Athens

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. It is a big city near the coast in the Attica region. It is the southernmost capital on the European mainland. Many people live there – over 3 million – making it one of the biggest cities in the European Union.

Athens is one of the world's oldest cities, with a history that goes back more than 3,400 years. In Greek mythology, the city was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Long ago, Classical Athens was a strong city-state in ancient Greece. It is often called the cradle of Western civilisation because it was important for Ancient Greek democracy, the arts, education, and philosophy.

Today, Athens is a big and important city in Southeast Europe. It has many museums and historical places. One famous landmark is the Parthenon, part of the Acropolis of Athens. This place is a World Heritage Site recognised by UNESCO. Athens also hosted the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896 and the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Etymology and names

Further information: Names of European cities in different languages (A)

In Ancient Greek, Athens was called Ἀθῆναι (Athênai). The name may have come from the goddess Athena. According to an old story, Athena and the god Poseidon both wanted to protect the city. Athena won by giving the people an olive tree.

Over time, the city was known by many different names. During the Middle Ages, it was called Ἀθήνα. It also had names like Setines and Satine. Today, Athens still stands for wisdom and culture, just like the olive tree Athena gave to its people.

History

Main article: History of Athens

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Athens.

Antiquity

Main articles: Classical Athens, Hellenistic Greece, and Roman Greece

Athens has been a home for people for at least 5,000 years. By 1400 BC, it became an important place for the Mycenaean people. Athens did not get destroyed around 1200 BC like other places, but its economy was weak for about 150 years.

Classical Athens

Main articles: Classical Athens and Delian League

By the sixth century BC, changes were made that led to the start of democracy in 508 BC. Athens became strong at sea and helped fight against Persian rulers. The city grew as a place for culture, with advances in arts, thinking, and building. The Golden Age of Athenian democracy included building the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Problems with Sparta led to the Peloponnesian War, which Athens did not win.

Roman Empire

Under Roman rulers, Athens was allowed to govern itself. The Roman emperor Hadrian built many public places. Later, the city had trouble as Rome changed its focus, and some old buildings became churches.

Byzantine Athens

Main articles: Byzantine empire and Byzantine Greece

Athens had to face attacks but stayed a place for learning. It was a smaller town but kept growing, especially in art and building, until the later Middle Ages.

Duchy of Athens

Further information: Duchy of Athens

After the Fourth Crusade, Athens was ruled by Latins until the Ottoman Turks took over in 1458.

Ottoman Athens

Main article: Ottoman Greece

Athens was taken by the Ottomans in 1458. The city lost much of its importance and fewer people lived there. Old buildings were sometimes hurt by gunpowder and fighting.

Modern history

Main articles: Greek War of Independence, Kingdom of Greece, and Republic of Greece

Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834 after Greece became free. It held the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The city had problems with pollution but got better in the 1990s and hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics. New projects keep making the city better.

Geography

Athens is located in the central plain of Attica, called the Athens Basin or Attica Basin. This area is surrounded by four large mountains: Mount Aigaleo to the west, Mount Parnitha to the north, Mount Pentelicus to the northeast, and Mount Hymettus to the east. The city stretches over 50 kilometres from Agios Stefanos in the north to Varkiza in the south and lies about 38 degrees north of the equator.

Athens is built around many hills, with Lycabettus being one of the tallest and offering views of the whole area. The city has a complex climate due to its mountains, which can trap warm air and affect the weather. The city faces challenges with air pollution, but efforts since the 1990s have helped improve air quality. Athens enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters, though the city's size can make it feel even warmer.

Administration

Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834, replacing Nafplion. The city of Athens is also the capital of the Attica region.

The term "Athens" can mean the city itself, Greater Athens, or the larger Athens Metropolitan Area.

The centre of Athens is in the Municipality of Athens, the largest in Greece. This area has smaller communities and districts. The Athens Urban Area has 40 municipalities spread over 412 km². About three million people live there. The larger Athens metropolitan area covers 2,928 km² and has 58 municipalities. About 3.6 million people live there.

Demographics

The Municipality of Athens had a population of 643,452 people in 2021. Together with the regional unit of Piraeus, the Athens Urban Area, also called Greater Athens, has a total population of over 3 million people. Athens is the most populous in Greece, covering an area of 38.96 km².

Athens is divided into several neighborhoods, each with its own unique history and character, such as Pagkrati, Ampelokipoi, Goudi, Exarcheia, and Plaka. The city is led by the Mayor of Athens.

Economy

Athens is the financial capital of Greece. In 2014, the city made about US$130 billion from goods and services. This was almost half of all of Greece’s production. Many important Greek companies, like Hellas Sat and Hellenic Petroleum, have offices in Athens. Big international companies such as Sony and Microsoft also have offices there.

Tourism is very important to Athens. The city welcomes millions of visitors each year. People come to see its famous historical sites and enjoy its many new cafes and bars. Better airports, trains, and roads have made it easier for tourists to travel to and around Athens.

Transport

Main article: Public transport in Athens

Athens is the main place for travel in Greece. The city has the country’s biggest airport and its largest port, Piraeus. Piraeus is also the biggest port for ships in the Mediterranean and for people in Europe.

Athens is a key spot for travel both inside Greece and to other countries. It has many bus routes, a metro system, a suburban railway, and a tram network. These services link different parts of the city and nearby places, making it easy to move around. Buses and trolleybuses are run by OSY, a company that manages many bus lines in the city. There are also international buses that go from Athens to other countries.

Athens is the center of Greece’s railway system. The Athens Metro has three lines: the Green Line, the Red Line, and the Blue Line. These lines connect many parts of the city, including the airport. The Athens Suburban Railway, known as Proastiakos, links the airport with cities west of Athens and goes through the central rail station and the port of Piraeus.

The Athens Tram runs along the coast and connects the city center with suburbs to the south. It has many stops and carries many people each day.

Athens International Airport is located about 35 km east of the city center. It is a big airport in southeastern Europe and has many flights to other countries.

The Port of Piraeus is Greece’s largest port and connects the city with many Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. Other ports like Rafina and Lavrio also help people travel to the islands.

Further information: National Roads and Motorways in Greece

Athens has several big motorways. The A1/E75 goes north to Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city. The A8/E94 goes west to Patras, the third-largest city. The Attiki Odos motorway network serves the Athens area, including a main section from Elefsina to the airport and roads around parts of the city.

Education

Athens has many important schools and universities. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is the largest and oldest university in the city. It, along with the National Technical University of Athens, has moved most of its activities to a campus in the suburb of Zografou.

Other universities in Athens include the University of West Attica, the Athens University of Economics and Business, the Agricultural University of Athens, and the University of Piraeus. There are ten state-supported universities in the Athens area, with some of the oldest ones founded in 1837. There are also private colleges, such as the American College of Greece.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Greece

Athens is an important place for learning about the past. The city has many museums, including the National Archaeological Museum, one of the biggest and most important in the country. This museum has objects from over 5,000 years ago, from the late Neolithic Age to Roman Greece. Other famous museums are the Benaki Museum with items from long ago to today, and the New Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009.

Athens has many different styles of buildings, from ancient Greco-Roman to modern designs. The city’s rules about building height help keep the Acropolis Hill visible everywhere in the city. Many important buildings were built in the 1800s in a Neoclassical style, and later styles include Bauhaus and Art Deco.

Athens is also a place for fun and art. It has more theaters than any other city in the world, plus many music places, cinemas, and restaurants. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games two times, in 1896 and 2004, and has many sports teams and places to play.

Politics

Athens has 58 areas for voting. These areas were made for the election in 2004. The goal was to have about the same number of voters in each area. Before 2004, there were 68 voting areas. These older areas were based on Orthodox Parishes in Athens.