The city of Athens took its name in the antiquity after Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and daughter of Zeus. She was the protector deity of the city.
It has been the official capital of the country since 1834 and is also the only city of Europe with such an oriental touch. It is to many the cradle of modern civilisation, and is of course one of the few capitals of Europe with a history of thousands of years.
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| Besides its historic importance, it is the most important commercial centre of the country, and the main port, Piraeus, one of the biggest and more important of the Mediterranean. |
The city of Athens might discourage the newly arrived visitor by its disorganised, slightly brutal appearance. Nevertheless, it has a lot more to offer than it seems, while great efforts have been made to reorganise the city since the Olympic games of 2004.
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Besides the famous archaeological sites and museums, Athens has many pedestrian lovely streets, nice neighbourhoods similar to small island villages, parks and hill covered with pine trees, numerous restaurants and cafes, bars, night clubs, galleries, and a lot more than will not leave the visitor unsatisfied.
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