Kallimarmaro – Panathenaic Stadium

Greece City Tours 27 May 2017 4 min read

It is located opposite the National Garden, east of Zappeion and north of Ardittos Hill, on Vas. Georgiou Street. In ancient times, it was used for the celebration of part of the Panathenaic Games held in honor of the goddess Athena.

HISTORICAL ROUTES

originally it was a wooden stadium
329 BC under Lycurgus it was made of marble
144 AD under Herod Atticus, the Stadium had a capacity of 50,000 seats
in the Middle Ages the marbles were destroyed
During the reign of King Otto, the Stadium was a ruin with only the side walls of the entrances surviving.
In 1856, Evangelos Zappas, a wealthy merchant, offered to rebuild the Stadium. François Boulanger was commissioned to build it in a design identical to the original. However, this idea was not realized at that time.
In 1874, in order to hold the Olympia (1875), or Zappeian Olympiads (so called because they had been established under Zappa), the Stadium was reconstructed in a rough way. It consisted of the track and field area and some wooden stands, in the background, for the officials to sit.
In 1895, in order to host the Olympic Games the following year, some marbles were placed according to the designs of Anast. Metaxas and Ernesto Ziller. The financial assistance required was provided by the benefactor Georgios Averoff and the marbles were placed in the first rows of the stands. Then the statue of G. Averoff was erected, on the right side of the entrance, a work by the sculptor Georgios Vroutos. At the same time, the Stadium was called "Kallimarmaro"«
in 1896 the 1st^the Olympic Games and the Stadium had 80,000 seats
from 1896 – 1900 the marble work in the Stadium is completed
In 1906, the Stadium hosted the Summer Olympics or Inter-Olympic Games
On 4-4-1968, the basketball final for the European Cup Winners' Cup (1967-68)) where the AEK prevailed Slavia Prague in front of 80,000 seated spectators and another 40,000 standing. Since then, Kallimarmaro is considered to hold the world attendance record for any other basketball game.
In 1996, the stadium hosted the reception of the Olympic champions. Atlanta
in 1997 hosted the Opening Ceremony of 6^th World Athletics Championships, to music by the composer Vangelis Papathanasiou.
In 2004 the Stadium was completely renovated. At the same time the National Team Football for the conquest of European Championship 2004.
on 17-5-2012 Olympic flame was delivered to Princess Anna, for the Olympic Games of Great BritainYes.

The current marble Stadium is an exact replica of the marble Stadium built by Herodes Atticus and has 45,000 seats.

At the entrance to the Stadium there is the bronze Statue of the Discus Thrower, the work of sculptor Konstantinos Dimitriadis, who won 1^th prize in the artists' competition at the 1924 Olympiad.

ARDITTO HILL

The hill of Ardittos (235 m high), located behind the Stadium, took its name from the ancient hero of Attica Arditti, when in this place he reconciled the inhabitants of Attica with an oath. Under this pine-covered hill the ancient Athenian judges, after their election and in memory of the ancient event, swore publicly, in the name of For, of the Apollo and of the Demeter and they took the "solar" oath.

In this space, the so-called Small Eleusinia mysteries, on Agra hill, next to Ardittos hill, on the banks of the Ilissos river.

Much later the Herod the Atticus, after the completion of Kallimarmaros, he erected a small temple in honor of the goddess on the top of the Ardittos hill. Luck, whose ruins can still be seen today, while in addition he also erected the Chryselaphantine there statue With the care of the Committee of Olympic Games 1896, the tomb of Herod Atticus, who died in 179 AD. and which is located on the top of Ardittos just behind Kallimarmaros. On the tomb there is an inscription that says: "«HEROD OF MARATHON OF ATTICA, HE ALWAYS LAYS HERE, HERE IS MY BURY, EUDOKIMOS, ALWAYS».

HEROD ATTICUS

Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes was a wealthy Athenian, orator, and great benefactor of Athens. He was born in 101 or 102 AD and rose to various Roman offices and became a member of the Roman Senate. Senate. The Athenians, taking into account his positions, his education and his wealth, elected him "champion" of the Panathenaic. Herod performed the games with particular brilliance, which is why the Athenians honored him with a "crown".

Then Herod promised that at the next Panathenaic festival, that is, after four years, the reception of the athletes and citizens would take place in a marble stadium.