1.
Presidential Mansion, Athens
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The Presidential Mansion in Athens, Greece, is the official residence of the President of the Hellenic Republic. It served previously as the Royal Palace, until the abolition of the monarchy by referendum in 1974, the decision to construct the building which currently is used as the Presidential Mansion was made in 1868. That year, King George Is son, Constantine, the heir to the throne, was born and the Greek state decided to present him with a private dwelling, when he came of age. Twenty-one years later when Constantine married princess Sophia of Prussia, the assigned the planning of The Crown Princes Palace, as the building became known. Building began in 1891 and was completed six years later in 1897, on Christmas Eve,1909, a fire destroyed a large part of the Royal Palace, with the result that the Crown Princes Palace was used temporarily as the residence of the royal family. After the assassination of George I in 1913 and the accession of Constantine to the throne, the use of the building as a Palace was interrupted in 1924 when the monarchy was ended and a Republic was declared. It was then used as the Presidential Mansion until 1935 when the monarchy was restored, since 1974, when democracy was restored after a seven-year military dictatorship, the building has been used as the Presidential Mansion and the residence of the President. The land on which the Presidential Mansion was built was, until the decades of the nineteenth century. The eastern limit of the town was the Royal Palace, beyond that, there were fields and small farms. The only buildings appearing on the maps of the period were the manor of the Duchess of Plaisance, the limited significance of the area at the time may be revealed by the fact that a girls orphanage was built there in 1854. Furthermore, the land along Kifissias Avenue also remained unbuilt and was reserved by the state for the construction of ministry buildings, in early 1870 the State allowed the sale of land to private individuals which resulted in the construction of mansions to house the wealthy families of Athens. About 1890, the architect Ernst Ziller was entrusted with the construction of the Crown Princes Palace and this palace later became the residence of the Royal Family and is used now as the Presidential Mansion. During modern times, with the city of Athens extending over many square miles, the Presidential Mansion with its garden occupies a total area of about 27,000 square metres. The official entrance to the Mansion is on Herodou Attikou Street, the design of the palace was entrusted to architect Ernst Ziller. He became the Official Court Architect of King George I and designed an estimated 700 buildings all over Greece for both official and private use. It is said the King George I ordered Ziller not to make the building too pretentious, so it would blend with the mansions on the street. Following these guidelines, Ziller designed a three-story, symmetrical, neoclassical mansion, construction of the palace took six years. The palaces main reception room was the large salon on the second floor, however, when the palace became the main royal residence, a large ballroom became needed
2.
Saxony
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Its capital is Dresden, and its largest city is Leipzig. Saxony is the tenth largest of Germanys sixteen states, with an area of 18,413 square kilometres, located in the middle of a large, formerly all German-speaking part of Europe, the history of the state of Saxony spans more than a millennium. It has been a medieval duchy, an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, a kingdom, the area of the modern state of Saxony should not be confused with Old Saxony, the area inhabited by Saxons. Old Saxony corresponds approximately to the modern German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony is divided into 10 districts,1. After a reform in 2008, these regions - with some alterations of their respective areas - were called Direktionsbezirke, in 2012, the authorities of these regions were merged into one central authority, the Landesdirektion Sachsen. The Erzgebirgskreis district includes the Ore Mountains, and the Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district includes Saxon Switzerland, the largest cities in Saxony according to the 31 December 2015 estimate. To this can be added that Leipzig forms a metropolitan region with Halle. The latter city is located just across the border to Saxony-Anhalt, Leipzig shares for instance an S-train system and an airport with Halle. Saxony has, after Saxony Anhalt, the most vibrant economy of the states of the former East Germany and its economy grew by 1. 9% in 2010. Nonetheless, unemployment remains above the German average, the eastern part of Germany, excluding Berlin, qualifies as an Objective 1 development-region within the European Union, and is eligible to receive investment subsidies of up to 30% until 2013. FutureSAX, a business competition and entrepreneurial support organisation, has been in operation since 2002. Microchip makers near Dresden have given the region the nickname Silicon Saxony, the publishing and porcelain industries of the region are well known, although their contributions to the regional economy are no longer significant. Today the automobile industry, machinery production and services contribute to the development of the region. Saxony is also one of the most renowned tourist destinations in Germany - especially the cities of Leipzig and Dresden, new tourist destinations are developing, notably in the lake district of Lausitz. Saxony reported an unemployment of 8. 8% in 2014. By comparison the average in the former GDR was 9. 8% and 6. 7% for Germany overall, the unemployment rate reached 8. 2% in May 2015. The Leipzig area, which recently was among the regions with the highest unemployment rate, could benefit greatly from investments by Porsche. With the VW Phaeton factory in Dresden, and many part suppliers, zwickau is another major Volkswagen location
3.
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
4.
Patras
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Patras is Greeces third-largest city and the regional capital of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese,215 km west of Athens. The city is built at the foothills of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras, Patras has a population of 213,984. According to the results of 2011 census, the area has a population of 260,308. Dubbed as Greeces Gate to the West, Patras is a hub, while its busy port is a nodal point for trade and communication with Italy. The Rio-Antirio bridge connects Patras easternmost suburb of Rio to the town of Antirrio, Patras is also famous for supporting an indigenous cultural scene active mainly in the performing arts and modern urban literature. It was European Capital of Culture in 2006, Patras is 215 km west of Athens by road,94 km northeast of Pyrgos,7 kilometres south of Rio,134 km west of Corinth,77 km northwest of Kalavryta, and 144 km northwest of Tripoli. A central feature of the geography of Patras is its division into upper and lower sections. It is built on what was originally a bed of river soils, the older upper section covers the area of the pre-modern settlement, around the Fortress, on what is the last elevation of Mount Panachaikon before the Gulf of Patras. The largest river in the area is the Glafkos, flowing to the south of Patras, the water is also used for the orchards of Eglykas and as drinking water for the city. Other rivers are Haradros, Meilichos and the mountain torrent Diakoniaris and it features the typical mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers, with spring and autumn being pleasant transitional seasons. Autumn in Patras, however, is wetter than spring, of great importance for the biological diversity of the area and the preservation of its climate is the swamp of Agyia, a small and coastal aquatic ecosystem of only 30 ha, north of the city centre. Another geophysical characteristic of the region is its level of seismicity. Small tremors are recorded along the coast of Patras almost constantly, larger earthquakes hit the area every few years with potentially destructive effects. In 1993, a 5. 0-magnitude earthquake caused damage to several buildings throughout Patras due to the proximity of the epicenter to the city. On June 15,1995, a 6. 2-magnitude earthquake hit the town of Aigion. The Ionian Islands are also hit by even more severe earthquakes. In antiquity, the most notable example of destruction caused by an earthquake in the region was the total submergence of the ancient Achaean city of Helike, the first traces of settlement in Patras date to as early as the third millennium BC, in the area of modern Aroe. Patras flourished for the first time in the Post-Helladic or Mycenean period, Ancient Patras was formed by the unification of three Mycenaean villages in modern Aroe, namely Antheia and Mesatis
5.
Stathatos Mansion
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The Stathatos building is a neoclassical villa on the Vasilissis Sophias Avenue. It was built in 1895 by the Saxon-Greek architect Ernst Ziller for the Stathatos Family, the house was donated by the Stathatos family to the Greek state. It was restored and used for several events, the committee for bringing the Olympic Games to Greece, Athens 1996 had its headquarters here. Today it is part of the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art, the building is composed of two wings, nearly symmetrical, connected by an impressive entrance and a cylindrical atrium. On the whole, the building has many characteristics, symmetry, geometrical order, use of ancient Greek and Roman orders. The entrance is one of the parts of the building, unifying the two wings and giving a character to the building. The plan is composed of a rectangle and two semicircles on the sides of the rectangle. Four columns of the Tuscan order and four composite ones support the roofing, two columns of the Corinthian order give emphasis to the stairs that lead to the covered part of the entrance
6.
Ermoupoli
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Ermoupoli, also known by the formal older name Ermoupolis or Hermoupolis, is a town and former municipality on the island of Syros, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Syros-Ermoupoli, of which it is the seat and it is also the capital of the South Aegean region. The municipal unit has an area of 11.181 km2, Ermoupoli was founded during the Greek Revolution in the 1820s, as an extension to the existing Ano Syros township. It soon became the commercial and industrial center of Greece. The renowned Greek Steamship Company was founded in the city in 1856, thousands of ships were built in the various Syros shipyards. Eventually Ermoupoli was eclipsed by Piraeus in the late 19th century, in the following decades the city declined. Recently, its economy has improved, based on the service industry
7.
Gregory Palamas
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Gregory Palamas was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Thessaloniki known as a preeminent theologian of Hesychasm. The teachings embodied in his writings defending Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam are sometimes referred to as Palamism, Palamas is venerated as a Saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Some of his writings are collected in the Philokalia, the second Sunday of the Great Lent is called the Sunday of Gregory Palamas in those Churches that commemorate him according to the Byzantine Rite. He also has a feast day on November 14, Gregory was born in Constantinople in the year 1296. His father was a courtier of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos, the Emperor himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. The Emperor had hoped that the gifted Gregory would devote himself to government service, St Gregory received his secular philosophical training from Theodore Metochites. Eventually, he was tonsured a monk, and continued his life of asceticism, after the demise of the Elder Nicodemus, Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of a new Elder, Nicephorus. After this last Elders repose, Gregory transferred to the Great Lavra of St. Athanasius the Athonite on Mount Athos, where he served the brethren in the trapeza and in church as a cantor. Wishing to devote himself fully to prayer and asceticism he entered a skete called Glossia. In 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to the city of Thessaloniki. Dividing his time between his ministry to the people and his pursuit of perfection, he founded a small community of hermits near Thessaloniki in a place called Veria. He served for a time as Abbot of the Esphigmenou Monastery but was forced to resign in 1335 due to discontentment regarding the austerity of his monastic administration. Trained in Western Scholastic theology, Barlaam was scandalized by hesychasm, as a private teacher of theology in the Western Scholastic mode, Barlaam propounded a more intellectual and propositional approach to the knowledge of God than the Hesychasts taught. On the Hesychast side, the controversy was taken up by Palamas who was asked by his monks on Mt Athos to defend hesychasm from the attacks of Barlaam. Palamas was well-educated in Greek philosophy, Gregory wrote a number of works in its defense and defended hesychasm at six different synods in Constantinople ultimately triumphing over its attackers in the synod of 1351. Although Barlaam came from southern Italy, his ancestry was Greek, arriving in Constantinople around 1330, Barlaam was working on commentaries on Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite under the patronage of John VI Kantakouzenos. Around 1336, Gregory received copies of treatises written by Barlaam against the Latins, thus, Barlaam asserted that it was impossible to determine from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds. According to Sara J. Denning-Bolle, Palamas viewed Barlaams argument as dangerously agnostic, in his response titled Apodictic Treatises, Palamas insisted that it was indeed demonstrable that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father but not from the Son
8.
Luke the Evangelist
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Luke the Evangelist is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical Gospels. The New Testament mentions Luke briefly a few times, and the Pauline epistle to the Colossians refers to him as a doctor, Christians since the faiths early years have regarded him as a saint. He is believed to have been a martyr, reportedly as having been hanged in an olive tree, though some believe otherwise. Many scholars believe that Luke was a Greek physician who lived in the Greek city of Antioch in Ancient Syria, though other scholars. Bart Koet for instance considered it as widely accepted that the theology of Luke–Acts points to a gentile Christian writing for a gentile audience, gregory Sterling though, claims that he was either a Hellenistic Jew or a god-fearer. His earliest notice is in Pauls Epistle to Philemon—Philemon 1,24 and he is also mentioned in Colossians 4,14 and 2Timothy 4,11, two works commonly ascribed to Paul. He had become a disciple of the apostle Paul and later followed Paul until his martyrdom, having served the Lord continuously, unmarried and without children, filled with the Holy Spirit he died at the age of 84 years. If one accepts that Luke was in fact the author of the Gospel bearing his name and also the Acts of the Apostles, the we section of Acts continues until the group leaves Philippi, when his writing goes back to the third person. This change happens again when the returns to Philippi. There are three we sections in Acts, all following this rule, Luke never stated, however, that he lived in Troas, and this is the only evidence that he did. The composition of the writings, as well as the range of vocabulary used, a quote in the Letter of Paul to the Colossians differentiates between Luke and other colleagues of the circumcision. 10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark,11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God,14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. This comment has traditionally caused commentators to conclude that Luke was a Gentile, if this were true, it would make Luke the only writer of the New Testament who can clearly be identified as not being Jewish. However, that is not the only possibility, although Luke is considered likely to be a Gentile Christian, some scholars believe him to be a Hellenized Jew. The phrase could just as easily be used to differentiate between those Christians who strictly observed the rituals of Judaism and those who did not. Lukes presence in Rome with the Apostle Paul near the end of Pauls life was attested by 2 Timothy 4,11, Only Luke is with me. In the last chapter of the Book of Acts, widely attributed to Luke, we find several accounts in the first person also affirming Lukes presence in Rome including Acts 28,16, And when we came to Rome
9.
Numismatic Museum of Athens
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The Numismatic Museum in Athens is one of the most important museums of Greece and houses one of the greatest collections of coins, ancient and modern, in the world. The museum itself is housed in the mansion of the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the first tries of coins collecting by the state began shortly after the independence of Greece in Aegina. The collection was enriched after excavations, purchases and donations, the museum was founded in 1838, around the same era with the National Archaeological Museum but it was not until many years after and several decrees that became an independent organization. In 1946, the collection was moved at the National Archaeological Museum, the organization of the museum became twice independent, in 1893 and 1965. The Iliou Melathron was granted in order to house the collection in 1984, the Numismatic Museum is housed at the Iliou Melathron, a three-storey building on Panepistimiou Street. It was built between 1878-1880 for Heinrich Schliemann and the architect was the then famous Ernst Ziller, at the time of its completion, it was considered to be the most magnificent private residence of Athens. Its design was inspired by the Renaissance Revival movement as well as Neoclassicism, as a result, the rooms are decorated with mosaics and murals depicting either themes from the Trojan War or Greek mottos. In 1927, the widow of Heinrich Schliemann, Sophia, sold the building to the Greek State and it was used as the seat of the Council of State. The use of the building as a courthouse caused much damage, after the building was chosen to house the Numismatic Museum, it underwent a major renovation under which the floor mosaics and the murals were restored. Finally, the collection was inaugurated in the partly restored building in 1998 while the whole collection became viewable in 2007. The collection of the museum contains 600,000 objects, mainly coins but also medals, standard masses, dies, stamps and others, the collection is arranged in such a way so as to follow the history of coinage. The museum holds an important collection of coins from the 6th century BC until the 5th century CE like those from the Greek Poleis. There also major Byzantine and Medieval collections from Western Europe, the East, a large portion of the collection is constituted by coins that were found in hoards while the rest comes from the initial collection of Aegina, recent excavations in mainland Greece and donations. The museum houses a library of 12,000 books specialized in the study of coinage, there is also a perfectly equipped conservation laboratory. The Numismatic Museum is on 12 Panepistimiou Street near Syntagma Square and it is served by the Syntagma metro station. There is a shop and a coffeehouse in the garden. List of museums in Greece List of museums with major numismatic collections Ancient Greek coinage Byzantine coinage Ioannis Svoronos Great Greek Encyclopedia, XVIII, Athens,1932 Numismatic Museum official site Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism www. athensinfoguide. com
10.
National Bank of Greece
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The National Bank of Greece is a global banking and financial services company with its headquarters in Athens, Greece. From the operations in Greece come 85% of its pretax preprovision profits, the group offers financial products and services for corporate and institutional clients along with private and business customers. Services include banking services, brokerage, insurance, asset management, shipping finance, the group is the second largest Greek bank by total assets and the second largest by market capitalisation of 2.09 Billion Euro as at 30 January 2017. It is the largest by deposits in Greece, it is not the largest by assets in Greece and it is third largest by Greek loan assets trailing Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank. The Swiss banker Jean-Gabriel Eynard and Georgios Stavros founded NBG in 1841 as a commercial bank, Stavros was also elected as the first director of the Bank until his death in 1869. From NBGs inception until the establishment of the Bank of Greece in 1928, when the Athens Stock Exchange was founded in 1880, NBG immediately listed on the exchange, a listing it has retained to the present. The bank is listed on the Athens Exchange, it is a constituent of the FTSE/Athex Large Cap index. From 1999 to 2015 it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, at its founding the major shareholder of the National Bank was the Greek state with 1,000 shares out of 3,402. Rothshild Frères Paris bought 50 shares and Jean-Gabriel Eynard bought another 50 shares in their name to boost the prestige of the new bank. It used to have the right of note issue, which it lost in 1928 when the newly established Bank of Greece took over as the countrys central bank. In 1899 NBG acquired the Privileged Bank of Epirus and Thessaly, andreas Syngros had founded the bank in Volos in 1882. Unfortunately, the bank was unable to recover from his death, the arrival of the 20th Century saw NBG begin its international expansion. In 1904 NBG established Banque d’Orient, together with Nationalbank für Deutschland, the Greeks kept the branches in Thessaloniki, Smyrna and Alexandria. Three years later, NBG chose Cyprus as the location for its first branch outside Greece, NBG became government-owned during the First World War when NBG refused to finance new military equipment for the Greek government. The government then passed a law that permitted the government to appoint its own people to the Banks board, in 1919 NBG acquired the Bank of Crete. However, in 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne provided for an exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey, leading to the departure of the Greeks from Smyrna. As a result, Banque d’Orient closed its branch there, the 1930s saw further international expansion. In 1930 NBG and Bank of Athens combined their activities in Egypt into a joint subsidiary, two years later, NBG acquired Banque dOrient
11.
Gytheio
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Gytheio, the ancient Gythium or Gytheion, is a town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality East Mani, the municipal unit has an area of 197.313 km2. It was the seaport of Sparta, some 40 kilometres north, Gytheio used to be an important port until it was destroyed in 4th century AD, possibly by an earthquake. Today it is the largest and most important town in Mani and it is also the seat of the municipality of East Mani. South, Mavrovouni West, Rachi North, Stefania East, Cranae Gytheio is located in the corner of Mani. Further northeast is the delta of the Evrotas River, offshore are several small islands, the most important of these islands is Cranae, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Gytheio is only 40 km southeast of Sparti, connected by Greek National Road 39, the town center is situated around the port. Pine trees are situated in the west and rocky mountains in the north and it is thought that Gytheio may have been the center of their purple dye trade because the Laconian Gulf had a plentiful source of murex. In classical times it was a community of Perioeci, politically dependent on Sparta, in 455 BC, during the First Peloponnesian War, it was burned by the Athenian admiral Tolmides who besieged the city with 50 ships and 4,000 hoplites. It was rebuilt and was most probably, the ground for the Spartan fleet in the Peloponnesian War. In 407 BC during the Peloponnesian War, Alcibiades landed there, in 370 BC, the Thebans under the command of Epaminondas besieged the city successfully for three days after ravaging Laconia. However it was recaptured by the Spartans three days later, in 219 BC, Philip V of Macedon tried to capture the city but without success. Under Nabis, Gythium became a naval arsenal and port. During the Roman-Spartan War, Gythium was captured after a lengthy siege, after the war finished, Gythium was made part of the Union of Free Laconians under Achean protection. Nabis recaptured Gythium three years and the Spartan fleet defeated the Achean fleet outside of Gythium, Gythium was liberated by a Roman fleet under the command of Aulus Atilius Serranus. The highest officer of the confederacy was the general, who was assisted by a treasurer, in Roman times Gythium remained a major port and it prospered as a member of the Union. As purple dye was popular in Rome, Gythium exported that as well as porphyry, evidence of the ancient Gythium prosperity can be found by the fact that the Romans built an ancient theatre which is well preserved today and is still used occasionally. The ancient theatre, as well as the citys Acropolis discovered by the archeologist Dimitris Skias on 1891, some time in the 4th century AD, Gythium was destroyed
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