THE ARCHITECTURE OF ATHENS

/03/ The Temple of Hephaestus (built around 450 BC) is the best-preserved ancient temple in Greece. It was dedicated to Hephaestus, the ancient god of fire and Athena, goddess of pottery and crafts. It was designed by Iktinus, one of the architects who also worked on the Parthenon.

After the Acropolis, the second most famous building in Athens is the /04/ Greek Parliament. With its austere Neoclassical architecture, this three-floor building was originally constructed in 1842 to become the palace and official residence of the Greek royal family of that time. In 1929, this building was eventually turned into the Greek Parliament. In front of the building is the Monument of the Unknown Soldier where the famous changing of the guards takes place.

Experiencing Athens (a city of 664,000, with an area population of over 3,000,000) truly means experiencing history. So much of it has been around for so long. But here is a taste of contemporary landmarks that are changing the look of the city.

/05/ The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center is a public space, where everyone has free access and can participate in a multitude of cultural, educational, athletic, environmental, and recreational activities and events. It includes the Greek National Opera, the National Library of Greece as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park, one of the largest green areas in the city.

If you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it.

/06/ The Athens Concert Call (Megaron Mousikis), with its two large and two small concert halls, offers firstclass performances, conference centers, an auditorium, a digital library, gift shop, restaurant, a new ice-skating rink for the winter and a lawn for starry, outdoor summer concerts.

tinos Karamanlis chose the site in 1976, but its grand opening decades later, in 2009, reignited the age-old debate of whether the Parthenon Marbles should be repatriated from Britain. Swiss-French deconstructivist Bernard Tschumi wanted to create a modern building that would fit into the picturesque landscape using light, movement and mathematical precision inspired by the clarity of Ancient Greek structures.

/09/ The Onassis Cultural Center is a space to host modern cultural expression in all its forms— it has two state-of-the-art theaters with superb acoustics, exhibition spaces and lecture centers. The contemporary design building opened to the public in 2010, designed by French firm Architecture Studio which was chosen from 66 other proposals in an international competition.

/07/ The Athens Hilton was hailed by Conrad Hilton as “the most beautiful Hilton in the world” at its opening in 1963. Many Athenians, however, lamented that it overshadowed the Acropolis with its 213 ft height, making it the tallest city building at the time. Four top Greek architects (Emmanouil Vourekas, Prokopis Vassiliadis, Spyros Staikos and Antonis Georgiades) worked on its construction (1958-1963). In 2003, Alexandros Tombazis and Charis Bougadelis added a seven-floor northern wing ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

/08/ The Acropolis Museum is like a new Parthenon – displaying artifacts from the ancient site – standing as a monument of the modern Greek image and custodian of Greek heritage. Greek statesman Konstan-

George Batzios, a world-renowned Greek architect, looks at Athens and sees chaos, charm, and torment. “Antennas, balcony awnings, hanging laundry, railings and solar panels! As an architect, I function like a chameleon. I feel that things need to be toned down amid the current situation being experienced in Greece – both as a result of the crisis and the chaotic urban planning environment. The chaos is the charm and torment of Athens. We need a framework that defines certain basic characteristics of a European city, and which can be used to enhance the city’s charm. Barcelona, for example, has managed to reach a state of controlled chaos. Athens can try and do the same.” n