Greece… At the sound 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 those who visit it back into the depths of centuries. The famous monument of Greek culture is the Acropolis of Athens, a brief description of which is presented in this article.
Acropolis - the heart of Athens
In the center of the great Greek capital, Athens, rises 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 present a serious obstacle. At the top of the hill is a temple complex called the Acropolis ("Upper City" in Greek). In ancient Greece, the Acropolis served as the abode of 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 in its centuries-old life: the heyday of Greek culture, and its decline, and the conquests 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 remind of eternal values in the hustle and bustle of this world.
A bit of history
Picturesque pedestals and columns with a panoramic view of the capital of Greece today is the temple complex of the Acropolis (Athens), whose history begins around the 16th century BC.
The founder of the Acropolis is the first Athenian king - 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 Pericles, Athens became the center of Greek politics and culture, and at the same time, active construction was underway in the Acropolis. The main temple of Athens, the Parthenon, the temple of Nike Apteros, the temple of the Erechtheion, the theater of Dionysus, and the statue of Athena Promachos were built. The remains of these structures make up the Athenian Acropolis, 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, no more construction was carried out, the Greeks tried to protect what they had.
Over the centuries, the Athenian Acropolis experienced many disasters. Architecture, monuments (Athens is very rich in cultural heritage) were constantly destroyed. The Byzantine rulers made the Parthenon a church, the Ottomans 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.
Currently, everyone can visit the Acropolis of Athens. A brief description of the complex, architectural features and a rich history can be found during an excursion or by studying special literature.
Propylaea - entrance to the Upper City
For those visiting the Acropolis of Athens, a brief description of the main entrance will be very interesting. The idea belongs to the architect Mnesicles, who designed the main passage in the form of porticos and colonnades, located symmetrically on both sides of the path to the hill. The entire composition was made of different types of marble and included 6 Doric columns, 2 Ionic columns, 5 gates and the main corridor, as well as pavilions adjacent to the west side. Unfortunately, only a few columns and fragments of the corridor have survived to this day.
The Great Parthenon
The age of Pericles is the architecture of the classics. The Acropolis of Athens was built according to the ideas of the sculptor Phidias. He, apparently, belongs to the idea of the Parthenon.
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, one can 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 isapproximately 70 x 30 meters was surrounded by marble columns 10 meters high.
The Erechtheion Temple and Temple of Nike Apteros
It was the Erechtheion temple, named after King Erechtheus, that was considered a place of worship for the goddess Athena, because her wooden statue, according to legend, fell directly from heaven was kept here. There was also a trace from the lightning of Zeus, which killed the above-named king, and the s alty spring of Poseidon, reminiscent of his struggle with Athena for dominion over the Adriatic. A lot of sculptures 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 Nike Apteros. This is a marble structure with four columns, in which there was a statue of the goddess of victory, holding a helmet in one hand, and a pomegranate fruit in the other, symbolizing peace. The Greeks deliberately deprived the statue of its wings so that Victory could no longer fly away from them and never leave their holy city.
Dionysus Theater
Let's continue our short excursion to the Athenian Acropolis (brief description). For children, perhaps the most interesting place will be the theater of Dionysus, or rather, its surviving fragments. Initially, this theater, built for performances during the Lesser and Greater Dionysius (that is, every six months), was wooden. Two centuries later, the stage and most of the steps were replaced with marble ones. During the Roman Empire, instead of theatricalrepresentations here were held gladiator fights. A huge stage and many marble chairs in the open air could accommodate the entire 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 majesty.
What else to see in the Acropolis?
In addition to the famous sights mentioned, the Athenian Acropolis, a brief description of which we continue, is also interesting for other monuments that are practically not preserved, but still worthy of attention. These are temples, or sanctuaries, of Aphrodite and Artemis, the temple of Rome and Augustus, a small temple of Zeus. In the 19th century, a French scientist discovered a secret emergency gate to the Upper City. They were named after him - the Bule Gate.
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 at a glance, a white city against the backdrop of a blue sea that can be seen in the distance.
What tourists should know?
The Acropolis is open to visitors all year round, from 8:00 to 18:30 on weekdays and in a reduced mode (from 8:00 to 14:30) on holidays. There are certain public holidays when the museum is closed to the public. Please read the opening hours carefully before planning your tour. The entrance ticket costs 12 euros and is valid 4 days after purchase (there is a reduced rate for students and pensioners and freeschool visit).
You can visit the Acropolis either with a tour, or with an individual guide, or on your own. In the latter case, only the cost of the entrance ticket is paid, but it should be noted that without the guide's comments, the tour of the monument will not be interesting. It is better to get an audio guide or an accompanying story.
July and August are peak tourist trips to Athens, so you need to be prepared for queues and a large number of visitors to the temple complex. It is better to plan a visit in the early morning when there are fewer visitors.
When visiting during the summer, wear a hat and take enough drinking water (you can buy it on site, but the price will be unreasonably high).
It is also not recommended to buy souvenirs in the Upper City: they will cost much less outside of it.
You should visit the Acropolis in comfortable shoes, get ready for walks for fairly long distances.
You can't touch anything in the temple complex, not even stones!
300 meters from the Acropolis is a new archaeological museum, where you can see interesting excavations and finds right in the ground, walking on the glass floor. The cost of visiting is not high.
There is an open-air cafe on the roof of the museum, where they offer delicious coffee and inexpensive local dishes. The view of the Acropolis from there is simply amazing!
Can be purchased to leave the Acropolis in memory for a long time, description and photo: Greece, Athens, picturesque nature andfamous landmarks will be reminded of themselves from the pages of the album.
Tourist experiences
The Athenian Acropolis leaves no one indifferent: the reviews of tourists are mostly enthusiastic, filled with vivid emotions. The grandeur of the temple complex in Athens is amazing! Each stone, each piece of marble keeps a centuries-old history, the memory of prosperity and destruction, defeats and victories, the memory of great warriors and cruel conquerors.
Despite the fact that only fragments of its former splendor have survived to this day, a special atmosphere of the culture of the ancient Greeks hovers here, and people who ascended the hill seem to become a little closer to this heritage, as if they fall into the environment of those deities, in whose honor they were beautiful temples, shrines and colonnades have been built!
