Tourist Attraction in Athens:
Acropolis of Athens

Acropolis of Athens can be considered the most representative of the Greek acropolis. It is a rocky plain that rises 156 meters above sea level above the city of Athens. The plateau is 140 meters wide and nearly 280 meters long. It is also known as Cecropia in honor of the legendary man-snake Cecrope, the first Athenian king. The Acropolis was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. The ruins date back to archaic times and therefore it shows that imposing buildings rose on the acropolis at the end of the 7th century BC, the era in which the walls at the Mycenaean age they lost their defensive importance. In the first half of the 6th century BC, after the expulsion of the Pisistratidi, the acropolis ceased to be a fortress. Old fortifications, buildings, temple buildings and statues were destroyed during the Persian occupation of 480 BC The first reconstruction efforts of Athenians focused on the most valuable works. The walls and bastions were reconstructed under the rule of Temistocle and Cimone. During the Pericles era to celebrate the victory over the Persians and the political, economic and cultural primacy of Athens, the reconstruction of the acropolis was carried out, with the construction of the Parthenon (inside which was erected a colossal statue of Athena Parthenos, realized by Fidia and now lost), the Propilei and later of the Eretteo and the Temple of Nike Athena. In the late Roman empire the Parthenon was transformed into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the Middle Ages the acropolis was transformed into a military fortress first by the Franks and then by the Turks. In 1687 the Venetians bombed the acropolis, causing considerable damage to the Parthenon, which, as it contained firing deposits, jumped into the air. During the Ottoman Empire rule, the acropolis was stripped of most of the marbles that adorned the lobbies and metos by Lord Elgin who brought them to England. In the nineteenth century, the first excavations and restorations of the temples began, which led to spectacular discoveries, such as the famous archaic statues of girls, Kore. Most of the findings are exhibited in the Museum of the Acropolis of Athens. During the works of liberation of the Acropolis of Athens from the fortified structures built by the Turks, in 1852-1853, the French archaeologist Charles Ernest Beulé discovered the great stairway leading to the Acropolis and the fortified port of Roman times, then called Porta Beulé , which is still the main access to the archaeological complex.

Attractions in Athens