Only a century and a half ago, Athens was almost a town. This fact is best depicted in the City of Athens Museum which is housed in a beautifully preserved neo-classic building (once a royal residence) on Paparigopoulou Street, on Klathmonos Square.
Athens first attained the status of a town in the Middle Hellenic
period, when the worship of Athena was established on the
Acropolis. The Dorian invasions were followed by an obscure
period, during which the Phoenician alphabet was adopted to
express Creek in writing. Athens began to emerge as an artistic
centre around the 8th century BC. Its history is a very long one
and the museum reflects the more recent city in its artefacts,
although its splendid paintings and sketches show the ancient city
as well.
King Otto and Queen Amalia resided in this building from 1836
to 1843 and it was referred to as the "Old Palace" it is today an
exact replica of the original.
The museum according to its founder
Lambros Eftaxias, was
to provide "
... as complete a picture as possible of the history of the
city of Athens from the period of the Frankish occupation and to
contribute to the preservation of the historical and artistic remains
of that period... ". That's exactly what has been achieved.
The Creeks gained their freedom from Ottoman rule in the 1820s, their new
state was patterned on the European models of the 19th century.
With the newly found state came royalty in the form of the baby
faced King Otto, first king of the Hellenes. Second son of Louis 1st
of Bavaria he was placed on the Greek throne by the Great
Powers, his rule lasting from 1832 to 1862.
On the second floor of the museum, in an artfully lighted corner,
sits a bust of the young king, by sculptor
Enrico Franzoni, the royal
features recreated for eternity by the sculptor's chisel.
The interior of the museum is as pleasant as the exterior.
Paintings by the likes
of
Edward Lear, the English artist and humorist (1812 -1888) and
others, adorn the walls and depict scenes from Greece from early
to mid 19th century.
Apart from the examples of
furniture, fireplaces, mirrors, and fascinating kitchen, complete with cooking utensils of the day seemingly ready to set up a banquet at a moments notice, there are maps and prints and the paintings show an Athens very different from the hustle and bustle of today's busy metropolis.
A city which is recognisable by its ancient ruins and sites which bring visitors still, from all corners of the earth to marvel at this great place.
Athens may not be everybody' s dream, but one's imagination can run riot here, this small but charming museum shows what it was like in ancient days, not forgetting the in-between times, equally important to Greece's history.
While away some time there to appreciate better the outside hubbub, or use it as a small quiet place in which to reflect and energise the soul.
