil Hansen, helped design and construct these
buildings.
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Greek Parliament
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Zappeion Hall
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Old Parliament (1875-1932) (Now the National Historical Museum
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Athens Academy
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University of Athens
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Athens Town Hall
Athens has been a popular destination for travellers since antiquity.
Over the past decade, the infrastructure and social amenities of Athens have
been radically improved, in part due to the city's successful bid to stage the
2004 Olympic Games. The Greek Government, aided by the EU, has funded money
into major infrastructure projects such as the new, state-of-the-art
"Eleftherios Venizelos" International Airport, the massive expansion of the
Athens Metro system, and the new Attiki Odos motorway. These infrastructure
projects have helped make the quality of life better for the people of Athens,
and to ease overall traffic and pollution problems for the city. Home to a vast
number of 5 and 4 star hotels. The city is currently the 6th most visited
capital in Europe.
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