Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace)
On Gingerguide's self-guided Athens audio tour, Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace) is a stop worth about ~45 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type palace
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Athens Athens guide
About Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace)
Once the palace built for Greece's first king, this austere neoclassical block now houses Parliament, its forecourt holding the carved Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a line from Pericles.
The Hellenic Parliament occupies the former Old Royal Palace, built between 1836 and 1843 for Otto of Bavaria, the first king of independent Greece. It was designed by the Bavarian architect Friedrich von Gaertner and financed largely by a personal loan from Otto's father, King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The royal family lived here until a serious fire in 1909; from the mid-1930s the building housed Parliament, with the Senate first convening in 1934 and the Chamber of Deputies in 1935.
On the western forecourt lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, unveiled in 1932 and designed by the architect Emmanouil Lazaridis, with a central marble relief of a fallen warrior. Excerpts from Thucydides' account of Pericles' Funeral Oration flank the figure, and the low walls alongside are inscribed with the names of battlefields where Greeks fought, from the Balkan Wars and the First World War to El Alamein, Korea and Cyprus.
Did you know? The palace was, in effect, a father's gift. King Ludwig of Bavaria lent his son Otto most of the money to build it, so independent Greece's first royal home was underwritten by a loan from the ruler of another country.
How much time do you need at Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace)?
Around ~45 min works well for Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace) — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace)?
Yes — Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace) made the cut as one of 35 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Athens. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
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 Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace)
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