Athens (Αθήνα) – the capital of Greece and the cradle of democracy – is the most populous city in the country with around 665,000 inhabitants in the actual city district.
In a broader sense, the area also includes the districts of Athens-Center with an area of ​​87.3 km², Athens-North with an area of ​​around 139 km², Athens-South with an area of ​​69 km² and Athens-West with an area of ​​around 676 km².

Together with a number of the surrounding suburbs, around 3.8 million people live here. Short for ATH by Abbreviationfinder, Athens is the country’s political, economic and cultural center.

The local airport is the largest in the country, ahead of Thessaloniki. The port in Piraeus is the largest in Greece. Tourists will be interested in the fact that ferries to the numerous islands run from here.

Since the city has been since the Neolithic – around the year 4,400 BC. BC – is continuously settled, it is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Ancient Athens – around the 5th century BC BC – was a place of the Attic polis.

The Attic democracy that arose in this is considered to be the founder of a political rule based on popular sovereignty. It is not without reason that Athens is seen as the cradle of democracy.
People who are still known in the rest of Europe, such as Aeschylus, Alkipiades, Aristotle, Dracon, Euripides, Herodotus, Kleistenes, Pericles, Plato, Socrates, Solon and Sophocles, lived, wrote, taught or ruled here.

Syntagma Square was and is often the scene of political demonstrations. Here is the building of the Greek Parliament with the National Garden.
The absolute highlight of the city is certainly the Acropolis.
The city’s numerous museums are also worth a visit, such as the National Archaeological Museum, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the National Museum, the Benaki Museum, the Byzantine Museum, the Museum of the City of Athens or the Trokadero Marina Ship Museum.
The Jewish Museum of Greece is also worth mentioning.
In 1985 Athens was named the first European Capital of Culture.
The Acropolis was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990 and Daphni Monastery in 1987.

Note
Information that applies to the whole of Greece, e.g. on entry requirements, health issues, etc., is not shown here again. You can find them under Greece.

Name in Greek	Αθήνα
Name in German	Athens
Country	Greece
Location	The city lies between the three mountain ranges: the Hymettos (1,026 m), the Pentelikon (1,107 m) and the Parnitha (1,413 m). It is also bounded by the Saronic Gulf
Landmark of the city	acropolis
Surface	Center 87.3 km²,
Population	Center 665,000, 3.8 million
Ethnicities	v..a. Greeks
Languages	New Greek (Demotiki) English is widely understood.
Main religions	especially Greek Orthodox Christianity (state church) Sunni Islam
National currency	Euro (1 € = 100 cents)
Rivers	Ilisos, Kifisos
Official homepage	http://www.cityofathens.gr/ (Greek and English)
Tourist center	Greek Tourist Office Holzgraben 31 60313 Frankfurt am Main Germany Tel.: 0049- (0) 69-257827-0
Telephone code with country code	0030 – – participant number
Time compared to CET	+ 1h
Line voltage, line frequency	230 V and 50 Hertz
License plate number of Greece	GR

Athens: special features, festivals and events

City peculiarities

Ancient city
excavations have revealed that Athens has been permanently inhabited for approximately 5,000 years. This makes it one of the oldest cities in Europe.

Mountains and hills
Athens is surrounded by four easily accessible mountains: Parnes (1,453 m), Pentelikon (1,180 m), Hymettos (1,026 m) and Aegaleo (468 m). The Parnes is the highest point near the city. There are also eight other hills in the city area. So Athens has one more hill than Rome. Of these hills, of course, the most prominent are the Acropolis, the Areopagus (115 m), the Pnyx and also that of the Lykabettos hills. The latter is the highest point and measures 277 meters. Not only do these hills offer excellent views over the Greek capital and the Saronic Gulf, but also tranquility and relaxation from the hectic and hot city at your feet.

Metro art
Many of the metro stations, which function as small museums, are also particularly impressive. Historical material found during the underground excavation was unceremoniously exhibited in the underground stations. A visit to the metro station “Syntagma” is most worthwhile.

Olympic Summer Games 2004
Athens is also remembered by the world because of the year 2004, when the city hosted the Olympic Summer Games, which despite all the critical voices were an impressive success. Fortunately, considerable improvement measures had been completed in Athens in advance of this major sporting event. In addition to creating an excellent public transport system and infrastructure, the historic center of Athens has also been renovated. Since then – above all through the “Unification of Archaelogical Sights” projects – the classic ruins and monuments have been linked by cozy pedestrian zones.

Festivals and events

January Banquet
of St. Basil
Epiphany (January 6th)

February / March
Carnival of Athens (February 16-20)
Carnival Monday

March
Independence Day celebrations (military parades)

May
Labor Day and Flower Festival (January 1st)
Athens Festival ( May 20th) – 09.10.)

June
Acropolis Rally (car race)

July
International sailing regatta

October
International marathon (between marathon and Athens)