Plaka -
As soon as you start walking around Plaka's stone-paved, narrow streets, you will have the feeling that you are traveling back in time.
This is Athens oldest and, thanks to the restoration efforts which went into its buildings in recent years, most picturesque neighborhood.
You will be delighted by the beauty of the neo-classical colors of its houses, their architecture, their lovingly tended little gardens, the elegance, and the total atmosphere of the area.
In Plaka, even the air is different; lighter, clearer, scented, like a gift from the gods.
When you decide to take a walk around it be sure to bring a map along, because Plaka is a labyrinth and you may get the feeling that you are lost in its maze of narrow streets and alley ways. No need for alarm though. It is easy to orientate yourself: uphill is the Acropolis and downhill are Syntagma and Monastiraki.
What does Plaka mean - The origin of the area's name is not really known thus allowing various theories to have developed concerning it. According to the most recent one, Plaka owes its name to a large stone slab (plaka in Greek) found in the area of the church of Ayios Georgios of Alexandria near the ancient theater of Dionysos.
Philomousou Etairias Square -
Plaka's central square was named
after the Philomousos Etairia
(Meaning Friends of the Muses
namely the 9 patron goddesses
of the Arts) which was founded
in 1813. Its aim was to encourage
Greek-oriented studies and the
preservation of the archaeological
treasures of Athens. You will find
the square at the crossroads of
Kydathenaeon, Farmaki, Olympiou
Dios and Anghelou Geronda
Streets. The square is full of cafes,
restaurants, bars and night clubs.
You will also find many shops
selling souvenirs: miniatures and
copies of well known works
of ancient Greek art, jewellery
of traditional Greek design,
Komboloya (worry beads)
and stamped T -shirts.
Walking along Kydathenaeon Street -
The Children's Museum
A child's paradise. In its attic you
can see a reconstructed room
complete with old furniture, radio
and heater of an old Athenian
house. It IS appropriately called
the "grandmother and grandfather
room" and in it children can dress
up in period costumes. On the first
floor there is a reconstruction of
the worksite of the Athenian metro,
which is currently being extended
all over the city. Here the children
get an idea of what the future
metro stations are going to look
like and can enter a tunnel
wearing a workman's helmet. The
Museum also houses a
playground and a library. If you
have a child, this is a stop you
cannot afford to miss.
Towards the Roman Market -
The Tower of the Winds
Just outside the eastern side of
the Roman Agora, you will come
across an octagonal monument.
This is Andronikos Kyristes' clock,
-(second picture)-
built during the 1st century B.C.,
which housed an hydraulic clock.
Each of its eight sides was
decorated with representations of
the eight winds. That is why the
monument was nicknamed
Aerides (winds).
Towards the Acropolis -
The Monument of Lysikrates
In ancient Athens the staging of
theatrical performances in the
theatre of Dionysos was
sponsored by wealthy citizens,
called choregoi. The choregos
who sponsored the best
performance of the year, was
presented with a prize by the city.
When wealthy Lysikrates won the
prize (334 B.C.), he decided to
build a monument to house it
where it remains to this day. Its
construction by Lysikrates was
only the beginning of the
monument's long and eventful
story. In 1658, a Capuchin
monastery was founded here by
French friars of that order and in
1669 the monument was bought
by them. It was in this monastery
that Lord Byron stayed during his
second visit to Greece. It was in its
gardens that in 1818 the first
tomato plant in Greece grew, after
Father Francis brought the seeds
from abroad. In 1829 a foreign
traveller in Greece was granted
permission by the friars to take the
monument with him, but
fortunately it proved too heavy for
him. Later, Lord Eigin put his mind
to the same task but was again
stopped, this time by the monks.
Near Plaka
The Olympieion -
According to the traveller
Pausanias, the temple of Olympian
Zeus was founded by Deucalion,
one of the mythical ancestors
of the Greeks. Around 515 BC,
the Peisistratids, one of the
dynasties of tyrants (absolute
rulers) of ancient Athens,
endeavoured to replace the old
temple with a new, more
impressive one. But tyranny was
abolished and the construction
was halted. The construction of
the temple was resumed by the
Roman architect Decimus
Cossutius employed by Antiochos
IV Epiphanes, King of Syria. When
Antiochos died in 163 B.C. the
temple was once more
abandoned without a roof and
pediments, and it was finally
completed by the Roman Emperor
Hadrian in AD 131.
The Arch of Hadrian -
After the construction of the
temple of Zeus, the Athenians
honoured Hadrian by building, in
AD 131 an arched gateway in the
north-west corner of the enclosure
of the temple. The arch, built of
Pentelic marble (Penteli is one of
the mountains surrounding the
basin of Athens), bears two
inscriptions. The one on the side
facing the Acropolis (west facade)
reads: This is Athens, the ancient
city of Theseus while the other, on
the side facing the sanctuary and
the extension of the city by
Hadrian, reads: This is the city
of Hadrian and not of Theseus.
