|
Map of Athens in Greece
You must book your flights &
tickets before reserving a hotel!
Athens
According
to Greek mythology, Poseidon and Athena compete to become
protectors and deities of the city. They challenge each other and
the prize for the winner was the city of Athens. According to the
myth, an olive tree sprung from the ground at the touch of
Athena's spear. Whilst Poseidon summoned forth a seawater spring.
Consequently, the olive tree won over the seawater spring!
The earliest settlement, dating from before 3000 BC, was situated
on the summit of the Acropolis, protected on all sides except the
west by its steep slopes. Named for the city's patron goddess,
Athena, the ancient city developed mainly to the north of this
hill, around the Agora, or marketplace. Parallel walls, called the
Long Walls, made a protected thoroughfare between the city and
its port of Piraeus.
The most glorious period in the city's history was the 5th century
BC, when it was the cultural and artistic centre
of the classical world. Although overshadowed by the rise of Rome,
it remained a city of social and intellectual importance during
the Roman Empire. St. Paul visited Athens, and the Emperor Hadrian
lavished money on its public buildings.
Thereafter the city declined in importance. It was subject to
attack by Slavs and was reduced to a petty provincial town in the
Byzantine Empire. In 1204, Athens was occupied by the Crusaders
and remained under Western rule until its capture by the Turks in
1456. Greece gained independence from the Turks in the war of
1821-32, and in 1833, Athens became the capital of Greece.
In 1833, Athens was a small urban settlement of fewer than 4,000
people located north of the Acropolis in a district known today as
the Plaka. Modern Athens developed to the north and east of the
old city. The architect Eduard Schaubert laid out a network of
wide, straight boulevards that converge at Syntagma (Constitution)
Square and the Royal Palace , lying to the east of the early city.
Blue Flag Awarded Beaches in Athens
-Municipality of Marathona
Schinias
-Municipality of Nea Makri
Breksiza
-Municipality of Markopoulo
Avlaki
-Municipality of Anavyssos
Mavro Lithari
-Municipality of Vari
Varkiza
-Municipality of Vouliagmeni
Asteras
-Municipality of Voula
Voula A Beach (Apollonian Beaches)
-Municipality of Paleo Faliro
Edem |
|
