The Athenian Trilogy means three neoclassical style buildings placed side by side. The Academy of Athens, the University and the National Library were once the intellectual center of Athens.
What Can I Do at the Athens Trilogy?
Academy of Athens
The Academy of Athens is divided into the three sections Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts and Ethics and Political Sciences and is the central scientific institution of Athens. It is the most important supporter of non-university scientific research.
The building is reminiscent of an ancient temple, the impressive marble facade is decorated with numerous sculptures, including Socrates, Plato, Athena and Apollon. The building cannot be visited from the inside.
University of Athens
When the University was founded in 1837 it was considered the first university in the Eastern Mediterranean. Over time, the facility expanded and eventually moved to a new campus in the 1960s. The main building is now used by administrative units of the university and by the law faculty.
As the middle building of the Athens trilogy, the university catches the eye with an impressive atrium whose columns are reminiscent of the Acropolis. Sculptures and statues of prominent Greek politicians adorn the entrance. A visit from the inside is not possible.
National Library of Athens
The former royal family had the National Library built in the late 1880s. The model for the building was a former temple of the Agora. The National Library is the first in Greece to be opened to the public and is also the largest in the country. The library is now housed in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in the suburb of Kallithea.
An impressive staircase defines the façade of the marble building. The interior impresses with the Ionic columns and the artistic coffered ceiling. The old national library can also be viewed from the inside without any problems on presentation of your identity card.
How Do I Get to the Athens Trilogy?
The Athens Trilogy is located on Panepistimiou Boulevard between Omonia and Styntagma Square and is easily accessible by metro, red line 2, Panepistimio station.
Entrance, Tickets and Tours
Of the three buildings in the Athens trilogy, only the National Library can be visited from the inside. Visitors are admitted without any problems when they present their identity card.
History of the Athens Trilogy
All three buildings in the Athens Trilogy were constructed between 1839 and 1891.
Only ancient Greek buildings served as a model for this and the strict line of classicism was strictly adhered to. However, the colors are particularly remarkable, all the buildings are decorated with painted friezes and have numerous frescoes.
With the trilogy, the new state wanted to prove that it had rightly been included in the midst of the developed states of the West. The trilogy stands for the organizational fixation of the idea of education and the recognition of humanistic thinking as fundamental values of the country.
Funding the project was very expensive, but there were generous donors living outside of Greece. For example, the Academy of Athens was financed by Baron Simon from Vienna.
With the university in the middle and the academy and the national library on the right and left, the Athenian trilogy formed the intellectual center of the city for over 100 years.
Even today, the buildings have a strong symbolic meaning and represent a national monument with an interesting history.