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Akadimia (Ακαδημία), which translates to “Academy”, is an important area of Athens full of impressive buildings and educational institutions.
Introduction to Akadimia
My first experience walking through Akadimia was with my friend Eleni, who took me to see her university and the architecture in the area in November 2013. I’ve returned on every other visit to Athens since for one reason or another.
Most of the attractions in Akadimia are situated along Panepistimiou, or University Street, which is officially named Eleftherios Venizelos Avenue. For this entry, we’ll start on the east side of the street walking north towards Omonoia Square, then focus on the west side of the street walking south towards Syntagma Square.
Cathedral of St. Dionysius
First is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Aeropagite. It’s the main Roman Catholic church in Athens and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Athens. The neo-Renaissance church was originally designed by German architect Leo von Klenze (1784-1864) at the request of King Otto. Its design was inspired by Saint Boniface’s Abbey in Munich. The land for the church was acquired in 1847 with money collected from the Catholic community of Greece, and Catholics from Greece and abroad donated money for its construction. Greek architect Lysandros Kaftanzoglou (1811-1885) offered to oversee the construction project pro bono. The nave was completed in 1853 and the church was inaugurated on August 4, 1865.
The Cathedral of St. Dionysius is dedicated to St. Dionysius the Aeropagite, a disciple of St. Paul and the first Bishop of Athens. It’s 38 meters long, 15 meters high, and 24 meters wide. The church is filled with beautiful frescoes and stained glass windows, and the nave is supported by 12 columns of green marble from Tinos. The floor is paved with Pentelic marble. In 1962, then-Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark married the future King Juan Carlos I of Spain in the church.
Academy of Athens
Next is the beautiful Neoclassical building of the Academy of Athens (Ακαδημία Αθηνών). It’s one of the most famous modern architectural landmarks in the city.
The academy was established on March 18, 1926, and is the country’s most important research center. The building consists of a main central building and two wings. It’s closed to the general public and only members are allowed to enter.
History
The beautiful Neoclassical building was designed in 1859 by Danish architect Theophil Hansen (1813-1891). Construction started on August 2 that same year, but supervision shifted to German architect Ernst Ziller (1837-1923) in 1861. Construction stopped in 1864 and resumed in 1868, with the building finally completed in 1885. The project was initially funded by Austrian-Greek banker Simon Sinas (1810-1876), and after his death, by his wife Ifigeneia.
On March 20, 1887, Ziller formally presented the building, then called the Sinaean Academy, to Greek Prime Minister Charilaos Trikoupis (1832-1896). It was initially used to host the Numismatic Museum in 1890. In 1914 and State Archives moved in followed by the Byzantine Museum in 1924. On March 24, 1926, the building was given to the newly-formed Academy of Athens.
Pediments
The Academy of Athens is known for its impressive decorations, which were created from the 1870s to the mid-1880s. The pediment of the central building is adorned with sculptures representing the birth of Athena. It was based on a design by Austrian painter Carl Rahl (1812-1865) and executed by Greek sculptor Leonidas Drosis (c. 1836-1882). The sculpture won first prize at the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair.
The eight smaller pediments on the two wings of the building were created by Austrian sculptor Franz Melnitzky (1822-1876). They were based on designs by Hansen and depict Athena as the patron of agriculture, small industry, shipbuilding, and the sciences.
Statues
On either side of the main entrance are two Ionian pillars standing 23.25 meters high. Atop the left pillar is a statue of Athena. The right pillar features a statue of Apollo with a lyre. Both were created by Drosis.
Statues of philosophers Plato (c. 427 – c. 347 BC) and Socrates (c. 470 – 399 BC) sit on pedestals adorning the front steps to the building. Plato is on the left and Socrates is on the right. They were designed by Drosis and made out of Pentelic marble by Italian sculptor Piccarelli. The statues were placed in their present location in 1885.
University of Athens
Next to the Academy of Athens is the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών), or the University of Athens for short. It’s the oldest institution of higher education in modern Greece. Today, it’s one of the largest universities in Europe by enrollment.
History
The University of Athens was founded on May 3, 1837, by King Otto, as the Othonian University. It was housed in the home and office of architects Stamatios Kleanthis (1802-1862) and Eduard Schaubert (1804-1860) in Plaka, which now houses the university’s museum, until 1841. The name changed to National University in 1862 after Otto was deposed.
From 1911 to 1932, the university was separated into the National University (science departments) and the Kapodistrian University (humanities departments). The two universities merged in 1932. For simplicity, it’s usually referred to as the University of Athens. Today, it’s one of the largest universities in Europe by enrollment.
Architecture and Artwork
The main building of the university was designed by Danish architect Christian Hansen (1803-1883) and constructed between 1839 and 1864. The university moved into the front wing in 1841, while also hosting the National Library and Numismatic Museum for several years starting in 1843. The rest of the H-shaped structure was completed by Lysandros Kaftantzoglou and later by Greek architect Anastasios Theofilas (1827-1901). Carl Rahl decorated the building with paintings.
Sculptures
The University of Athens features a few notable sculptures in front of the building. In the garden to the left is a statue of Greek politician Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831). To the right is a statue of Greek scholar Adamantios Korais (1748-1833) by Ioannis Kossos (1822-1875). Right in front of Panepistimiou Street is a statue of British politician William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898).
Directly in front of the right side of the building is a statue of Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory V (1746-1821). The Patriarch was executed in Constantinople (now Istanbul) on Easter Sunday in 1821 by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II in retaliation for the Greek uprising against the Ottomans. His body was hung from the main gate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, then handed over to the Jews of the city who dragged his body through the streets and threw it into the Golden Horn. The gate was welded shut and has remained closed in his memory ever since. His remains are in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens in Monastiraki.
In front of the left side of the building is a statue of Greek writer, politician, and revolutionary Rigas Feraios (1757-1798).
Vallianeio Megaron
Just past the university is another beautiful building, the Vallianeio Megaron, which housed the entire collection of the National Library for over a century. It was funded by three brothers from Kefalonia, Panagis, Marino, and Andrea Valliano. It was designed by Theophil Hansen with construction supervised by Ernst Ziller. The cornerstone was laid on March 16, 1888 and the building opened in 1902.
The National Library, which was founded in 1829, was transferred to the Vallianeio Megaron in 1903 from the University of Athens, where it had been housed since 1842. It remained there until 2017, and the following year moved to a much larger space at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. The Vallianeio Megaron currently houses the library’s newspaper collection and reading room.
Olympia Theatre
Getting off Panepistimiou for a second, on the next block north along Akadimias is the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre “Maria Callas”. The original Olympia was built by architect Stavros Christidis in 1915 and was replaced in 1957 by the current structure, designed by Panos Tsolakis. Before that, open-air variety shows were performed on the site starting in 1904. The building hosted the Greek National Opera for over 50 years, until it moved to the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center in 2017. It was renovated and reopened in December 2018 as the City Theatre of Athens. Spectators can catch a wide variety of musical performances there today.
In August 1942, an 18-year old soprano named Maria Kalogeropoulou made her operatic debut in a leading role at the Olympia, starring in Puccini’s Tosca to rave reviews. She later came to be known as Maria Callas (1923-1977), for whom the theatre is named today.
Arsakeion
Back to Panepistimiou, on the west side of the street is the original building of the Arsakeion. This private school was founded in 1836 as the Philekpedeftiki Etería (Φιλεκπαιδευτική Εταιρεία / Society for Promoting Education and Learning). It takes its name from its main benefactor, Apostolos Arsakis (1789-1869), a Greek-Romanian politician and philanthropist. Initially, it was a girls-only boarding school for training young teachers to send to Macedonia to help with the survival of the Greek language and culture. The school started admitting boys in 1982 and has campuses in Greece and Tirana, Albania.
The Arsakeion was constructed between 1846 and 1852 by Lysandros Kaftanzoglou. It features an entrance flanked by two Doric columns and a sculpture of Athena by Leonidas Drosis. The building was restored to its original design in the 1980s and since then has housed the offices of the Council of State, which is the supreme administrative court of Greece.
Arsakeion Expansion & Stoa Orpheus
In 1907, the rest of the block around the Arsakeion was demolished and replaced with an expansion designed by Ernst Ziller. Highlights are the domed towers at its western corners as well as Stoa Orpheus, a monumental arcade with a glass dome over an octagonal square.
After the boarding school closed down in 1933, the complex was renovated to accommodate shops. Part of the gallery was renamed Stoa Vivliou (Book Gallery) and houses only bookstores. Stoa Orpheus is currently closed for renovation (as of July 2024) and will be converted to a Greek food hall. I’ll visit and add photos when it reopens to the public.
Stoa Nikoloudi
A block south across from the Vallianeio Megaron is Stoa Nikoloudi. It was built in 1936 by Greek architect Alexandros Nikoloudis (1874-1944), who lived on the top floor of the building until his death.
The arcade quickly became an important commercial center of Athens. It was renovated in 2001 by Alpha Bank, the current owner of the building.
Stoa Pesmazoglou
A few steps down at 39 Panepistimiou is Stoa Pesmazoglou. It’s a place where music lovers can buy vinyl and rare CDs as well as the headquarters of the Greek National Opera. A store named for Nikos Xylouris (1936-1980) is also there, selling traditional Greek music and albums by the late musician.
Korai Square
Korai Square is a small square created when Korai Street was pedestrianized. It contains access to Line 2 of the Athens Metro and is lined by cafés and shops.
Stoa Korai
Stoa Korai, or Galleria Korai opens onto Korai Square. It was built in 1938 as part of the Ethniki Asfalistiki building. Inside is an attractive space occupied by several shops, cafés, and restaurants as well as two historic cinemas.
The basement of the building, which was originally built as an air raid shelter, was used as a Kommandatur detention center by the Nazis from 1941 to 1944 during World War II. Thousands of Greek resistance fighters and German dissidents were tortured there. It now functions as Korai 4, a museum and memorial site.
Bank of Greece
Finally, across the street from the Cathedral of St. Dionysius is the headquarters of the Bank of Greece. It was established in 1927 and the building was constructed between 1933 and 1938. Until January 2001, it was responsible for the former national currency, the drachma. The primary responsibilities of the bank are to ensure price stability, oversee private banks, and act as a treasurer for the Greek government.
