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Greece
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Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, historically also known as Hellas, is a country in southeastern Europe, with a population of approximately 11 million as of 2015. Athens is the capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki. Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. Greece consists of nine regions, Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands, Thrace, Crete. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km in length, featuring a vast number of islands, eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres. From the eighth century BC, the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states, known as polis, which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea. Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century BC, becoming a part of the Roman Empire and its successor. The Greek Orthodox Church also shaped modern Greek identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World, falling under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century, the modern nation state of Greece emerged in 1830 following a war of independence. Greeces rich historical legacy is reflected by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe, Greece is a democratic and developed country with an advanced high-income economy, a high quality of life, and a very high standard of living. A founding member of the United Nations, Greece was the member to join the European Communities and has been part of the Eurozone since 2001. Greeces unique cultural heritage, large industry, prominent shipping sector. It is the largest economy in the Balkans, where it is an important regional investor, the names for the nation of Greece and the Greek people differ from the names used in other languages, locations and cultures. The earliest evidence of the presence of human ancestors in the southern Balkans, dated to 270,000 BC, is to be found in the Petralona cave, all three stages of the stone age are represented in Greece, for example in the Franchthi Cave. Neolithic settlements in Greece, dating from the 7th millennium BC, are the oldest in Europe by several centuries and these civilizations possessed writing, the Minoans writing in an undeciphered script known as Linear A, and the Mycenaeans in Linear B, an early form of Greek. The Mycenaeans gradually absorbed the Minoans, but collapsed violently around 1200 BC and this ushered in a period known as the Greek Dark Ages, from which written records are absent. The end of the Dark Ages is traditionally dated to 776 BC, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the foundational texts of Western literature, are believed to have been composed by Homer in the 7th or 8th centuries BC. With the end of the Dark Ages, there emerged various kingdoms and city-states across the Greek peninsula, in 508 BC, Cleisthenes instituted the worlds first democratic system of government in Athens
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Parnitha
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Mount Parnitha is a densely forested mountain range north of Athens, the highest on the peninsula of Attica, with an elevation of 1,413 m, and a summit known as Karavola. Much of the mountain is designated a park, and is a protected habitat for wildfowl. The summit is located 18 km N of Acharnae and about 30 km N of Athens, other peaks include Mavrovouni, Ornio, Area, Avgo or Avgho, and Xerovouni. It also has two shelters Mpafi and Flampouri. The name of the dates back to ancient times, when it was under the ancient demes of Acharnae. Towns surrounding the mountain include Aspropyrgos, Fyli, Acharnes, Varymbombi, Thrakomakedones, Dekeleia, Avlona, the highway GR-1 surrounds the northern and eastern part of the mountain along with the Cephissus river, while the Attiki Odos motorway runs to its south. The view during clear days can extend to northern Boeotia and the Peloponnese, the mountain was also affected by several major blizzards, including two in 2005 and 2006, stranding cars and closing roads, as well as the cable car. Forests of Aleppo Pine cover all slopes beneath 1,000 m altitude, above 1,000 m it is covered principally in Greek Fir, grasses and shrubbery, and beneath 300 m mainly farmlands and suburban housing to the east. About 1,000 species of plants can be found on the mountain, including crocus and tulips, and the mountain provides a native habitat to its red deer. After the traumatic fire in 2007, they are more scarce. Several large mines lie to the northwest, and the ore from them was shipped to a factory in industrial areas. Parnitha has many places with archaeological interest, most usual ancient buildings in Parnitha are the fortresses. In antiquity, many fortresses had been built on the mountain, for the Athenian defense opposite the Boeotians, today some fortresses kept in good condition such as the Phyle fortress, built at a height of 687 meters in the west of Parnitha. Other notable fortresses are the Panakton, in the area of Dervenochoria, notable monument of later periods is the Monastery of Kleiston. It is a Byzantine monastery dated from 13th century and it is mentioned by Pope Innocent IV in 1209 with the name Monastery of Kyras. Southeast of Parnitha, inside a dense forest, Tatoi Palace is located and it was the palace of Greek royal family and it was built in 19th century. The cave of Panas is located on the west slopes of the mountain at a height of 750 meters and it was worship site in antiquity. Near the cave there is the gorge of Gouras and the gorge of Keladonas river. Beautiful site of the mountain is Beletsi Lake and it is located on the east slopes of the mountain, near Afidnes and it is important place for migratory birds
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Piraeus
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Piraeus is a port city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens urban area,12 kilometres southwest from its city center, the municipality of Piraeus and several other suburban municipalities within the regional unit of Piraeus form the greater Piraeus area, with a total population of 448,997. Piraeus has a recorded history, dating to ancient Greece. During the Golden Age of Athens the Long Walls were constructed to connect Athens with Piraeus, the port of Piraeus is the chief port in Greece, the largest passenger port in Europe and the second largest in the world, servicing about 20 million passengers annually. With a throughput of 1.4 million TEUs, Piraeus is placed among the top ten ports in container traffic in Europe, the city hosted events in both the 1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens. The University of Piraeus is one of the largest universities in Greece, Piraeus, which roughly means the place over the passage, has been inhabited since the 26th century BC. Consequently, it was called the Halipedon, meaning the salt field, through the centuries, the area was increasingly silted and flooding ceased, and thus by early classical times the land passage was made safe. In the late 6th century BC, the area caught attention due to its advantages, in 511 BC, the hill of Munichia was fortified by Hippias and four years later Piraeus became a deme of Attica by Cleisthenes. The Athenian fleet played a role in the battle of Salamis against the Persians in 480 BC. From then on Piraeus was permanently used as the navy base, the citys fortification was farther reinforced later by the construction of the Long Walls under Cimon and Pericles, with which Piraeus was connected to Athens. Meanwhile, Piraeus was rebuilt to the grid plan of architect Hippodamus of Miletus, known as the Hippodamian plan. As a result, Piraeus flourished and became a port of high security and great commercial activity, during the Peloponnesian War, Piraeus suffered its first setback. In the second year of the war, the first cases of the Athens plague were recorded in Piraeus, in 404 BC, the Spartan fleet under Lysander blockaded Piraeus and subsequently Athens surrendered to the Spartans, putting an end to the Delian League and the war itself. As a result, the tattered and unfortified port city was not able to compete with prosperous Rhodes, the destruction was completed in 395 AD by the Goths under Alaric I. Piraeus was led to a period of decline which lasted for fifteen centuries. During the Byzantine period the harbour of Piraeus was occasionally used for the Byzantine fleet and it was also called Porto Drako by Greeks, drako meaning not just dragon, but any monster. When Piraeus was taken by the Ottoman Empire in 1456, it known as Aslan Liman. The Piraeus Lion itself was looted in 1687 by Francesco Morosini during his expedition against Athens and was carried to the Venetian Arsenal, a copy of the lion statue is on display at the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus
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Motorway 1 (Greece)
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The Greek Motorway 1, code, A1, is a motorway in Greece. Partly under construction, it is the 2nd longest motorway in Greece, before the European routes numbers were changed, the northern part from Efzoni to EO2 was E5N while today, the entire road is part of European route E75. The part west of downtown Athens runs over the Cephisus river, from north of the boundary of Voiotia - Phthiotis, up to near Velestino, the tollway runs close to the coast of the Aegean Sea. It then continues north of the Tempe Valley and up to the junction of the European route E90. It then shares a 25 km common part with A2 / E90, and then, at the Axios Interchange, continues north to Evzonoi and its total length is approximately 550 km. The motorway used to be entirely a 2-lane highway and ended near Katerini until 1973, the section Athens - Lamia opened in August 1962 as a 14 m width road. The section Lamia - Larissa opened in October 1967 as a 14 m width road, the section Larissa - Katerini opened in September 1959 as a 13 m width road. The section Katerini - Thessaloniki opened in September 1973 as a 14 m width road, the section Axios junction - Evzoni opened in July 1973. The section Axios junction - Polykastro opened as a 14 m width road, when it was extended to Thessaloniki and to the border with the Republic of Macedonia, the motorway had 4-lanes. It was extended during construction in the north in the 1980s, in 1995, Motorway 1 had motorway characteristics in the sections Athens - Thebes and Kleidi - Thessaloniki, while the section Thebes - Kleidi was an undivided 14 m road. In 1998, the motorway had 6-lanes up to north of Thebes, since then, the Larissa bypass has been constructed. As of 2015 it complies with all standards for most of its length, except for 25 km through the Tempe Valley. Construction is under way to upgrade this part to a modern motorway, among others, this part includes the longest road tunnel in the Balkans, which is about 6 km long, as well as 2 more tunnels. It was scheduled to be completed by late 2015 or early-mid 2016, the new circular road round Athens now means that traffic can continue to the Peloponnese, linking up with the motorway under construction to the port city of Patras and that of Kalamata. The exits of the sections of the A1 motorway
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Panepistimiou Street
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Its total length is about 1.2 km. The street was renamed as Eleftherios Venizelos Avenue in the 1980s but is still usually known by its historical name. It has six lanes, of five are for traffic. Most of the street runs almost diagonally from southeast to northwest, many buildings as high as ten to fifteen stories line this street. Old neoclassical buildings of no higher than two to three used to exist until the 1950s, when a construction spree, which lasted several decades, demolished all. Originally a two-way street until after the Greek Civil War with bus lanes, several classic films were shot in this street. The Athens Metro Red Line runs underneath with stations linking with this including the Panepistimiou station. Workers filled the hole with concrete so that traffic can resume, in the 2000s, the transit buses which can run eastbound can now run two way and is at the lower end of the street. The idea is part of a project held by the Onassis Foundation under the name Rethink Athens in an effort for a more allure, the project is scheduled to be completed in the next few years. Scholars are critical of the implications of the project. This will especially be the further down from the corner with Syntagma Square. Traffic congestion will also increase in all surrounding roads as it will be diverted from Panepistimiou, which will also be closed to buses
6.
Vasilissis Sofias Avenue
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Vasilissis Sofias Avenue is a major avenue in the east side of Athens, the Greek capital. The avenue was originally part of the Kifisias Avenue, the part from Syntagma Square to the intersection with Alexandras Avenue was renamed after Queen Sophia, the consort of King Constantine I. A section of the avenue is part of the old GR-1, except from residences, medical doctors private practices, banks, museums, embassies and high-end hotels are common on this historical street. Three Athens Metro stations are on, or near, Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, Syntagma, Evangelismos, the avenue was first paved in the 20th century and added trolley lanes by the ends of the avenue, with neo-classical buildings also taking shape by the avenue. After World War II and the Greek Civil War, it added modern eight-to-ten storey buildings in most of the intersection with traffic and street lights installed
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Monastiraki
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Monastiraki is a flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens, Greece, and is one of the principal shopping districts in Athens. The area is home to clothing boutiques, souvenir shops, and specialty stores, the area is named after Monastiraki Square, which in turn is named for the Church of the Pantanassa that is located within the square. The main streets of this area are Pandrossou Street and Adrianou Street, the Monastiraki Metro Station, located on the square, serves both Line 1 and Line 3 of the Athens Metro. Photo Album of Monastiraki Monastiraki Photo Guide
8.
Syntagma Square
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Syntagma Square, is the central square of Athens. The Square is named after the Constitution that the first King of Greece Otto was obliged to grant, after a popular and it is located in front of the 19th century Old Royal Palace, housing the Greek Parliament since 1934. Syntagma Square is the most important square of modern Athens from both a historical and social point of view, at the epicentre of activity and Greek politics. The square is bordered by Amalia Avenue to the east, Otto Street to the south, the street bordering the square to the west, connecting Stadiou Street with Fillelinon Street, is simply named Syntagma Square. The eastern side of the square is higher than the western, the stairs emerge below between a pair of outdoor cafes, and are a popular city-centre gathering place. Syntagma also includes two areas to the north and south, planted with shade trees, while in the centre of the square there is a large mid-19th century water fountain. On certain days, a changing of the guard occurs with an army band. The Square was designed and constructed in the early 19th century and it was designed as one of the two central squares of modern Athens, situated to what were then the eastern boundaries of the city. The second square was Omonoia Square, to the north of the city, even though King Ottos Royal Palace was at first planned to be erected on Omonia Square, a location overlooking the eastern square was deemed a better option. Thus, the squares first name was Palace Square, work for the construction of the Old Palace to the north of the Square, started in 1836 and lasted until 1843. About a month after the installation of King Otto and his wife Amalia in late July 1843, soldiers under Dimitrios Kallergis gathered in front of the Palace and demanded the granting of constitution. King Otto was then obliged to grant the first Constitution of Greece, in memory of the event, the Palace square was renamed to Constitution Square or Syntagma Square in Greek. Some of the demonstrations amassed crowds of the order of 10,000 people, according to police reports, since the inception of the Unity Government, the occupation has been removed from the Square and demonstrations are less frequent. Travel between Syntagma Square and the Eleftherios Venizelos Airport is available via special airport bus and metro lines, free wireless Internet access at high speeds is offered by the Municipality of Athens at the Square. The square is also a hub for buses to the northern suburbs, in 2015, the fifth of the film The Bourne Identity was filmed in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. To do this, the city was set to simulate the Greek cities of Athens. The Plaza de España of Santa Cruz was set to represent Syntagma Square of Athens, Syntagma Square Public Wireless Internet service Syntagma Square Public Wireless Internet service
9.
Attiki Odos
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Attiki Odos is a privately owned toll motorway system in Greece. The Attiki Odos motorways form the outer beltways of the Greater Athens metropolitan area, the total length of the motorways is 65 kilometres. Part of it was opened, along with the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport to which it connects, in early 2003, the A6 was opened from Kifisias Avenue Interchange to Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, the Ymittos Ring was almost paved by this time, and tunnels were already complete. On 3 September 2003, the Ymittos Ring opened, in November 2003, the western part opened from the junction with Motorway 8 to Kifisias Avenue. In April 2004, a small 2.5 km section opened, Attiki Odos is considered one of the safest motorways in Europe. Its design used strict safety-related technical specifications, including updated hard shoulders in both directions and high quality skid-resistant asphalt pavement, dense lighting and fencing, the toll is the same regardless of the length of journey, but depends on vehicle category. Drivers can pay by cash, e-pass or a special account card, for motorbikes and cars the standard toll fares are, as of September 2016, €1.40. On October 21,2005 a new plan was proposed. 76 km of motorway was to be constructed, bringing the length to 141 km. Extensions were to be constructed towards Rafina, Lavrio and Vouliagmeni, the Hymettus Beltway was also to be extended southwards to Vouliagmeni. As of 2016, this project did not even start, the official website of Attiki Odos S. A
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Athens
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Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. In modern times, Athens is a cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime. In 2015, Athens was ranked the worlds 29th richest city by purchasing power, Athens is recognised as a global city because of its location and its importance in shipping, finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, culture, education and tourism. It is one of the biggest economic centres in southeastern Europe, with a financial sector. The municipality of Athens had a population of 664,046 within its limits. The urban area of Athens extends beyond its administrative city limits. According to Eurostat in 2011, the Functional urban areas of Athens was the 9th most populous FUA in the European Union, Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland. The city also retains Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a number of Ottoman monuments. Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Acropolis of Athens and the medieval Daphni Monastery, Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it welcomed home the 2004 Summer Olympics. In Ancient Greek, the name of the city was Ἀθῆναι a plural, in earlier Greek, such as Homeric Greek, the name had been current in the singular form though, as Ἀθήνη. It was possibly rendered in the later on, like those of Θῆβαι and Μυκῆναι. During the medieval period the name of the city was rendered once again in the singular as Ἀθήνα, an etiological myth explaining how Athens has acquired its name was well known among ancient Athenians and even became the theme of the sculpture on the West pediment of the Parthenon. The goddess of wisdom, Athena, and the god of the seas, Poseidon had many disagreements, in an attempt to compel the people, Poseidon created a salt water spring by striking the ground with his trident, symbolizing naval power. However, when Athena created the tree, symbolizing peace and prosperity. Different etymologies, now rejected, were proposed during the 19th century. Christian Lobeck proposed as the root of the name the word ἄθος or ἄνθος meaning flower, ludwig von Döderlein proposed the stem of the verb θάω, stem θη- to denote Athens as having fertile soil. In classical literature, the city was referred to as the City of the Violet Crown, first documented in Pindars ἰοστέφανοι Ἀθᾶναι. In medieval texts, variant names include Setines, Satine, and Astines, today the caption η πρωτεύουσα, the capital, has become somewhat common
