Athéna Mou

Athéna Mou / My Athen

Article by Spyridoula Vasilakopoulou (GR)

Athens

/ A·the·nai / noun

The city that never sleeps. From cosy, warm cafes to cute, little local cinemas to intense, bomb nightclubs, Athens has it all. That is one reason why all Athenians (and not only) adore this city, that is also proud to hold centuries of great history as well as important political, scientific and a lot of remarkable events.

Here are some general fun facts you might not know about Athens, Greece!

Athens is Europe’s oldest capital. Records show the city’s origins go back to around 3,400 years ago, also making it one of the oldest cities in the world.

Athens has the most theatrical stages in the world. It’s understandable that the Greeks take theater very seriously, as the tradition of theater dates back to the time of Athens’ first democracy – so much so that Athens is home to 148 theater stages, more than the West End and Broadway combined.

The Acropolis has a troubled past. While the Parthenon is the central city landmark in the Acropolis, this sacred temple has known some hardship. During its lifetime, the temple has been used as storage for munitions, converted into a church then a mosque, and widely looted by former Ambassador to Constantinople Lord Elgin. It also served as army barracks and was bombed by the Venetians in 1687.

Athens was the first European Capital of Culture. The idea of the title is credited to Melina Mercouri – former actress, activist, and Minister of Culture – and her French homologue, Jack Lang.

The marathon event was created for the modern Olympic Games held in Athens. The marathon is a commemoration of the run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides (also known as Philippides), who ran from Marathon to Athens to report the Athenians’ victory against the Persians in 490 B.C.

There is a ‘Greek Island' village below the Acropolis Just underneath the Acropolis of Athens is an unusual collection of houses in a neighbourhood known as Anafiotika. When you walk around this area, you can't help but feel you may be in a small island village in the Cyclades.

Ancient Ruins underneath your feet It seems no matter where you dig in Athens, something ancient is discovered! That was certainly the case when the Athens Metro was being built.

The highest temperature to ever be recorded in Europe In July 1977 was recorded a temperature of 48.0 °C in Athens . It was the highest temperature ever being recorded in Europe.