Panathenaic Stadium
The Panathenaic Stadium also known as the Kallimarmaro (meaning the "beautifully marbled"), is a multi-purpose stadium used for several events and athletics in Athens that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Reconstructed from the remains of an ancient Greek stadium, the Panathenaic is the only major stadium in the world built entirely of white marble (from Mount Pendeli) and is one of the oldest in the world.
In ancient times, the stadium on this site was used to host the athletic portion of the Panathenaic Games, in honor of the Goddess Athena. During classical times, it had wooden seating. In 329 BC it was rebuilt in marble by the archon Lycurgus and in 140 AD was enlarged and renovated by Herodes Atticus, giving a seated capacity of 50,000.
The remnants of the ancient structure were excavated and refurbished, with funds provided by Enamgelos Zappas, for the revival of the Olympic Games. Zappas sponsored the Olympic Games that were held there in 1870 and 1875. In 1895 the stadium was refurbished a second time for the 1896 Olympics, with completion funding provided by the Greek benefactor George Averoff, whose marble statue now stands at the entrance, based on designs by the architects Anastasios Metaxas and Ernst Ziller.
In 1906 the Panathenaic Stadium hosted another one major international athletic event the 1906 Intercalated Games.
In the2004 Olympic Games, the Panathenaic Stadium hosted the archery competition and the finish of the Marathon.
The Panathenaic Stadium is the venue where the Olympic flame handover ceremony takes place before every Olympic Games
Information
Hours of operation :
March – October: 08:00 – 19:00 last ticket sold at 19:00
Suggested visit hours: during morning and evening hours
Admission:
|
Adults |
3,00 € |
|
Students ticket (for students –individual students and seniors over 65 year old) |
1,50 € |
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School students with their teachers |
free entrance |
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For infants under 6 years of age |
free entrance |
Audio GuideTour:
The audio guide tour is available in 10 languages (Greek, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic)
Address:
Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue