Athens Sights - Page 4

Situated on the hills 6 km from the port village of Oropos in northeastern Attica, the archaeological site of Amphiareion is one of the least known places of Athens. It dates from the late 5th century BC and it was dedicated to the hero Amphiaraos, where pilgrims went to ask for oracular responses and healings.

The Athens Olympic Park (formerly known as Olympic Athletic Center of Athens "Spiros Louis" or OAKA), is a sports facilities complex. OAKA was the main venue for the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. The complex was revamped for the games under a design produced by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Karagiozis, the most characteristic figure of the Greek shadow theatre, has a unique museum created by the shadow-player Eugene Spatharis. The museum is housed in a Neoclassical building in Marousi, northern Athens.

Vorres Museum is located in Peania, on the northeastern side of Athens, and has two sections: a section of Contemporary Greek Art and a section of Folk Art. Its large collection presents 2,000 years of Greek history. The museum consists of two buildings and gardens that cover 12,000 sq.m.

The museum is displaying an interesting collection of inscriptions from the region of Attica and from other parts of Greece. It is housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

Averof is actually a warship that has played a great role in Greek history. Today it has been restored and turned into a naval war museum. It is located in Trocadero Marina, Paleo Faliro.

The Art Collection of the National Bank of Greece was formed in 1841, right after the establishment of the bank itself. The collection includes 1,300 original works of leading 19th and 20th-century artists. It is located on Eolou st, between Omonoia and Panepistimiou metro station.

Inaugurated in 1988, the museum is dedicated to the study of the Greek traditional costume. It is located in Kolonaki, between the metro stations of Panepistimiou and Syntagma.

This interesting museum houses rich collections of objects representing all branches of folk art from 1650 till today. Exhibits include embroidery, weaving, costumes and more.

This private museum is a center for international jewelry studies. It exhibits the beautiful creations of Ilias Lalaounis, a famous Athenian jeweler and goldsmith, elected member to the French Academy des Beaux-Arts.

Established in 1986, this museum hosts various minerals from the region of Lavrion, on the southern side of Attica and close to Sounion. The subsoil of the area was largely exploited for its minerals in the ancient times and its exploitation started again in the 19th century.

It is one of the best planetariums in the world and was established with the testament of Eugene Eugenides, a Greek shipowner, and benefactor, who wanted to create an institution that would educate Greek young people in the sections of technology and science. The Athens Digital Planetarium counts on a large scale cinema projection system, which displays images over an area that is ten times bigger than a regular cinema room.

The impressive church of Agia Marina is located right next to the National Observatory and beneath Pnyka Hill. It was founded in 1922 on the site of an earlier Christian temple and celebrates on July 17th.

(Permanently closed)The home and studio of Spyros Vassiliou (1902-1985) are now open to the public as a museum and archive. The Atelier recomposes the artistic progression of one of the most acclaimed, reputed and prolific exponents of contemporary Greek art, displaying a large number of his works in a wonderful setting just across the Herodus Atticus Odeon, under the Acropolis.