Athens Marathon Lake

Location: Marathon

The Marathon Lake in Athens Greece, Attica: The Marathon Lake is an artificial lake at a distance of about 45 km from the center of Athens. This lake actually works like a water reservoir that supplies the town of Athens with drinking water. The dam was constructed from 1926 to 1929 to cover the growing needs of the capital for water after the huge immigration wave that followed the Asia Minor War (1919-1922). This was the sole water supplier for Athens until 1959 when water was pulled from Yliki Lake, close to the town of Thebes.

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The American company Ulen&Co was selected to construct the dam, a 54 m tall and 285 m long gravity dam. The reservoir has a maximum depth of 54 m and it is used since today to cover the needs of Athens. This lake matches perfectly with the natural surrounding and above the dam, there is a coffee restaurant with an amazing view. This lake is a popular excursion for residents, within only a 1-hour drive from the city center.

At the time of its construction, the Marathon Dam was a major symbol of modernization for Greece. The dam is found about 10 min drive from the location of the Marathon Battle, signifying the connection of future with the past and was built with high-quality Pantelic marble, the same material that was used in the Parthenon.

At the base of the dam, the workers built a replica of the Athenian Treasury Temple in Delphi. The plaque on this reads: To commemorate their victory at the battle of Marathon, the Athenians erected a treasury at Delphi. This building is a replica and commemorates a victory at Marathon in wrestling from nature its life-giving water for the citizens of Athens.

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