Greece ... At the sounds of this word, Olympus appears with a host of gods, beautiful and courageous heroes and crowded policies. This is a picturesque country with a rich history, every corner here is a cultural heritage that takes visitors who visited it back centuries. The Acropolis of Athens is considered a famous monument of Greek culture, a brief description of which is presented in this article.
Acropolis - the heart of Athens
In the center of the great Greek capital Athens stands a hill 156 meters high, visible from any part of the city. It is possible to climb this hill only from the side of the sea: other slopes are steep and represent a serious obstacle. At the top of the hill is a temple complex called the Acropolis ("Upper Town" in Greek). In ancient Greece, the Acropolis served as the abode of the city rulers, as it was the most protected part of the city. Now it is the most popular and famous place in Greece, which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. It is very interesting both as a monument of history and as a monument of architecture. The Acropolis has seen a lot for its centuries-old life: the heyday of Greek culture, and its decline, and the conquest of the Romans, and the formation of the Ottoman Empire, and the emergence of modern Greece. Many times the heart of Athens was destroyed by enemy shells, and now the remains of ancient temples silently recall the eternal values in the bustle and impermanence of this world.
A bit of history
Picturesque pedestals and columns with a panoramic view of the Greek capital today are the temple complex Acropolis (Athens), whose history begins around the 16th century BC.
The founder of the Acropolis is considered the first king of Athens - Kekrops. In those days, it was just a hill, fortified with huge stones. In the 6th century BC e. at the direction of King Pisistratus, the entrance gates to the Upper City - Propylaea are being erected. In the 5th century BC e. under the leadership of the ruler of Pericles, Athens becomes the center of Greek politics and culture, and at the same time, active construction is underway in the Acropolis. The main temple of Athens Parthenon, the temple of Niki Apteros, the temple of Erechtheion, the theater of Dionysus were built, a statue of Athena Promachos was installed. The remains of these structures make up the Acropolis of Athens, a brief description of them will be given below.
During the Roman Empire, a new temple appeared on the hill - the Temple of Rome and Augustus. Then a long period of wars began, construction was no longer underway, the Greeks tried to protect what was available.
Over the centuries, the Athenian Acropolis has experienced many disasters. Architecture, monuments (Athens is very rich in cultural heritage) were constantly destroyed. The Byzantine rulers made the Parthenon a church, the Ottoman rulers made a harem. In the 19th century, it was almost completely destroyed by the Turks. Having finally achieved independence, the Greeks are trying to restore the temple complex and return it to its original appearance.
Now everyone can visit the Acropolis of Athens. A brief description of the complex, architectural features and a rich history can be found during the tour or by studying special literature.
Propylaea - entrance to the Upper Town
For visitors to the Acropolis of Athens, a brief description of the main entrance will be very interesting. The idea belongs to the architect Mnesikl, who designed the main passage in the form of porticoes and colonnades, located symmetrically on both sides of the path to the hill. The whole composition was made of different breeds of marble and included 6 Doric columns, 2 Ionic, 5 gates and the main corridor, as well as pavilions adjacent to the western side. Unfortunately, only a few columns and fragments of the corridor have survived to this day.
Great Parthenon
The Age of Pericles is a classic architecture. Acropolis of Athens was built according to the ideas of the sculptor Phidias. Apparently, the Parthenon’s plan belongs to him.
The name of the temple means "virgin", and it was conceived in honor of the goddess Athena. Unfortunately, after the explosion of the Venetian bomb in the 17th century, only the columns survived, but according to some descriptions it is possible to imagine its appearance. In the center of the temple was a statue of Athena in precious decoration, surrounded by more modest statues of various Greek heroes. The temple itself, measuring approximately 70 x 30 meters, was surrounded by marble columns of 10-meter height.
Erechtheion Temple and Niki Apteros Temple
It was the Erechtheion temple, named after King Erechtheum, that was considered the place of worship of the goddess Athena, because her wooden statue was stored here, according to legend, which fell directly from heaven. Here there was a trace from the lightning of Zeus, who killed the aforementioned king, and the salt source of Poseidon, reminiscent of his struggle with Athena for domination of the Adriatic. A lot of statues of the goddess of war and wisdom are kept by the Athenian Acropolis (architecture, monuments). Athens, named after this goddess, is the heart of Greece, and every temple, every statue here is imbued with reverence for the patroness of the city.
Many temples included the ancient Athenian Acropolis. The description briefly tells about the temple of Niki Apteros. This is a marble building with four columns, in which there was a statue of the goddess of victory, holding a helmet in one hand, and the fruit of a pomegranate in the other, symbolizing the world. The Greeks deliberately deprived the statue of wings so that Victory could no longer fly away from them and never leave their holy city.
Dionysus Theater
We continue our short excursion to the Acropolis of Athens (short description). For children, perhaps the most interesting place will be the Dionysus Theater, more precisely, its surviving fragments. Initially, this theater, built for performances during the Small and Great Dionysius (i.e., every six months), was wooden. Two centuries later, the stage and most of the steps were replaced by marble ones. During the Roman Empire, instead of theatrical performances, gladiatorial fights were held here. A huge stage and many marble chairs in the open air could accommodate the whole city. The first rows were intended for honorary citizens, the rest for ordinary spectators.
Even now, after so many centuries, the theater of Dionysus impresses with its size and grandeur.
What else to see in the Acropolis?
In addition to the famous attractions mentioned, the Acropolis of Athens, a brief description of which we continue, is also interesting for other monuments that have practically not been preserved, but are still worth attention. These are temples, or sanctuaries, Aphrodite and Artemis, the temple of Rome and Augustus, a small temple of Zeus. In the 19th century, a French scientist discovered secret spare gates to the Upper City. They were named after him - the gates of Bule.
The panoramic view of the great city of Athens, which opens from the top of the hill, can also be considered part of the cultural heritage. The whole capital (with its old and new buildings) is in full view, a white city against the backdrop of the blue sea, visible in the distance.
What should tourists know?
The Acropolis is open to visitors year-round, from 8:00 to 18:30 on weekdays and in abbreviated mode (from 8:00 to 14:30) on holidays. There are fixed holidays when the museum is closed to visitors. You should carefully read the work schedule before planning an excursion. An entrance ticket costs 12 euros and is valid 4 days after purchase (there is a preferential rate for students and senior citizens and free admission for schoolchildren).
You can visit the Acropolis either with a guided tour, or with an individual guide, or on your own. In the latter case, only the cost of the admission ticket is paid, but it should be noted that without a guide's comment the visit to the monument will not be interesting. It is better to get an audio guide or an accompanying story.
July and August are the peak of tourist trips to Athens, so you need to be prepared for the queues and a large number of guests of the temple complex. It is better to plan a visit in the early morning when there are fewer visitors.
When visiting in the summer, you should wear a hat and take enough drinking water (you can buy it in the complex, but the price will be unreasonably high).
It is also not recommended to buy souvenirs on the territory of the Upper City: outside it, they will cost much cheaper.
Visit the Acropolis should be in comfortable shoes, prepare for walks over fairly long distances.
In the temple complex, you can not touch anything, even stones!
300 meters from the Acropolis there is a new archaeological museum where you can see interesting excavations and finds right in the ground, walking along the glass floor. The cost of visiting is not high.
There is an outdoor cafe on the roof of the museum, which offers delicious coffee and inexpensive local dishes. The view of the Acropolis from there is just amazing!
You can purchase to leave the Acropolis in your memory for a long time, description and photo: Greece, Athens, picturesque nature and famous sights will remind of yourself from the pages of the album.
Impressions of tourists
The Acropolis of Athens does not leave anyone indifferent: the reviews of tourists are mostly enthusiastic, filled with vivid emotions. The greatness of the temple complex in Athens is amazing! Each stone, each fragment of marble keeps a centuries-old history, the memory of prosperity and destruction, of defeats and victories, the memory of great warriors and brutal conquerors.
Despite the fact that only fragments of the former splendor have survived to this day, a special atmosphere of the culture of the ancient Greeks is hovering here, and people who ascended the hill seem to get a little closer to this heritage, as if they are surrounded by those deities in whose honor the most beautiful temples and sanctuaries were built and colonnades!