Academy of Athens
Academy of Athens is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Athens audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~30 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Athens Athens guide
About Academy of Athens
A gleaming marble 'temple' little more than a century old, crowned by Athena and Apollo, with Socrates and Plato seated at its steps, the centre of Athens' neoclassical Trilogy.
The Academy of Athens is the centrepiece of the neoclassical 'Athenian Trilogy' on Panepistimiou Street, alongside the University of Athens and the National Library of Greece. It was designed by the Danish architect Theophil Hansen in 1859, built in white Pentelic marble under the supervision of Ernst Ziller, and completed in 1885, financed by the benefactor Baron Simon Sinas. Two tall Ionic columns at the entrance are crowned by statues of Athena and Apollo, sculpted by Leonidas Drosis, while seated marble figures of Socrates and Plato rest at the foot of the staircase.
The central pediment depicts the Birth of Athena, after a design by the painter Carl Rahl that won first prize at the 1873 Vienna World Exhibition. The building is the seat of the Academy of Athens, the country's national academy, established in 1926. Its vivid painted decoration reflects a nineteenth-century interpretation of how ancient Greek marble buildings may once have been coloured.
Did you know? The two seated philosophers were designed by the Greek sculptor Leonidas Drosis but carved by an Italian, a craftsman named Piccarelli, so Socrates and Plato guard the Academy in marble shaped by a foreign hand.
How long should you spend at Academy of Athens?
Plan about ~30 min at Academy of Athens. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Academy of Athens worth visiting?
Academy of Athens is one of the 35 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Athens, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Athens
Day 2 of the Athens in 2 days itinerary →Day 3 of the Athens in 3 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Academy of Athens
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