Panathenaic Stadium (should see)

The Panathenaic stadium, which the Greeks call Kallimarmaro (beautiful marble), was initially built in 330 BC by the statesman Lycurgus for the Panathenaic games. It was later rebuilt with marble by Herodes Atticus, making it the only stadium in the world constructed entirely of marble! It was there that the opening ceremony of the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896.

Reason to Go

To admire the beauty of this stadium, built thousands of years ago and almost untouched by time. To marvel at a society that believed it worthwhile to spend time and money creating an infrastructure and culture that encouraged athletic competition every four years. When you visit the Panathenaic Stadium, you understand the Ancient Greeks’ admiration for the human body and their value of good sportsmanship.

It took more than 1500 years for the modern world to re-establish the Olympic games as we know them today. In ancient Greece, every Greek city-state organized its own athletic games which were part of a religious festival dedicated to a specific God. For example, the city-state of Athens held the Panathenaic games in honor of the goddess Athena, while ancient Olympia held the Olympic games (since 776 BC) in honor of Zeus. At first, the Olympic games were only open to local athletes.

As the years went by, however, this slowly changed. New regulations were enacted which at first allowed, participants from cities close to Olympia (Arkadia and Messinia, for example) while later athletes originated from as far away as Athens, Sicily, Egypt or the Roman empire. The games were so important and sacred that if there was a war during an Olympic year, both sides often agreed to a truce so that the Games could continue and athletes traveling from different cities could travel to Olympia in safety.

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. – 14:30 p.m. (except holidays)