HISTORY & ART
THE PARTHENON
The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the zenith of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian democracy and Western civilization, and one of the world’s greatest cultural monuments. To the Athenians who built it, the Parthenon and other Periclean monuments of the Acropolis were seen fundamentally as a celebration of Hellenic victory over the Persian invaders and as a thanksgiving to the gods for that victory.
PANATHENAIC STADIUM
Ancient Athens’s largest building, the Panathenaic Stadium, has a capacity for 60,000 spectators. Constructed around 335 BC during the era of Herodes Atticus, the venue hosted the Panathenaic Games where runners competed in races around the track. The 204-meter-long track was designed with four double herms, where runners would turn in the races. Around AD 140, the stadium was updated with new marble seating by Herodes Atticus. The structure that tourists see today is a replica of the original stadium, which was rebuilt for the Olympic Games of 1896. This modern-era Olympic Stadium was created in the identical fashion as the Panathenaic Stadium, with 47 tiers of seating and a rounded southeast end.
LOCATION: 37.967653, 23.741653
The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the zenith of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian democracy and Western civilization, and one of the world’s greatest cultural monuments. To the Athenians who built it, the Parthenon and other Periclean monuments of the Acropolis were seen fundamentally as a celebration of Hellenic victory over the Persian invaders and as a thanksgiving to the gods for that victory.
PANATHENAIC STADIUM
Ancient Athens’s largest building, the Panathenaic Stadium, has a capacity for 60,000 spectators. Constructed around 335 BC during the era of Herodes Atticus, the venue hosted the Panathenaic Games where runners competed in races around the track. The 204-meter-long track was designed with four double herms, where runners would turn in the races. Around AD 140, the stadium was updated with new marble seating by Herodes Atticus. The structure that tourists see today is a replica of the original stadium, which was rebuilt for the Olympic Games of 1896. This modern-era Olympic Stadium was created in the identical fashion as the Panathenaic Stadium, with 47 tiers of seating and a rounded southeast end.
LOCATION: 37.967653, 23.741653
STAVROS NIARCHOS
The Stavros Niarchos Park covers 21 hectares and includes over 1,400 trees and 300,000 shrubs. It is a real-time sustainability laboratory, as well a space hosting sports, cultural events and recreational activities. The park offers a new alternative perspective of urban green spaces and their use. It invites the public to explore its different areas: to do some gardening at the Vegetable Garden, to experiment at the Sound Garden, to exercise at the Running Track, the Outdoor Gym and the Outdoor Games Area as well as the seawater Canal, to enjoy concerts at the Great Lawn, to relax at the Labyrinth and to play at the Playgrounds. The SNFCC is a sustainability paradigm on three different levels: design & construction, operation and environmental footprint on the local ecosystem.
The design and the construction of the SNFCC including the Stavros Niarchos Park contributed in the reshaping of the Kallithea neighborhood of Athens and the waterfront, giving life to a space that for years remained abandoned.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center is a public space open to all. The high-quality free events and activities organized, realized and hosted by the SNFCC, as well as the staff and collaborators’ professionalism, made the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center a reference point in the greater Athens area, thus redefining the concept of public space.
The Stavros Niarchos Park covers 21 hectares and includes over 1,400 trees and 300,000 shrubs. It is a real-time sustainability laboratory, as well a space hosting sports, cultural events and recreational activities. The park offers a new alternative perspective of urban green spaces and their use. It invites the public to explore its different areas: to do some gardening at the Vegetable Garden, to experiment at the Sound Garden, to exercise at the Running Track, the Outdoor Gym and the Outdoor Games Area as well as the seawater Canal, to enjoy concerts at the Great Lawn, to relax at the Labyrinth and to play at the Playgrounds. The SNFCC is a sustainability paradigm on three different levels: design & construction, operation and environmental footprint on the local ecosystem.
The design and the construction of the SNFCC including the Stavros Niarchos Park contributed in the reshaping of the Kallithea neighborhood of Athens and the waterfront, giving life to a space that for years remained abandoned.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center is a public space open to all. The high-quality free events and activities organized, realized and hosted by the SNFCC, as well as the staff and collaborators’ professionalism, made the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center a reference point in the greater Athens area, thus redefining the concept of public space.