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The National Garden (Εθνικός Κήπος) in Athens surrounds Hellenic Parliament to the east and south. It’s a 38 acre public park that once belonged to the royal family of Greece.
Introduction to the National Garden
The National Garden is a great place to take a stroll. It’s open daily from sunrise to sunset. The main entrance is on Queen Amalia Avenue. I’ve walked through several times, but due to maintenance or visiting outside of hours, the only feature I’ve missed is the Botanical Museum. I’ll try to get to it on my next trip to Athens.
History of the National Garden
The National Garden was originally laid out as the Royal Garden between 1838 and 1840. It was commissioned by Queen Amalia and designed by German agronomist Friedrich Schmidt. Schmidt imported over 500 species of plants and animals, but unfortunately many of the plants couldn’t survive the dry climate.
The Royal Garden was a private refuge for the royal family but was partially open to the public every afternoon. It was permanently opened to the public and renamed the National Garden in 1920. The main entrance was moved to its current location, where Queen Amalia planted 12 palms.
Tragedy in the National Garden
In 1920, the garden witnessed a bizarre incident that tragically altered the history of both Greece and Turkey. While walking in the garden, the puppet king, Alexander of Greece, was bitten by a pet monkey. He developed sepsis and died three weeks later.
Alexander’s father, Constantine I, who had just been deposed a few years earlier for expressing pro-German sentiment during WWI, was put back on the throne. A war-weary Greek people helped the king defeat his nemesis, Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), in elections two months later.
At that time, Greece was embroiled in a bloody war with the Turks and was making huge territorial gains. The new prime minister, Dimitrios Gounaris (1867-1922), replaced military officers loyal to Venizelos. The change in the political climate cost Greece the support of France and Great Britain, which in turn saw Greece lose all of its territorial gains.
As a result, Smyrna burned to the ground in 1922 and the extremely inhumane Greek and Turkish population exchange followed. Winston Churchill famously wrote “it is perhaps no exaggeration to remark that a quarter of a million persons died of this monkey’s bite.”
Features of the National Garden
The National Garden has several different interesting features. You can see them while wandering around the paths.
Bust of Aristotelis Valaoritis
First, moving in a clockwise direction from the main entrance, is a bust of Greek poet and politician Aristotelis Valaoritis (1824-1879). It’s one of the six statues in the National Garden. Valaoritis wrote several poems about the Greek Revolution and as a politician fought for the rights of the Ionian islands.
Bust of Ioannis Kapodistrias
A few steps away is a bust of Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831), the first head of an independent Greece and one of the most distinguished politicians of his time. He dealt with political instability and opposition to his rule, leading to his assassination on September 27, 1831.
Pergola Wisteria Sinensis
The Pergola Wisteria Sinensis sits in the center of the garden north of the bust of Kapodistrias. It’s named for its covering of Chinese wisteria. Nearby is a small cave.
Central Lake in the National Garden
To the east is the Central Lake. It’s one of the most popular and scenic sections of the garden, with a small bridge and cascade.
The Central Lake is a great place to sit and relax. It’s beautifully landscaped with artificial rock formations and lots of ducks waddling around.
Turtle Pond in the National Garden
Behind the Central Lake is the small Turtle Pond, which is also very popular. It’s a circular enclosure filled with water and a large rock in the center where the turtles like to gather.
Zoo in the National Garden
Just east of the Central Lake is a small zoo. It contains minor species such as goats, chickens, and other small animals.
Botanical Museum in the National Garden
North of the zoo and Central Lake is a small Neoclassical building housing the Botanical Museum of the National Garden. It was built in the 1840s and originally served as a small hunting pavilion for King Otto. The building was mostly abandoned after Otto was deposed in 1862.
In 1984, the building was converted to the Botanical Museum. It exhibits dried leaves from the over 500 species of plants that have been planted in the National Garden. There are also drawings and historic photographs of the garden as well as watercolors painted by Greek botanist P. Kantartzis in 1856. The museum is typically open daily except Mondays.
Roman Mosaic
Detouring to the north side of the National Garden is a spectacular 4th or 5th century Roman mosaic floor. It was excavated between 1840 and 1850, and Queen Amalia had a roof built over it to host banquets. She called it the Garden’s Salon.
Spanish Fountain
South of the zoo, near the entrance across from the Presidential Mansion, is the Spanish Fountain. I don’t ever remember seeing it filled.
Bust of Dionysios Solomos
Near the Spanish Fountain is a bust of Dionysios Solomos (1798-1857). Solomos is considered to be the national poet of Greece. He wrote the poem Hymn to Liberty in 1823, which was set to music and became the country’s national anthem in 1865.
Queen Amalia’s Rock
Queen Amalia’s Rock is on the southeast corner of the National Garden. She used to enjoy sitting on the rock and would spend at least three hours a day personally tending to the garden.
Pergola Rynchospermum Jasminoides
West of Queen Amalia’s Rock and leading to the south entrance is of the National Garden is the Pergola Rynchospermum Jasminoides. It’s named for its covering of evergreen jasmine.
Bust of Jean Moréas
Just inside the south entrance to the National Garden is a bust of Greek poet Jean Moréas (1856-1910). Born Ioannis Papadiamantopoulos, he was based in Paris and wrote mostly in French.
Ancient Ruins
Heading a few steps north from the Moreas statue is a small collection of column drums and ancient architectural fragments.
Children’s Library in the National Garden
In the south central part of the National Garden is the Children’s Library, which is a place for kids to read, listen to classical music, or do creative activities. It was founded in 1984 and has two reading rooms, a story room, and a music and projection room. The library is open Tuesday through Saturday but most of the material is in Greek.
Jean-Gabriel Eynard Monument
Next to the library is a monument to Swiss banker Jean-Gabriel Eynard (1775-1863). As a friend of Greek politician Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831), he became an enthusiastic supporter of the Greek Revolution and the leader of the philhellenes in Europe. He sent significant financial support to the revolutionaries and was later made a Greek citizen for his services. Eynard was an important advisor for the fledgling country and suggested King Otto for the throne when the Kingdom of Greece was established. He was also one of the founders of the National Bank of Greece in 1842. The monument was made by Greek sculptor Ioannis Kossos (1822-1875).
Roman Ruins
A few steps away are some Roman ruins. One of the fragments is an inscription belonging to the propylon of Hadrian’s Reservoir, which is on Dexameni Square in Kolonaki.
Pergola Rosa Banksiae
On the southwest corner of the National Garden is the Pergola Rosa Banksiae. It’s named for its Lady Banks’ rose covering.
Bust of Spyros Samaras
Completing the tour of the gardens features, near the north end of the Pergola Rosa Banksiae is a bust of Greek composer Spyros Samaras (1861-1917). He composed the music for the Olympic Anthem, which was first performed on April 6, 1896, at the Panathenaic Stadium during the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It has been performed at the opening ceremony of every Olympic Games since the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley.
Café at the National Garden
Finally, a good place to stop and enjoy a coffee or refreshing drink is the café at the National Garden. It’s located on the northeast side, not too far from the Botanical Museum.
