Interesting places in Greece
Contiental Greece
The National Archeological Museum – it was first opened in 1891. In 1939, new alettes were built, but soon the collections were evacuated and buried to protect them from the war devastations. The museum was reopened in 1946, but during the next 50 years the collections were under conservation and the display for these magnificent works of art was prepared. The museum displays unique relics, such as Mycenaean gold, numerous sculptures, pottery and jewellery and it makes it one of the most valuable museums in the world.
The Museum of Cycladic Art- the modern museum, opened in 1986; it offers the most valuable collection of Cycladic art in the world. The museum displays also magnificent collections of ancient art of Greece and the oldest items are older than about 5,000 years.
Monastiraki – an old district in Athens; during the Turkish period it
was the center of the city. The reminders of these times are: the bazaar, where
everything from junk to jewellery is sold and two mosques – Fethiye and
Tsistaraki (the seat of the Kyriazopoulos Collection of Folk Pottery). The traces
of Roman reign are also here. The district borders on the Roman agora. There
are the ruins of the emperor Hadrian’s library and the impressive Tower
of the Winds which is a Hellenistic water clock.
Agora – it is a huge market, which was a center of political and economic
life in Athens from the beginning of the 6th century. The bodies of democratic
government, courts were located here and public gatherings took place here.
In 399 BC, the trial of Socrates took place here; he was executed in the nearby
prison.
Acropolis- in the middle of the 5th century AD, Pericles persuaded the inhabitants
of Athens to reconstruct the city. Its new look was to reflect the Greek political
and cultural achievements. At this time, three very different temples and a
monumental gate, Propylea, were built. The Theatre of Dionysus located at the
foot of the southern slope was constructed later in the 4th century AD, and
the Odeion of Herodes Atticus dates back to the 2nd century AD. The area around
the Acropolis was a center of a social life of the inhabitants of Athens. Apart
from the agora in the northern part, there were two theatres on the southern
slope, where plays were staged during the holiday to the honor of Dionysus.
Political life was concentrated mostly on the Pnyks and Areopag, which are two
hills located west from the Acropolis. The first hill was the place of folk
gathering and the second was place where the council made up of former officials
gathered to examine criminal cases. Other monuments as well as the Center for
Acropolis Studies are the source of knowledge about fascinating details about
the life of former inhabitants of Athens.
Parthenon – The construction of the Parthenon began in the 447 BC. The
temple was designed by two architects: Kallikrates and Iktinos, the work was
completed in 9 years. The temple was to house a twelve- meter high statue of
Athena Parthenos (the Virgin) sculpted by Pheidias. An interesting fact is that
this magnificent building played the role of a church, mosque, ammunition dump
for many centuries and was many times destroyed. Nevertheless, it is even now
the symbol of Athens known in the whole world.
Plaka – it is a historical center of Athens and at the same time the
oldest district inhabited for the whole time. Despite the crowds of tourists
and numerous inhabitants, who come here to eat something in the local taverns
and to rootle in the antique shops, the inhabitants still lead an undisturbed
and calm life.
Contiental Greece
KNOSSOS
The palace of a legendary king, Minos. The palace was built on a low, partially artificially created hill, located approx. 5 kilometers south-east from Heraklion. On the nearby hills, there are still the remnants of smaller buildings constructed throughout two and a half centuries beginning in the 2nd century BC. In the vicinity, there is an interesting and probably the oldest Royal Road in the world, reconstructed Minoan villas, the Small Palace, the Captain’s house and a three-storey Royal Villa surrounded by a garden. In addition to that, an interesting visit can be made in the famous Historical Museum, where the treasures from the Minoan period, such as: pottery, decorations, weapons, frescos, paintings, altars and sarcophaguses are displayed.
HERAKLION
It is a present capital city of Crete, inhabited from the Neolithic age; in
the Roman period it was a harbor of Knossos. The surrounding buildings next
to the harbor have a Venetian architecture and the city’s walls and a
fortress are still preserved there. The Archeological Museum displays the greatest
collection of Minoan art in the world. The reconstructed, 17th-century Loggia
was a meeting place of the local patriciate and it is currently a town hall.
Next to it, there is the small El Greco Park, named after a famous painter from
Crete. In the western part of the shore, there is the Historical Museum. A sole
painting of El Greco in Crete – "St. Catherine Monastery on the Mt.
Sinai" is the pearl of the collection.
On the other hand, Heraklion is a modern city with many jammed streets and concrete
blocks of flats. It is also a perfect place for those who like to lie on the
warm sandy and sunny beach during holidays; long, charming beaches are located
on the both sides of Heraklion, at the distance of approx. 6 kilometers.
PHAISTOS
It was once one of the most important Minoan seats in Crete; it is a city located on the hogback over the vast and fertile Messara Valley. Its main attraction are certainly ruins of two castles discovered at the beginning of the 20th century. The remnants of the first castle, built about 1900 BC, and destroyed by an earthquake 200 years later, are still preserved.
RETHYMNON
It is a former Greek-Roman city, located at a place inhabited since the Minoan period. It flourished under the Venetian reign in the 16th century and became a center of literature and art as well as an asylum for scholars who escaped from Constantinople conquered by the Turks. In spite of the invasion of modernity and tourism, the city preserved much from its former charm and is still an intellectual capital of Crete. In the old district, there are many elegant and well-maintained Venetian and Turkish buildings. The Fortetza, a huge Venetian fortress, built in the 15th century to protect the island from the pirates’ attacks, looms over the picturesque harbor and its 13th-century lighthouse. A lively coast of Rethymnon is a one huge cafe in the open air particularly for tourists. Along the coast, there is a long, sandy beach, and in its western edge there is a small inner harbor. Behind the fortress, there is the Old Town and many narrow alleys overgrown by grapevines.
CHANIA
It is one of the most popular cities in Crete located in the north-western
part of the island and a former capital of Crete. Chania is a city full of Venetian
and Turkish remnants in the architecture and a countless number of bustling
taverns and cafes. The surroundings of the city are considered to be the greenest
part of Crete and the sandy beaches the best beaches in the island.
Another attraction of this quiet and calm place is certainly its rich history.
It is a place, where the remnants of Byzantine ancient period, Turkish and Venetian
culture can be found. A beautiful Venetian harbor with numerous taverns, cafes
and bars is also worth seeing. A pier with a Venetian lighthouse at the end
and the Firka Tower, where the Marine Museum with numerous documents concerning
the new history of the city is housed, are also very interesting. One of the
most interesting buildings located in the Old Town is the Mosque of the Janissaries
with a characteristic cupola which serves currently as an exhibition hall. It
is also worth to visit the ruins of Kastelli, which is the oldest fortress in
the city, and to see the street where leather products are sold. One of the
most interesting places located in the New City in Chania are the gardens built
and designed by the Turks in 1870. In the gardens, there are numerous cafes,
a small zoo and a library for children. It is a place where the local people
and tourists come to calm down and relax.