Athens Design Hotels

The Acropolis and the Parthenon. The Acropolis is a symbol of Athens. You'd hardly find a place in the city, from which you won't see the columns of its main temple - the Parthenon. In Greek the Acropolis means 'upper town', and actually this limestone plateau (156m in height) is the very thing that forms the Ancient town and is concerned to be the main attraction of Athens. To enter the Acropolis you are to go through monumental gates, which lead to the Propylaeum, on the left side of them there is an gallery – Pinacotheca, an on the right side one can find the smallest of the three temples of the Acropolis – the Temple of Athena Nike, which by the way is being reconstructed now. The housetop of portico of the second temple, the temple of Erechtheion, is supported by young women – famous caryatids. But the most impressing temple of Athens without any hesitation is the Parthenon. Inside it used to be located a well-known wooden statue of the protectress of the city Athena Parthenos, which was decorated with gold and elephant ivory.

The Parthenon is one of the greatest architectural objects in the world. The architects took into account all the peculiarities of human eyesight and made all the planes of the building a little bit round. This deliberate curvature and also unequal distance among the columns create an impression of a total harmony: all the lines seem to be irreproachably horizontal and vertical. The Acropolis is fascinating and magnificent, especially in evening, when special light is turned on.
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