The Acropolis is the heart of Athens, an ancient city where civilization originated thousands of years ago, giving rise to the entire modern Western world. The architectural ensemble of the Acropolis includes buildings from the pre-Hellenistic, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods of Athens' history. The most interesting are the partially preserved walls and columns of ancient temples and theaters. The complex of the Athenian Acropolis belongs to the most valuable objects of the cultural heritage of mankind.

A Greek temple dedicated to the patroness of the city – the goddess Athena. The majestic structure was built in the V century BC during the heyday of the city of Athens under the ruler Pericles. The names of the architects of the temple have come down to our days. It is believed that the masters Kallikrates and Iktin worked on the construction, and the great Phidias worked on the sculptural design. The interior of the Parthenon was magnificent and pompous, and the facade was painted in different colors.

The temple of the V century BC, belonging to the Classical era of Greek history. It was erected by the will of the Athenian ruler Pericles – an outstanding commander and a talented politician. The roof of the building is reinforced on slender rows of marble Doric columns, the friezes are made in compliance with the canons of the Ionic style. Interestingly, from the VII century AD and up to the beginning of the XIX century, the Orthodox church of St. George was located in the temple of Hephaestus.

According to an ancient legend, the Erechtheion was built on the site of a dispute between Athena and Poseidon, during which the gods did not share power over Attica. The temple was built at the end of the V century BC in the Ionic style, the name of the architect was lost in the thickness of centuries. The portico of the Caryatids, which was attached to the temple later, is well preserved. It is a series of female sculptures-columns supporting the roof. The authorship is attributed to the sculptor Kallimakh (according to another version — Alkamen).

A chamber theater located on the southern slopes of the Acropolis. The Odeon was erected in the middle of the II century BC. It was used to organize theatrical productions and musical performances. The odeon is perfectly preserved and, moreover, it is still used for its intended purpose today. After reconstruction in the middle of the XX century, the stage began to host the annual Athens Festival. Over the past time, the best voices of the world stage have performed on it.

The grandiose construction of the temple began in the VI century BC under the tyrant Pisistratus, but after his overthrow the building stood unfinished for another six centuries. The works were completed under the Roman Emperor Hadrian. In the III century AD, during the looting of Athens, the temple was seriously damaged, and in the V century it was completely closed by order of Theodosius II. The final destruction of the temple of Olympian Zeus occurred with the decline of the Byzantine Empire. The remains of the building were discovered during the excavations of the XIX century.

Octagonal building made of Pentelicon marble, located on the territory of the Roman Agora. According to one version, it is believed that the tower was erected in the I century BC by astronomer Andronikos of Kirr. The structure is 12 meters high and about 8 meters wide. In ancient times, a weather vane was installed on the top, which indicated where the wind was blowing. The walls of the tower are decorated with images of eight Greek deities responsible for the direction of the wind.

The theater is located in the southeastern part of the Acropolis, it was built in the V century BC, and is the oldest theater in Athens. Works by Euripides, Aristophanes, Sophocles and Aeschylus were staged on the stage stage. In the I century BC, a large-scale reconstruction of the theater was carried out under the Emperor Nero. The stage fell into disrepair by the IV century AD and was gradually abandoned. Nowadays, a large-scale restoration project of the theater is being carried out.

The ancient city cemetery, where the most worthy representatives of Athens were buried until the IV century. This place has been used as a necropolis since the Bronze Age. Famous military leaders, statesmen and philosophers, including Pericles, Cleisthenes, Solon, Chrysippus and Zeno, rest here. There are many tombstones of the Ancient period, tombstone columns and sculptures in the cemetery.

The covered two-storey colonnade, erected in the II century BC. The structure was built by order of the Pergamon king Atall, who in his youth studied in Athens (for young descendants of royal families of the Mediterranean, this was a common practice at that time). In ancient times, standing served as a place for citizens to walk. From here you could watch the square and streets of Athens, as well as various festive processions.

An ancient stadium made entirely of Pentelicon marble. The Panathenaic Games were held on its territory – a big sports and religious holiday, where athletes performed, festive processions were held and ritual sacrifices were performed. The revived Olympic Games were held at the Panathinaikos Stadium at the end of the XIX century.

The modern museum building was created in 2009 by a joint project of Greek and Swiss specialists. The collection is made up of artifacts belonging to different periods of the history of Athens. Mainly, the funds were replenished due to archaeological excavations on the territory of the Acropolis. The new Acropolis Museum became the heir to the old collection of antiquities, which existed since the middle of the XIX century.

A private collection, which was founded in 1930 by A. Benakis on the territory of his family mansion. The owner collected the collection for 35 years and handed it over to the state. Antonis himself held the position of head of the museum until his death. The exhibition consists of works of Greek art. Ceramics, textiles, engravings, sculptures, jewelry and church utensils are on display here. There are also several paintings by El Greco in the museum.

The museum is the most extensive collection of objects of ancient Greek culture. The archaeological collection was founded at the beginning of the XIX century, in 1889 a separate building in the neoclassical style was erected for it. The museum exposition is divided into several collections, which include collections of the prehistoric period, Cycladic art, Mycenaean art, Egyptian art and many others.

The exposition was founded in 1986 on the basis of the private collection of the influential Greek family Gulandris. Before the transfer of the collection into the hands of the state, it visited many world exhibitions. The museum building was built according to the project of V. Ioannis. The collection is divided into three parts: the Bronze Age, ancient Greek art, and the art of ancient Cyprus. It should be noted that the museum houses the most complete collection of artifacts of Cypriot culture.

The museum presents a collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art, covering a time period of 15 centuries. An impressive collection of valuable icons is kept here. The museum was opened in 1914, in 1930 it moved to the building of the former villa of the Duchess of Piacenza. In addition to icons, the museum funds contain statues, church vestments, ceramics, engravings, manuscripts, mosaics, dishes and much more.

A museum ship moored for eternal parking in the harbor of Palo Faliro. The ship was built at the beginning of the XX century in Livorno for the needs of the Italian army, but due to economic difficulties it was sold to Greece. The cruiser took part in the First Balkan War, during the First and Second World Wars it was captured first by the French and then by the British. In the 50s, the ship was placed in reserve. In 1984, it was decided to turn the ship into a museum.

The Academy of Sciences is the main state research institution in Greece. The main building of the building in which it is located was built according to the project of F. von Hansen in 1887. The building is a real masterpiece of neoclassical architectural style. In front of the facade there are sculptures of thinkers Plato and Socrates, as well as statues of ancient Greek gods – Athena and Apollo.

The square is located in the modern center of Athens. The place became important in the XIX century, becoming the center of the commercial life of the city. On the square there is a Royal Palace of the middle of the XIX century, built according to the project of F. von Gertner. The Greek Parliament is sitting there now. Syntagma Square is constantly becoming the epicenter of public unrest. Protests, strikes and other mass actions of disobedience often take place here.

An honor guard is on duty at the walls of the Royal Palace on Syntagma Square. This is quite an unusual and even funny sight, unlike similar ceremonies in other countries. It's all about the unusual uniform of Greek soldiers, which consists of tunics, skirts, white tights and slippers with "pompoms", as well as non-standard marching during the changing of the guard. This sight always attracts a large number of tourists.

One of the oldest Orthodox churches in Athens. The temple was built on the ruins of a pagan sanctuary dedicated to a female deity. The first Christian churches began to appear in the city at the dawn of the Byzantine era, when the city fell into decline, and the new faith almost completely replaced pagan cults. The Church of Panagia Kapnikarei is built in a typical Byzantine manner, which is characterized by round domed towers.

The monastery is located 11 km from Athens near the Daphnia Grove. It was founded in the VI century on the site of the destroyed temple of Apollo and eventually became one of the most revered shrines of Greece. The original appearance of the monastery has practically not been preserved, the construction of a sample of the XI century – the heyday of the Byzantine Empire - has reached our days. In the XIII century, Catholic monks settled in the monastery for a while, but in 1458 the entire complex of buildings was returned to the Orthodox church.

A hill in the northeastern part of Athens, which is the highest point in the city. It offers panoramic views of the Acropolis and the port of Piraeus. The hill has two peaks, on one of them there is a church, on the other there is a modern theater with an open stage. There are three ways to get to the top: go up the equipped pedestrian road, use the funicular or drive by car.

The hill on which the supreme court of Athens – the Areopagus - met in ancient times. The name apparently comes from the name of the god of war Ares. Up to the 5th century BC, the Areopagus served as the city council of elders, but since 462 BC, this body was deprived of political functions and empowered to administer civil and criminal courts. The Apostle Paul also preached on the hill.

A city hill with a monument on top, erected in honor of the Roman Gaius Julius Philopappus, who more than once helped Athens with money. Since the II century, the place has been better known as the hill of Philopappos, previously it was named after the ancient Greek philosopher, poet and musician Musaios (translated means "muses"). On the slopes of the hill there is a natural park without infrastructure.

The old district of Athens, built up mainly with houses of the XVIII century. Almost all structures stand on ancient foundations. On the territory of Plaka there is the oldest street of the city, which has retained its direction since the time of Ancient Greece. A large number of former residential buildings have been converted into museums, souvenir shops and cafes, as residents moved massively from Plaka in the XIX century.

The city market, located in the district of the same name, is one of the most popular trading platforms in Athens. Monastiraki belongs to the category of flea markets. It sells a lot of unnecessary things, homemade shoes, antique items, coins, furniture and other collectible antiquities. At the market you can see a unique exposition of the Greek way of life of the past centuries.

A unique quarter in the ancient district of Plaka, which is adjacent to the Acropolis. The winding and slightly crooked streets of Anafiotiki are built up with typical Mediterranean white houses. The area was formed as a result of the relocation of builders from Anafi Island to Athens. They arrived in the capital at the call of the Greek king Otto in order to build a palace on his special order.

A 16-hectare park located in the heart of Athens. Five hundred species of various plants grow on its territory. Every third tree is more than 100 years old. Ancient Greek ruins – the remains of walls, columns and fragments of mosaics - have been preserved within the National Garden. The garden was created in the XIX century by the will of Queen Amalia. At first, vegetables and fruits were grown in it for the royal cuisine. Now the former vegetable garden has turned into a green oasis in the middle of the stone city.

A modern berth for yachts, designed for simultaneous parking of 200 vessels. A magnificent infrastructure for tourists has been created on the marina embankment: luxury boutiques, restaurants, a picturesque promenade. At the berths you can admire the luxury yachts under the flags of different states, as well as, if desired, take a refreshing sea trip along the coast.