Introduction
Dear traveller, welcome to Athens. Welcome to this beautiful, full of diversities but definitely fascinating city. My name is Georgia and I’m a native Athenian. I’ve been working as a professional tourist guide for many years and together we will explore one of the most visited and at the same time hiddenparts of the old town of Athens, Plaka!HOW TO USE THIS APPBefore we start our tour, it’s useful to tell you how to use this app.As you can see from the display window on your audio player, each of the stops on this tour has its own title. You can skip ahead or tailor your itinerary to your own tastes.But navigating on your own can be confusing, and it’s easier to just follow the tour in the order I’ve laid out. To help you along, I‘ve invited my colleague Mary – Welcome, Mary!- Hi – or as we say here in Greece, “yassas”.- Mary will give you directions from one stop to the next. After listening to her directions, you can pause the audio guide, then restart it when you are ready to see the next sight. To help you along, there’s a handy companion map available for this tour. Now, let’s dive into the heart of Athens. Mary, get us started.- Thanks Georgia. We’ll start from the metro station "Acropolis". Leave the metro station behind you and walk on the beautiful, paved road of Makriyanni to enter the picturesque Plaka area. Continue straight ahead. Georgia?- Thanks, Mary.As you walk ahead, let me give you a little generic but interesting context, so your wandering in Plaka will make even more sense.Plaka most probably means the old town, and we talk about the area that preserves the atmosphere of the past. It is as if we are entering an old painting of Athens that doesn’t exist anymore but here, in this “time capsule”, we can get a glimpse of the past! Right above our heads, we have the Acropolis Hill, the place that was symbolizing the world of the gods, while here, at the foot of the hill, we are entering the world of the mortals! And yet Plaka has the element of immortality since it bears a long and eventful history of almost 4000 years!During our exploration, we will share the stories of the area but you also have to allow your senses to indulge into what Plaka has to offer you! If you have left the noise of the modern city behind you, you are at the right place for our wandering! Shall we?
Stop 1 - Monument of Lysicrates
Continue your walking and you will meet a small, leafy square with the Acropolis rising behind it. In the square, there is a round, white monument. Mary?- Yes, you are standing in front of an elegant marble monument that dates back to the 4th century BC. It was built to commemorate the victory in the annual theatre festivals of a man called Lysicrates. Right Georgia?- Exactly! It actually has the shape of a small circular temple with six Corinthian columns. Right above the columns, there is the beautiful frieze on which, in relief, there is the myth of Dionysos kidnapped by pirates. Dionysos or Bacchus was the god of wine, religious ecstasy, wild parties and theatre! He was very popular among the Greek people, and he was worshipped already since the 2nd millennium BC, mainly in the rural areas.His cult was gradually expanding all around Greece, and it is believed that from the ritual activities that people had for honouring Dionysos, we had the birth of the ancient greek drama and its three genres: tragedy, comedy and the satyr drama. In the city of Athens, the focal point of the theatrical activity, there were several opportunities for performances. All those were taking place at the theatre of Dionysos at the foot of the Acropolis Hill. The performances had the form of a contest, so there was a winner in the end! Who were the winners? The citizens of Athens who had the duty of sponsoring those performances! Their prize was a vase and, of course, fame.The monument, surprisingly, survived in such good condition through time and adventures and in the 17th century became part of a Capuchin monastery. In the beautiful, green garden of the monastery, in 1815, a friar called Francis, planted, for the first time in Greece, tomatoes!!!! In the beginning, the tomato plants were just for decoration, and later people realized and appreciated the flavor of the fruit. So, in a way, the first Greek salad came from this garden!!!!Famous travelers, like Francois Chateaubriand and Lord Byron, were hosted and spent time in the monastery, a relatively common practice in a city lacking hotels. Byron, during his stay, composed his poems about Lord Elgin, who tried to also take the monument of Lysicrates, but the Capuchin monks strongly reacted, so this didn’t happen. In 1829 another anonymous traveler tried to steal/take the marble base, and even though the Ottoman authorities of Athens had given the license, the traveler changed his mind because he finally found it too …heavy to carry. The Capuchin monastery was eventually burned down, but the monument of Lysicrates is still here.When you are ready to move on, we will get deeper into Plaka through Tripodon street.
Stop 2 - The street of the Tripods or Tripodon street
Welcome to the oldest street of Athens! A relatively small alley nowadays that preserves the same name for almost 25 centuries. Back in ancient times, it was one of the most beautiful and wide streets of the city, and it was actually connecting the Ancient Agora- the beating heart of Athens- with the famous theatre of Dionysos. It was, once, lined with bronze tripods -that‘s why the name-that were supporting beautiful vases, prizes, that is, for the winners of the ancient theatrical contests that were taking place at the theater of Dionysos. It was actually like the hall of fame for all those sponsors -horigoi- who had paid the cost of the performances and those prizes, nicely placed close to the theater, would guarantee them eternal glory. Unfortunately, only a few of those survived.Walking on this street nowadays, you will find lovely places to enjoy a break and some Greek flavors since cafes, gelaterias, and Greek taverns are all around. Don’t miss the chance to taste a cup of Greek coffee or a piece of spinach pie in one of the local bakeries! And of course, there is always the opportunity for the typical snack “koulouri”, a kind of sweet bread with sesame, in round shape, crunchy or soft. Delicious!Continue up the Tripodon Street and enjoy the view of all these beautiful houses of the 19th century. There many people who choose to live till now in the old town so all those buildings are still in use. Do you see few stone steps on your left? If you go up the steps, you will find yourself by an emblematic church, Saint Nicolas Ragavas.
Stop 3 - Saint Nicolas Ragavas
It was the most important Byzantine monument in the area of Plaka when here was the most aristocratic district of the city. If you take a few steps away from the church in order to see it from a bit of distance, perhaps, you will notice the two different periods it was constructed.We know that initially, it was built in the 11th century AD due to its architectural and decorative details. However, it underwent significant changes and additions over the centuries. It got its name, Ragavas, after the church's founder, probably a member of the imperial family of the byzantine era. In 1687, during the siege of Athens by the Venetians of Morosini, the church was partly destroyed, but the locals repaired it immediately. More additions came in the course of time, changing the building's original picture, giving it the form of a simple quadrangular, cruciform church. Here and there, we can see several ancient architectural materials, common practice of the period, and of the area with abundant antiquities. Recycling!The church holds a prominent position in our hearts and the collective memory of the Athenians since it was present to some of the most important moments of the city. You see, when Greece was under Ottoman occupation for almost four hundred years, people weren’t allowed to ring the bells of the churches. So when the city was finally free again, the first bell that rang was of Saint Nicolas. The same happened in the October of 1944 when the Nazi forces left Athens, and the bells of Ragavas sounded again, sending the message of freedom all over the city.In the area of Plaka, there were and still are many churches. Walking around, you may see the local people passing outside or entering churches and perhaps making certain gestures. The most typical is to use their right hand, joining their first three fingers, and bending the last 2, to create the cross symbol on their body for an instant expression of religious respect. The three joined fingers represent the Holy trinity while the two bent ones the double nature of Jesus Christ.
Stop 4 - Saint George of the Rock
Walking on Raghava Street and going up a bit, we will reach Saint George of the Rock, dedicated to one of the most important and famous figures of the orthodox Christian tradition. This slight chapel right by the rock of the Acropolis was built in the 17th century. A couple of centuries after, in the 19th century, it was restored, setting the eastern boundary of the Anafiotica neighbourhood. It is a simple single-aisle basilica and for its construction, there was much material from ancient buildings used.The church is related to many stories of modern Athens and mostly from the period of World War 2. On the 27th of April 1941, the Nazi forces entered the city of Athens. A group of them went up to the Acropolis demanding from the soldier guard of the site to take down the Greek flag and hoist the one with the swastika. The young soldier refused, and so when the Nazis forced him, he took the Greek flag, wrapped it around his body and threw himself from the cliff. According to tradition, his body fell next to the Church of Saint George. Sad story! But good news: most probably that never happened! And even though most historians consider it just a rumour, we cannot deny the enormous impact it had on the psychology of the occupied Athenians. The news was immediately spread around the city, and the young soldier's deed was considered the first act of resistance against the Nazi’s occupation, inspiring the locals to start their opposition immediately and fight for independence! The rumour that became a legend and inspiration made the authorities and the Municipality of Athens in 2000 erect on the spot a marble slab commemorating the incident making this memorial the first one dedicated to a symbolic figure and not a real one!Take a moment to admire this church before getting immersed in a maze of tiny, whitewashed houses. This charming “village” is Anafiotika
Stop 5 - Anafiotika
The history of this picturesque, lilliputian neighbourhood at the foot of the Acropolis goes back to the 19th century and the period of the Ottonian ruling. The city of Athens was announced the capital city of the newly founded Greek state. King Otto of the Wittelsbach came into the town having plans to build it according to the European standards, starting, of course, with the construction of the royal palace and other public buildings. It was a significant period of a building boom, and therefore many people from around the country started coming to Athens to work here.The men of the Cycladic islands were known as master builders and carpenters, especially those from the tiny island of Anafi, just a few miles away from Santorini. Many of them arrived at the city with their families. In the beginning, there was a specific area for the newcomers to build their new homes; however, that district started being really packed, really soon. Two men from Anafi decided to look for another place to bring their families, and here, on the steep slopes of the Acropolis, the landscape seemed very familiar to them. Like their island. And they knew exactly how to tame the rugged, rocky surfaces. There was only one problem! They had no license to build here. Especially after the declaration of the whole area around the Acropolis as an archaeological zone for further excavations! Was there any solution? Of course! A customary law, remnant of the Ottoman period, was declaring that an illegal house could escape demolition in case the construction was starting by the sunset and was completed by dawn! Just within a few hours! The Anafians gathered the materials and really fast built the first two houses overnight. By the morning, their families moved in!!! The reaction of the aristocrats of Plaka was immediate. But before the authorities realized what had happened, more and more tiny houses were added, in the same way, till it was impossible for the authorities and the archaeologists to stop the expansion of the maze of Anafiotica.There were about a hundred tiny, white-washed houses, with even more tiny courtyards and colourful shutters, pots with herbs and flowers, making the area of Anafiotica one of the most characteristic parts of the old town. Of course, the fast pace and the lesser materials used totally justify the fact that only half of those houses survived in the area until now. Almost fifty people live in this neighbourhood, relatives and descendants of the first inhabitants, keeping the scent of the past and the atmosphere of their island still alive. And an interesting detail: Mary?- Yes, Georgia. Well, something that it’s not very known is that the winding alleys and passageways of Anafiotica do not have names, while the houses are just called House 1, House 2, House 3 etc. A challenge for the postman, don’t you think?- That’s for sure, hahaha.
Stop 6 - Agioi Anargyroi
Moving on and passing through a small park, we are standing in front of an important post-Byzantine monument in the heart of Plaka. It was built in the 17th century, right above the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to goddess Aphrodite or Venus, the goddess of beauty, love and happy marriage. The church operated as the catholicon, the main church, of a convent. There still are the cells for the nuns and later for monks, and you can see them in the courtyard around the church. Since the 18th century, it has been a Metochi of the Holy Sepulchre which means a church under the authority of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. This is why this monument is the first church in the country that welcomes the Holy Light that arrives from Jerusalem every year for the Easter Holiday and the Resurrection ceremony on Great Saturday.According to the traditions, the faithful visit the church of their neighbourhood, late at night but before midnight, to attend the Resurrection mass. Well-dressed, holding their Easter candles, they share the Holy Light, starting from the priest, lighting the candles one to the other, giving a kiss and wishes from the heart. And then the fireworks begin brightening the night sky.Mary has another interesting detail for us.- You never get bored along with me, Georgia. The interesting clue here is that the Holy light travels from Jerusalem with a state aircraft and it is welcomed and received with great honor equivalent to receiving state leaders!- Never Mary. Thank you!
Stop 7 - The First University
Continuing to stroll around, let’s go back in the late 1820s. The War of Independence against the Ottoman Turks had just ended, and the first independent Greek state was finally formed. The first Greek governor, Ioannis Kapodistrias, has the onerous duty to organize everything from scratch and primarily the country's educational system! He established schools all around the newly founded state and the method that was primarily used was the Bell-Lancaster method, which means of mutual instruction- basically, the teacher was teaching the older pupils, those were teaching the younger ones and so on. That system was necessary for both practical and financial reasons: there were neither many teachers nor many schools. This is also the first time that there were schools for girls!That program, at least initially, didn’t include any plans for higher education. People lacked the basics. A few years later, however, that necessity started being obvious, so during the reign of King Otto, we had the opening of the first University of Greece and the first in the whole Balkan Peninsula. The building that housed that first University is the one right in front of you!It dates back to the Ottoman period, and it belonged to a Turkish lady. So, two well-known architects and town planners, Stamatis Kleanthis and Eduard Schaubert bought it. They came to Athens, appointed by the government to design the first urban plan of the capital city. They restored the building in order to live and work here. However, the enormous size of the house and the additional rooms made it the perfect temporary solution for the University to operate here!For four years, from 1837 till 1841, a rather small number of students of all ages were here along with a curious audience of people of all ranks to listen to lectures of the first professors. There were four faculties: law, philosophy, medicine, theology and till the 1890s both students and professors were exclusively male! Only after the 1890s, we have the first women accepted at the University, and in the first period of ten years, there were just 20 women that graduated!In 1842 the impressive neoclassical University building on Panepistimio Street was completed. It was designed by the famous Danish architect Christian Hansen, and it was ready to welcome the new students. The building in Plaka was abandoned, and the owners, who had already left Athens, sold it. It became a house again to almost 30 families and a tavern that closed in the 70s when also the last inhabitants left.Since then, and after being restored, the building has operated as the Athens University Museum with an exciting collection of early medical equipment, records and photos but also personal objects of the last inhabitants! Don’t miss the chance to take a look inside and perhaps visit the museum to learn everything about the foundations of higher education in Greece. Did you know that education till nowadays is mandatory and free while the Greek universities are ranked at really high positions among academic institutes globally? Awesome, isn’t it?Now, let’s forget for a while the religious and educational elements of this area and dive into the leisure spots of (ancient) the old times.
Stop 8 - The Bathhouse of the winds
Ladies and gentlemen, turn your attention to one of the three hammams of the city and the only public bath of Athens that survived to our days. It was built during the first Ottoman period, around the early 16th century and it was in continuous use till 1956. In the 19th century, the locals extended the bath, added more rooms and gave a more European style and generally a more neoclassical form. The Athenians of the period loved to visit the hammam and actually working there, was one of the most profitable and well-paid jobs!The building initially included a single bath which meant that it was operating at different hours for men and women but later there were separate wings for men and women! People could visit the hammam to enjoy baths in rooms with warm or hot water, relax and of course, socialize! Any tips here Mary?- Definitely, don’t miss the chance to visit the beautiful building to indulge in the atmosphere of the past habits, the history of the baths and learn about the long traditions of the body caring!- That’s right! Going down Kyrristou street and turning left at the end of the road, you will reach the Roman Agora. Please walk carefully as there are several broken slabs on the cobblestone road.
Stop 9 - The Roman Agora
In the late 1st century BC, under the Roman occupation, the population of Athens was huge. Athens for the Romans was a symbol, considered as the birthplace of democracy, a cultural and educational centre, the home of philosophy, arts and higher knowledge. Many famous and less famous Romans, generals, emperors, rulers, poets and philosophers lived and studied in Athens. So they kept visiting Athens, for longer or shorter periods, or even for permanent stay, in order to study, work and trade.The Ancient Agora of the classical times, the beating heart of ancient Athens, proved to be rather small for the significant number of people crowded there. Especially during Roman times, it was packed with buildings used for political, religious and commercial purposes. But mostly, the Agora was the place where people were socializing. In a period without cell phones, without social media, the only way to get other people's news was to meet other people face to face and speak to them! And where that was happening? Of course, at the Agora! So, not really much space for shopping!In the late 1st century BC Julius Caesar and then the Emperor Augustus donated the construction of the Roman Agora, the marketplace for commercial purposes. The new Agora was a big, rectangular in shape, open courtyard. At the beginning there was just packed soil but later it was covered with marble. It was surrounded on all four sides by stoas, roofed colonnades, divided into small shops. People could buy everything that was produced in Greece or was imported from other places of the huge Roman Empire. And actually they could walk from one shop to the other, within those stoas without having any problem with the weather conditions, having around them a great variety of shops. So, in other words, this is what we call a mall!Of course, apart from the shops within the buildings with the ionic columns, we know for sure that there were also, let’s say, street vendors who had their stalls in the open courtyard selling their goods and snacks to the buyers. And talking about snacks, do you know what the Athenians loved to eat? Well, let me tell you that one of the most popular delicacies for them was the fig! Along with the olives and the grapes, the figs were making the top three most important fruits for the locals. In the city of Athens, it was by law forbidden to individual merchants to sell figs outside the city, and only the Athenian state had that right to gain much from the high taxation of the figs. People, already back then, had realized the beneficial qualities of this fruit, and it was a significant part of their everyday diet but was also used for many different purposes like in medicine. Figs were consumed fresh in the summertime, especially in August, but in order to enjoy them all round year, people would dry them. And this a tradition that we still have here in Greece.Nowadays, the archaeological site that includes the Agora is a quiet place that welcomes a small number of visitors, however allow your imagination to travel back in time, to the heyday of the marketplace and view the big crowds that were coming from the early morning hours from all different parts of the city. People of all kinds of classes, professions, men and women, were walking around, checking the products, prices, bargaining, the merchants were promoting their goods, shouting loudly about reasonable prices, and fighting with the agoranomoi. Who were they? They were the public servants responsible for the proper function of the market, for checking the quality of the goods and the fair prices, and of course the weights and standards to ensure that nobody would cheat the consumers. It was definitely very vivid!The Roman Agora gets really crowded even now but only once a year. Every summer, the full moon of August, shining really bright, gives the opportunity to thousands of visitors to see several archaeological sites and museums opening their doors till midnight and for free.The Roman Agora is one of those sites. Hundreds of people stroll around enjoying the Athenian night sky that was so much praised by the ancients. They enjoy the bright silver light of the moon falling on the marble ruins, the sweet smell of the jasmines and melodies of great Greek and foreign composers, performed in beautiful concerts. One of the most memorable events in the Agora was back in the summer of 1985, when Manos Hadjidakis, a great music composer, presented his songs, some of those very popular even outside Greece, during an amazing concert.
Stop 10 - The gate of Athena Archegetis
The Roman Agora had two monumental gates, and people could use them for coming in and out of the market without going back and forth carrying their shopping. Especially the marble gate that you see right in front of you, close to the archaeological site entrance, was dedicated to goddess Athena or Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, patron deity and leader – archegetis of the city. On the marble pillars we still read the authentic inscriptions describing how the Athenians built the Agora with the donations of Julius Caesar and Emperor Augustus. On the same pillars, we find a decree defining the details about the olive sales, the taxation for the olive merchants, the price, etc.In Middle Ages and till the War of Independence, the area around the Gate of Athena was the centre of an annual bazaar for cereals, mostly wheat and other agricultural products. The merchants were hanging on the columns wooden panels with the prices of the goods.And life around the agora continues with pretty much the same conditions, and the 19th century finds almost the whole place, apart from the Gate, covered with houses, workshops, and small churches. Nothing could be seen! After long study, the area was expropriated, everything belonging to the recent past was demolished, and the archaeological spade brought the Roman Agora partly into the light. The rest of it is still beneath the modern city!
Stop 11 - The Fethiye Mosque and the Basilica
Moving north of the Agora, you will meet the old Ottoman Mosque. Right under the restored building of the Ottoman period, the archaeological research brought into light the remnants of a rather big Byzantine basilica that was built, most probably, around the 8th and 9th centuries and was paid by the Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens. That building was very important for the local Christian community, specifically during the Latin Occupation by the Franks and the Venetians. Between the 13th and the 15th centuries, the famous Parthenon, used as the Orthodox Cathedral of Athens, became the Latin Catholic cathedral. So the Greek orthodox people started using the big basilica as their primary church but only for a while.When the Ottoman Turks came to Athens in the mid-15th century, they turned the building into a Mosque, and it was here they welcomed the Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The name means exactly that: the mosque of the Conquest. The number of the Turks in Athens started growing, so the mosque wasn’t big enough to hold them, and therefore they demolished it and rebuilt a bigger one in 1670. It is exactly the one that you see in front of you. It was said that the inspiration for its design came from the magnificent Agia Sophia in Constantinople. One can see the characteristic semi-domes surrounding the main dome on the roof. In the old times, when the mosque was in use, there was, of course, the Minaret, the tower from where the Muslims were called to pray. After the War of Independence, however, it was removed.The building then had many different uses, including a school for the Greeks, a military barracks, a prison, a military bakery. In the 1930s, there was the first restoration and cleaning of the building, while since 2017, it has reopened to the public for cultural events.As you continue to observe the area, let me tell you about the public latrines.
Stop 12 - The public latrines/ Vespasianae
The Roman Agora was a bustling place on a daily basis for centuries. So, what do we need in an area where we spend many hours? Of course! Restrooms! Really soon, people realized that it was necessary to have public toilets somewhere nearby! And so here we are! You are standing in front of the ruins of the so-called Vespasianae! They were built in the second half of the 1st century BC and were given the name of the famous Roman Emperor Vespasian, who actually built many of those all around the huge empire.A roofed corridor was leading to the main building, square in shape, roofed as well but also with a big opening on the ceiling for light and fresh air! Nowadays, we only see the foundations on the ground. There you can see that there is a part of a bench with a hole! So let’s get to the main idea! On all four sides of the walls, there were marble benches with holes like the modern toilet seats! Right under, there was flowing water cleaning the latrines all the time. In the middle of the room, a small pond was often hosting ducks or frogs! Can you guess why? The noise of those small animals would cover any unwanted sounds!The toilets could accommodate around 70 people at the same time, and of course, there was no privacy! It was also said that friends or relatives would visit the toilets pretty much the same hours to socialize and gossip a little! However, other studies claim precisely the opposite: that people would spend only the necessary time there due to the lack of hygiene and the pungent smell!Now, in case you are wondering why the Romans gave the name of Emperor Vespasian to the public latrines, well, there are few explanations! First of all, who was Vespasian or Titus Flavius Vespasianus? He ruled the empire for ten years, from 69 to 79 AD! He was known for his financial reforms, the political stability but mostly his significant building programme. He was actually responsible for the most famous monument of Rome, the landmark of the eternal city: the Colosseum! And yet his name is related to toilets and not the well-known amphitheatre! What went wrong? According to tradition, Vespasian was the one who imposed people by law to pay a fee whenever they were using the toilets! That made people really angry and in order to ridicule him, gave his name to the public latrines!
Stop 13 - The clock of Andronicos or the Tower of the winds
When you are ready, we will continue our walk. You are standing in front of one of the most remarkable constructions of the ancient world. It is octagonal in shape, marble tower, almost 13m tall, completed in the mid-1st century BC, the early Roman period of Athens, by a famous astronomer called Andronicos. He designed this multifunctional building used as a sundial clock, hydraulic clock, a guide to the planets, and finally as the world's first meteorological station! It is considered the best-preserved monument of ancient times in Greece, and that is actually because of its continuous use over the centuries!So, in the early Christian period, people used the tower as a church or baptisteries, which means christening ceremonies. In contrast, in the 17th century, under the Ottoman occupation, it was used as the Tekke of the Dervishes, the place for the whirling dances and prayers. That was precisely the reason why the monument survived at its place, in the early 19th century, when Lord Elgin set his eyes on the tower having in mind to take to England piece by piece after dismantling it. The Dervishes reacted, so the monument stayed.But let’s go back in time to talk about its function. The marble tower, as we said, was used as a weather station. The first one in the world! So, if you take a look at the upper part of the building, right under the conical roof, there are on all eight sides, in relief, the personifications of 8 winds. Male figures with wings holding their symbols. There was a bronze weathervane on the top of the roof in the form of a Triton, half-man, half-fish. Depending always on the direction of the wind that was blowing, the Triton was spinning around, pointing at the right of the eight figures. So people were informed about the weather and could prepare themselves and arrange their everyday schedule or even their shopping in the Roman market place right next.The most pleasant wind was Zefyros, a west wind that brought the warm feeling of spring, fructifying nature, helping it blossom. That was exactly how the ancient sculptor imagined his form and depicted him as a young man, holding and scattering flowers. Can you see him? On the contrary, to the right of him, there is Kaikias, a violent northeast wind, as a bearded man holding a shield full of hailstones! He brings storms!Now, little lower on the walls, there were -not anymore- bronze rods that were casting their shade on specific markings that the astronomer had curved on the marble, and so, those were used as sundial clocks. But if the weather was cloudy, no problem! There was another option. People would go inside the Tower to find out the time using the sophisticated mechanism of the clepsydra, the water clock. The water was coming from the Acropolis natural springs; it was collected into two connected basins and operated the hydraulic clock on a 24-hour basis!In the 18th century, a wave of traveler- reporters came to Athens, and with great enthusiasm, they started describing the city's antiquities. Among those travelers, James Stuart and Nicolas Revett published a great book about ancient monuments that became a best seller in Europe, especially among the curious intellectuals of the period. As a result, the tower of the Winds became one of the most famous buildings, even though it was almost half-buried under earth and soil that was accumulated over the centuries by that time. Several constructions were designed based on it. Most of those are in England, as the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford.As you continue to observe the area, let me tell you about the public latrines.
Stop 14 - Medresses
Right across the Tower of the Winds, there is the Ottoman school that was built in 1721. It was an almost square in shape building with an open courtyard. There were small rooms for the students to live and study. In that institute young Muslims were taught Law, Religion, Philosophy and Literature.After the Ottoman occupation the building was used as a prison. The authorities added a second level and more cells where common criminals and political opponents were imprisoned in extremely difficult conditions. In the courtyard there was a tall plane tree where criminals were executed by hanging from its brunches. So the tree became a terrible symbol in the collective memory while in the folk tradition was mentioned in legends, songs etc. but always with a negative meaning! Many people were relieved when a lighting burned it!What happened to the rest of the building? Well a local from the neighborhood had a dream in which he saw that under the Medresse there was an ancient treasure. He managed to convince the authorities and a group of archaeologists and therefore in 1914 they started with the demolition of the building but to their disappointment nothing was found.
Stop 15 - Aiolou street
Leaving behind us the Medresses, heading to the library of Hadrian, we walk on the Aiolou Street. Take a look on number 3, on your left. You can see an old building that dates back to the 19th century. That was one the first hotels of Athens. The famous AIOLOS hotel. It was built in the 1830s when Athens became the capital city of the newly founded Greek State. It opened actually in 1837 and it was designed by the famous architect and town-planner Stamatis Kleanthis. Does the name ring a bell? He was the one who gave the first plan of Athens and he also offered his home in Plaka to operate as the First University of Greece.The design of the hotel was rather simple: it had two storeys, 25 rooms, most of those on the upper level, with tall windows facing either the road or the inner courtyard. Only two rooms had a balcony. There were also a few toilets and a bathroom. But the most important element, according to the advertisement of the hotel at the local newspapers, was the fact that every room had…Can you guess what? Had beds!!!!Well, can you imagine? The bed wasn’t necessarily part of the equipment of the first hotels! Many people were travelling with their beds! The advertisement was also informing the visitors that meals were offered in the European or the Turkish style and at average prices.At the basement of the former hotel there are still ruins of the library of Hadrian that we are about to explore.
Stop 16 - The Library of Hadrian
We are approaching one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world and definitely of the city of Athens. It was built by the famous Roman emperor Hadrian, who actually left monuments all around Europe. Specifically here in Athens, the city that he loved a lot, he was responsible for the construction of aqueducts, temples, theatres, bridges and s.o. He also promoted a lot of the cultural activities of the city since he loved arts and letters.During his third visit to Athens, at around 130 AD, he realized his plans for a big library close to the centre of political, commercial and religious life. So this is exactly what we see in front of us. The shape perhaps looks familiar: it’s the typical style of a Roman forum, which is pretty much what we saw previously by the Roman agora. A big, rectangular in shape courtyard, 100x70 m, surrounded by walls and columns. According to the famous ancient traveler and historian Pausanias, the library was the most remarkable construction paid by Hadrian and it was full of luxury. A hundred columns of Phrygian marble around the garden, walls of alabaster, statues and precious materials, colorful ceilings were just some of the elements that were embellishing the library.The entrance was from the western side where till nowadays we find a tall marble wall interrupted by the propylon, the monumental gate, consisted of 4 Corinthian columns of pink marble. On left and right there were seven and seven green-marble Corinthian columns respectively. The marble was coming from different areas of the huge empire, so there was a variety of qualities and colours-pink, green, white, grey- creating a capturing/striking colour effect, something that the Romans loved a lot. Leaving the gate behind them, people were entering an impressive stoa and had in front of them the big, open courtyard. In the middle of it, there was a pool, almost 60 m long, making the area ideal for relaxing after hours of studying and listening to lectures. At both long sides of the courtyard, north and south, there were two long porticos, roofed buildings that are, where people, sheltered and have no problem with the weather, could find special rooms mostly for lectures, philosophical talking and lessons.Did they have books? Could they take them outside the library? Where they were reading?Well, first things first! Back then people didn’t have books yet. Instead, they were using papyrus or vellum. So, we know that in the library, there were around 20.000 papyrus scrolls and all the knowledge till then was gathered at the last part of the library, the two-storey building at east. In its rooms of there were selves for the papyrus books. Also, there were reading rooms and small amphitheatres for gatherings and lectures. So here was the actual library. Visitors of course couldn’t take the papyrus rolls outside the library.Unlike the roman agora that was just a few meters away from the library, here the area was very peaceful and quiet. An ideal place for learning, relaxing and admiring architecture and art.What happened to the building? The library was destroyed in the 3rd century BC when the Heruli, an early Germanic people, invaded Athens, leaving behind them untold destruction. The fear of a new invasion was huge and so the local people built new fortification walls that surrounded the city and the library became part of that fortification. It was partly repaired in the early 5th century BC but never gained its past glory and use.Can you see some columns standing at the centre of the archaeological site?There was the big water pool of the library. In the early Christian period, in the 5th century, that place was completely covered by the Tetraconch. What was that? A building with 4 apses. It functioned as a church dedicated to Virgin Mary but in the 11th century it was also burned. And then? another church, much simpler in shape but again dedicated to Virgin Mary. And do you know how it was called during the Ottoman period? The “sunken church”! It was almost buried by that time and people could only see its dome. And yet, around it there was the beating heart of the medieval city, the centre of political, commercial and cultural activities of the Athenians. All those till the August of 1884, when a big fire destroyed everything! What a pity.
Stop 17 - The Clock of the Agora
Among the constructions that were burned by the fire of 1884, was also the famous Clock of the Agora, right behind the Library of Hadrian. That was the gift of the well-known British Lord Thomas Bruce of Elgin after stealing the famous treasures of the city and of course the amazing decoration of the Acropolis monuments. In his attempt to tame the wrath of the local people, he decided to donate a big clock to the city. Of course, that didn’t change things much especially when the Athenians were asked to pay higher taxes in order the authorities to collect the money to build a tall tower to support the clock. No matter the strong reactions, the almost 15 – meter tower was completed in the heart of the city and it was used till 1884. The tower, not the clock. That had a very short life! Really soon however, the locals got used to it and with that clock were arranging their activities every day. So, when the clock stopped working just few years after, they felt completely disorganized and the only solution they applied was to have a canon on the top of the Acropolis to inform them once a day about noon!So that was the history of one of the most important parts of the roman and the medieval Athens. Are you ready to continue?
Stop 18 - The Tzisdarakis Mosque
Continue down Areos street – wading through the tacky tourist souvenirs, you will see, adjacent to the library of Hadrian, the famous Tzisdarakis Mosque. It is one of the most characteristic buildings of the busy Monastiraki Square, right across the Metro Station, and definitely one of the most photographed points of the city. It was built in 1759 by the Ottoman governor of Athens Mustapha Agha Tzisdarakis, who, according to tradition, in order to get lime, demolished a column from the Temple of Zeus, on the other side of the city, or most probably from the nearby Library. In any case, that deed brought upon Tzisdarakis the wrath of the Athenians. You will think: that’s expected! He destroyed one of the ancient monuments so the local people had every right to get angry with him! Well.. the reason was slightly different. You see, back then, the Athenians were very superstitious and there was a common belief that the destruction of an ancient building can release, from the depths of the earth, curses and death upon the city! So when they found out that Tzisdarakis had moved a whole ancient column to make lime for the Mosque, they were infuriated. The Sultan, in order to appease them, dismissed the governor and sent him away. Ironically though, the superstition was fulfilled, since, almost a year after the completion of the Mosque, a plague epidemic fell in the city and everybody blamed Tzisdarakis for that. In any case the Mosque was ready and superstitious or not, it’s worth a visit. It has two levels. At the ground level, since the 18th century till nowadays, there are small shops where you can find all types of souvenirs. On the upper level of the square building there was the Mosque till the beginning of the War of Independence. It is roofed by a big hemispherical dome, on an octagonal base, covered initially with lead and then with ceramic tiles. Inside, the dominant element was of the mihrab, showing the direction to Mecca. In the early 20th century, it was partly renovated and operated as the Museum of Greek Handcrafts, while later in the 70s till present days, it became the Museum of Greek Folk Art. So, there you can enjoy a beautiful pottery collection of ceramics.
Stop 19 - Monastiraki Metro Station
Right across the Mosque, there is the Monastiraki Metro Station. It was inaugurated in the May of 1895 as a station of Line 1, the oldest of the three lines of the Athenian metro. It was and still is actually, the city train line that joins the northern with the southern suburbs of Athens.The present form of the station dates back to 2003 when Metro Line 3 was completed, passing right under the Square. During the excavations of exactly that phase of the metro, there was a whole ancient city discovered under the modern city and thousands of portable items were brought into light and of course ruins of the infrastructure of the city from various periods. The oldest finds under and within the station date back to the 8th century BC and cover a huge period of time till the 18th century. We talk about ruins of houses, workshops, cemeteries and more. The most impressive find, however, is the riverbed of the Iridanos river, one of the 3 rivers of Athens, almost dried nowadays but with still some water flowing right here. So, even without using the Metro system, you can enter the different Metro stations of Athens to enjoy the view of the finds, since, most of those function also as small museums. And just in case, while strolling around, mind your personal objects to avoid any unpleasant incident of pickpocketing.
Stop 20 - Church of Pantanassa Virgin Mary
Almost at the end of the Square, at north, there is a rather small but very important church. It is known as the church of Pantanassa Virgin Mary. Pantanassa actually means “queen of all” and it comes from the Homeric poetical language. We don’t know exactly when the church was built. We know that the core of the present building belongs to the 17th century but most probably the initial church was completed in the 10th century or even earlier, and it underwent renovations in different periods. It was part of a big and thriving Monastery for monks but later it was described as a convent with a large number of nuns. The convent owned a big area with cells and workshops with looms where the nuns were making hand-woven rugs and carpets, embroideries and woolen fabrics and they were selling those at the market of the area. They were also teaching young girls and women, not necessarily nuns, arts and crafts. The importance and fame of the convent, the size and its wealth made everybody to call if “the Great Monastery”.All these till the 19th century. During the War of Independence, the area generally had many adventures, and so the monastery started declining and what only survived was the small church. Monastiraki! The small monastery. And this is how the whole area got its name!
Stop 21 - Monastiraki Square
While being at the Monastiraki Square, don’t miss the chance to take a break and enjoy some relaxation at the nearby cafes and taverns, or to grab a scoop of frozen Greek yogurt with delicious toppings. Of course, if you are interested in shopping, here you will find many shops offering a great variety of local, traditional goods and souvenirs. And of course around the Square you will find some of the best known places for the typical greek souvlaki! Or yiros,or gyros, or geero!!!Don’t worry how you pronounce it! They will understand you! By the way it’s yeeros!This walk has taken us through 2500 years of Athens’ history. Now that you know the story of this great city, step back outside into 21st-century Athens. Explore and enjoy this global capital – the springboard of so much Western civilization.So, dear traveler, dear friend, at this point, our exploration reaches its end. Thanks for joining me on this Old Athens walk. We hope that you enjoyed this mosaic of stories, legends, history and culture. We hope that you enjoyed the area of Plaka and its hidden parts. Definitely, there are many more things to discover. If you are doing more sightseeing in Athens, we also have audio tours for the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, and Monastiraki flea market & Kerameikos.
