Αθήνα

Αθήνα

GR
Population3,090,508
Athens ( ATH-inz) is the capital and largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica region and is the southernmost capital on the European mainland. With its urban area's population numbering over 3.6 million, it is the eighth-largest urban area in the European Union (EU). The Municipality of Athens (also City of Athens), which constitutes a small administrative unit of the entire urban area, had a population of 643,452 (2021) within its official limits, and a land area of 38.96 km2 (15.04 sq mi). Athens is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years, and its earliest human presence beginning somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia BCE. According to Greek mythology the city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, but modern scholars generally agree that the goddess took her name after the city. Classical Athens was one of the most powerful city-states in ancient Greece. It was a centre for democracy, the arts, education and philosophy, and was highly influential throughout the European continent, particularly in Ancient Rome. For this reason it is often regarded as the cradle of Western civilisation and the birthplace of democracy in its own right independently from the rest of Greece. In modern times Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. It is a Beta (+) – status global city according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and is one of the biggest economic centres in Southeast Europe. It also has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the second-busiest passenger port in Europe and the thirteenth-largest container port in the world. The Athens metropolitan area extends beyond its administrative municipal city limits as well as its urban agglomeration, with a population of 3,638,281 (2021) over an area of 2,928.717 km2 (1,131 sq mi). The heritage of the Classical Era is still evident in the city, represented by ancient monuments, and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon, considered a key landmark of early Western culture. The city also retains Roman, Byzantine and a smaller number of Ottoman monuments, while its historical urban core features elements of continuity through its millennia of history. Athens contains two World Heritage Sites recognised by UNESCO: the Acropolis of Athens and the medieval Daphni Monastery. Athens is also home to several museums and cultural institutions, such as the National Archeological Museum, featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics, making it one of five cities to have hosted the Summer Olympics on multiple occasions.

Places to Explore

Curated experiences in Αθήνα

Βήμα του Φαίδρου

Βήμα του Φαίδρου

The Bema of Phaidros (Ancient Greek: Βῆμα τοῦ Φαίδρου) is the marble platform created in the third century CE that …

Μνημείο Φιλοπάππου

Μνημείο Φιλοπάππου

The Philopappos Monument (Greek: Μνημείο Φιλοπάππου, Mnimío Philopáppou, [mniˈmio filoˈpapu]) is an ancient Roman mausoleum and monument dedicated to Gaius …

Ίδρυμα Βασίλη & Ελίζας Γουλανδρή

Ίδρυμα Βασίλη & Ελίζας Γουλανδρή

The Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art is a modern art museum in Eratosthenous Street, Pangrati, Athens, Greece, opened in October …

Ναυτικό Μουσείο Ελλάδος

Ναυτικό Μουσείο Ελλάδος

The first attempt to establish the Hellenic Maritime Museum was in the newly established Greek state in 1867. That year …

Πνύκα

Πνύκα

The Pnyx (; Ancient Greek: Πνύξ [pnýks]; Greek: Πνύκα, Pnyka) is a hill or hillside in central Athens, the capital …

Μουσείον της Πόλεως των Αθηνών

Μουσείον της Πόλεως των Αθηνών

Athens City Museum (Vouros-Eutaxias Foundation) is an art museum and former royal residence in Athens, Greece. It houses a collection …

Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum

Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum

Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum (often referred to as the ILJM) is a museum in Athens, Greece, created by the renowned …

Μουσείο ΕΑΜικής Εθνικής Αντίστασης

Μουσείο ΕΑΜικής Εθνικής Αντίστασης

Μουσείο Ελληνικών Λαϊκών Οργάνων

Μουσείο Ελληνικών Λαϊκών Οργάνων

The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments (Greek: Μουσείο Ελληνικών Λαϊκών Μουσικών Οργάνων), is a museum and Research Centre for …

Λουτρό των Αέρηδων

Λουτρό των Αέρηδων

The Aerides Bath or Bath House of the Winds (Greek: Λουτρό των Αέρηδων) is the only surviving Ottoman-era public Turkish …

Ίδρυμα Εικαστικών Τεχνών και Μουσικής Β&Μ Θεοχαράκη

Ίδρυμα Εικαστικών Τεχνών και Μουσικής Β&Μ Θεοχαράκη

The B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music (Greek: Ίδρυμα Εικαστικών Τεχνών και Μουσικής Βασίλη και …

Μέγαρο Σταθάτου

Μέγαρο Σταθάτου

Stathatos Mansion (Megaron Stathatou) is a neoclassical villa on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens, Greece. Built for the Stathatos family in …

Παλιά Πινακοθήκη Δήμου Αθηναίων

Παλιά Πινακοθήκη Δήμου Αθηναίων

The Municipal Gallery of Athens is a museum in Athens, Greece. It houses a rich collection of nearly 3,000 works …

Μουσείο Νεώτερης Κεραμεικής

Μουσείο Νεώτερης Κεραμεικής

The Centre for the Study of Traditional Pottery, also known as Psaropoulos Museum of Traditional Pottery and as Study Centre …

Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Κεραμεικού

Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Κεραμεικού

The Kerameikos Archaeological Museum (Greek: Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Κεραμεικού) is located in Kerameikos, Athens, Greece and was built in 1937. It …

Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Πειραιά

Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Πειραιά

The Archaeological Museum of Piraeus is a museum in Piraeus, a port city within the Athens urban area in Greece. …

Μουσείο Μαρίκας Κοτοπούλη

Μουσείο Μαρίκας Κοτοπούλη

The Marika Kotopouli Museum is a modern art museum in Zografou, Athens, Greece. The building housing the museum was built …

Μουσείο Ελληνικής Λαϊκής Τέχνης

Μουσείο Ελληνικής Λαϊκής Τέχνης

The Museum of Greek Folk Art is a museum in Athens, Greece. The museum was founded in 1918 as the …

Εβραϊκό Μουσείο Ελλάδος

Εβραϊκό Μουσείο Ελλάδος

The Jewish Museum of Greece (Greek: Εβραϊκό Μουσείο της Ελλάδος) is a museum in Athens, Greece. It was established by …

Μουσείο Φρυσίρα

Μουσείο Φρυσίρα

Frissiras Museum is a contemporary painting museum in Plaka Athens, Greece. Its permanent collection consists of around 4000 paintings and …

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