document_title: Athens

question_text: when was athens made the capital of greece

question_tokens: when was athens made the capital of greece

text: Athens

text: Etymology[edit]

text: In Ancient Greek, the name of the city was Ἀθῆναι (Athēnai, pronounced [a.tʰɛ̂ː.nai̯] in Classical Attic) a plural. In earlier Greek, such as Homeric Greek, the name had been current in the singular form though, as Ἀθήνη (Athēnē).[23] It was possibly rendered in the plural later on, like those of Θῆβαι (Thêbai) and Μυκῆναι (Μukênai). The root of the word is probably not of Greek or Indo-European origin,[24] and is possibly a remnant of the Pre-Greek substrate of Attica.[24] In antiquity, it was debated whether Athens took its name from its patron goddess Athena (Attic Ἀθηνᾶ, Athēnā, Ionic Ἀθήνη, Athēnē, and Doric Ἀθάνα, Athānā) or Athena took her name from the city.[25] Modern scholars now generally agree that the goddess takes her name from the city,[25] because the ending -ene is common in names of locations, but rare for personal names.[25] During the medieval period, the name of the city was rendered once again in the singular as Ἀθήνα. However, after the establishment of the modern Greek state, and partly due to the conservatism of the written language, Ἀθῆναι [aˈθine] became again the official name of the city and remained so until the abandonment of Katharevousa in the 1970s, when Ἀθήνα, Athína, became the official name.

text: According to the ancient Athenian founding myth, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, competed against Poseidon, the god of the seas, for patronage of the yet-unnamed city;[26] they agreed that whoever gave the Athenians the better gift would become their patron[26] and appointed Cecrops, the king of Athens, as the judge.[26] According to the account given by Pseudo-Apollodorus, Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a salt water spring welled up.[26] In an alternative version of the myth from Vergil's Georgics, Poseidon instead gave the Athenians the first horse.[26] In both versions, Athena offered the Athenians the first domesticated olive tree.[26][27] Cecrops accepted this gift[26] and declared Athena the patron goddess of Athens.[26][27]

text: Different etymologies, now commonly rejected, were proposed during the 19th century. Christian Lobeck proposed as the root of the name the word ἄθος (áthos) or ἄνθος (ánthos) meaning "flower", to denote Athens as the "flowering city". Ludwig von Döderlein proposed the stem of the verb θάω, stem θη- (tháō, thē-, "to suck") to denote Athens as having fertile soil.[28]

text: In classical literature, the city was sometimes referred to as the City of the Violet Crown, first documented in Pindar's ἰοστέφανοι Ἀθᾶναι (iostéphanoi Athânai), or as τὸ κλεινὸν ἄστυ (tò kleinòn ásty, "the glorious city"). In medieval texts, variant names include Setines, Satine, and Astines, all derivations involving false splitting of prepositional phrases.[29] Today the caption η πρωτεύουσα (ī protévousa), "the capital", has become somewhat common.

text: Geography[edit]

text: Cityscape / skyline[edit]

text: Geology[edit]

text: Athens sprawls across the central plain of Attica that is often referred to as the Athens or Attica Basin (Greek: Λεκανοπέδιο Αττικής). The basin is bounded by four large mountains: Mount Aigaleo to the west, Mount Parnitha to the north, Mount Pentelicus to the northeast and Mount Hymettus to the east.[30] Beyond Mount Aegaleo lies the Thriasian plain, which forms an extension of the central plain to the west. The Saronic Gulf lies to the southwest. Mount Parnitha is the tallest of the four mountains (1,413 m (4,636 ft)),[31] and has been declared a national park.

text: Athens is built around a number of hills. Lycabettus is one of the tallest hills of the city proper and provides a view of the entire Attica Basin. The geomorphology of Athens is deemed to be one of the most complex in the world because its mountains cause a temperature inversion phenomenon which, along with the Greek Government's difficulties controlling industrial pollution, was responsible for the air pollution problems the city has faced.[32] This issue is not unique to Athens; for instance, Los Angeles and Mexico City also suffer from similar geomorphology inversion problems.[32]

text: The Cephissus river, the Ilisos and the Eridanos stream are the historical rivers of Athens.

text: Environment[edit]

text: By the late 1970s, the pollution of Athens had become so destructive that according to the then Greek Minister of Culture, Constantine Trypanis, "...the carved details on the five the caryatids of the Erechtheum had seriously degenerated, while the face of the horseman on the Parthenon's west side was all but obliterated."[33] A series of measures taken by the authorities of the city throughout the 1990s resulted in the improvement of air quality; the appearance of smog (or nefos as the Athenians used to call it) has become less common.

text: Measures taken by the Greek authorities throughout the 1990s have improved the quality of air over the Attica Basin. Nevertheless, air pollution still remains an issue for Athens, particularly during the hottest summer days. In late June 2007,[34] the Attica region experienced a number of brush fires,[34] including a blaze that burned a significant portion of a large forested national park in Mount Parnitha,[35] considered critical to maintaining a better air quality in Athens all year round.[34] Damage to the park has led to worries over a stalling in the improvement of air quality in the city.[34]

text: The major waste management efforts undertaken in the last decade (particularly the plant built on the small island of Psytalia) have improved water quality in the Saronic Gulf, and the coastal waters of Athens are now accessible again to swimmers. In January 2007, Athens faced a waste management problem when its landfill near Ano Liosia, an Athenian suburb, reached capacity.[36] The crisis eased by mid-January when authorities began taking the garbage to a temporary landfill.[36]

text: Climate[edit]

text: Athens has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). The dominant feature of Athens’ climate is alternation between prolonged hot and dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall.[37] With an average of 416.8 millimetres (16.41 in) of yearly precipitation, rainfall occurs largely between the months of October and April. July and August are the driest months, when thunderstorms occur sparsely once or twice a month.

text: Owing to the rain shadow of the Pindus Mountains, annual precipitation of Athens is lower than most other parts of Greece, especially western Greece. As an example, Ioannina receives around 1,300 mm (51 in) per year, and Agrinio around 800 mm (31 in) per year. Daily average highs for July (1988–2017) have been measured at 34.4 °C or 93.9 °F,[38] but some parts of the city may be even hotter, in particular western areas due to a combination of industrialization and a number of natural factors, knowledge of which has existed since the mid-19th century.[39][40][41]

text: Athens is affected by the urban heat island effect in some areas which is caused by human activity,[42][43] altering its temperatures compared to the surrounding rural areas,[44][45][46][47] and leaving detrimental effects on energy usage, expenditure for cooling,[48][49] and health.[43] The urban heat island of the city has also been found to be partially responsible for alterations of the climatological temperature time-series of specific Athens meteorological stations, because of its impact on the temperatures and the temperature trends recorded by some meteorological stations.[50][51][52][53][54] On the other hand, specific meteorological stations, such as the National Garden station and Thiseio meteorological station, are less affected or do not experience the urban heat island.[44][55]

text: Athens holds the World Meteorological Organization record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe, at 48.0 °C (118.4 °F), which was recorded in the Elefsina and Tatoi suburbs of Athens on 10 July 1977.[56]

text:
[hide]Climate data for Downtown Athens (1988–2017). Extremes from 1890

Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year

Record high °C (°F)
22.6
(72.7)
25.3
(77.5)
28.9
(84)
32.2
(90)
36.7
(98.1)
44.8
(112.6)
48.0
(118.4)
42.6
(108.7)
38.6
(101.5)
36.5
(97.7)
30.5
(86.9)
22.9
(73.2)
44.8
(112.6)

Average high °C (°F)
13.4
(56.1)
14.3
(57.7)
17.1
(62.8)
21.2
(70.2)
26.6
(79.9)
31.7
(89.1)
34.4
(93.9)
34.3
(93.7)
29.7
(85.5)
24.1
(75.4)
18.7
(65.7)
14.4
(57.9)
23.3
(73.9)

Daily mean °C (°F)
10.2
(50.4)
10.8
(51.4)
13.1
(55.6)
16.8
(62.2)
21.7
(71.1)
26.6
(79.9)
29.3
(84.7)
29.2
(84.6)
25.0
(77)
20.1
(68.2)
15.4
(59.7)
11.5
(52.7)
19.1
(66.4)

Average low °C (°F)
7.1
(44.8)
7.3
(45.1)
9.2
(48.6)
12.3
(54.1)
16.9
(62.4)
21.5
(70.7)
24.2
(75.6)
24.2
(75.6)
20.3
(68.5)
16.0
(60.8)
12.0
(53.6)
8.5
(47.3)
15.0
(59)

Record low °C (°F)
−6.5
(20.3)
−5.7
(21.7)
−2.6
(27.3)
1.7
(35.1)
6.2
(43.2)
11.8
(53.2)
16
(61)
15.5
(59.9)
8.9
(48)
5.9
(42.6)
−1.1
(30)
−4
(25)
−6.5
(20.3)

Average rainfall mm (inches)
51.4
(2.024)
43.9
(1.728)
46.0
(1.811)
25.4
(1)
18.6
(0.732)
9.7
(0.382)
8.9
(0.35)
5.0
(0.197)
23.1
(0.909)
39.8
(1.567)
72.3
(2.846)
72.7
(2.862)
416.8
(16.408)

Source: Meteoclub.gr[38]

text:
[hide]Climate data for Elliniko, Athens (rain data for Nea Filadelfeia, Athens)

Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year

Average high °C (°F)
13.3
(55.9)
13.9
(57)
16.6
(61.9)
20.0
(68)
25.2
(77.4)
30.4
(86.7)
33.4
(92.1)
33.7
(92.7)
28.7
(83.7)
23.5
(74.3)
18.8
(65.8)
14.7
(58.5)
22.7
(72.9)

Daily mean °C (°F)
9.9
(49.8)
10.2
(50.4)
12.5
(54.5)
15.7
(60.3)
20.5
(68.9)
25.5
(77.9)
28.5
(83.3)
28.6
(83.5)
24.1
(75.4)
19.5
(67.1)
15.1
(59.2)
11.7
(53.1)
18.5
(65.3)

Average low °C (°F)
6.8
(44.2)
6.8
(44.2)
8.8
(47.8)
11.7
(53.1)
15.8
(60.4)
20.6
(69.1)
23.6
(74.5)
23.8
(74.8)
19.8
(67.6)
15.9
(60.6)
11.7
(53.1)
8.8
(47.8)
14.5
(58.1)

Average rainfall mm (inches)
56.9
(2.24)
46.7
(1.839)
40.7
(1.602)
30.8
(1.213)
22.7
(0.894)
10.6
(0.417)
5.8
(0.228)
6.0
(0.236)
13.9
(0.547)
52.6
(2.071)
58.3
(2.295)
69.1
(2.72)
414.1
(16.302)

Average rainy days
12.6
10.4
10.2
8.1
6.2
3.7
1.9
1.7
3.3
7.2
9.7
12.1
87.1

Average relative humidity (%)
70.7
68.9
67.0
62.9
59.5
52.6
48.7
47.6
57.2
64.6
71.9
71.8
62.0

Mean monthly sunshine hours
158.1
168.0
189.1
225.0
303.8
360.0
384.4
359.6
252.0
198.4
144.0
105.4
2,847.8

Source: Climatebase (temperatures, RH, and sun 1980–2000)[57] World Meteorological Organization (precipitation 1955–1997),[58]

text:
Climate data for Athens

Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year

Average sea temperature °C (°F)
15.4
(59.7)
15.0
(59.0)
15.2
(59.4)
15.7
(60.3)
18.5
(65.3)
22.6
(72.7)
25.7
(78.3)
26.3
(79.3)
25.0
(77.0)
22.2
(72.0)
19.1
(66.4)
16.6
(61.9)
19.8
(67.6)

Mean daily daylight hours
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
14.0
14.0
12.0
11.0
10.0
10.0
12.2

Average Ultraviolet index
2
3
5
6
8
9
10
9
7
5
3
2
5.8

Source: Weather Atlas[59]

text: Locations[edit]

text: Neighbourhoods[edit]

text: The municipality of Athens, the city centre of the Athens Urban Area, is divided into several districts: Omonoia, Syntagma, Exarcheia, Agios Nikolaos, Neapolis, Lykavittos, Lofos Strefi, Lofos Finopoulou, Lofos Filopappou, Pedion Areos, Metaxourgeio, Aghios Kostantinos, Larissa Station, Kerameikos, Psiri, Monastiraki, Gazi, Thission, Kapnikarea, Aghia Irini, Aerides, Anafiotika, Plaka, Acropolis, Pnyka, Makrygianni, Lofos Ardittou, Zappeion, Aghios Spyridon, Pangrati, Kolonaki, Dexameni, Evaggelismos, Gouva, Aghios Ioannis, Neos Kosmos, Koukaki, Kynosargous, Fix, Ano Petralona, Kato Petralona, Rouf, Votanikos, Profitis Daniil, Akadimia Platonos, Kolonos, Kolokynthou, Attikis Square, Lofos Skouze, Sepolia, Kypseli, Aghios Meletios, Nea Kypseli, Gyzi, Polygono, Ampelokipoi, Panormou-Gerokomeio, Pentagono, Ellinorosson, Nea Filothei, Ano Kypseli, Tourkovounia-Lofos Patatsou, Lofos Elikonos, Koliatsou, Thymarakia, Kato Patisia, Treis Gefyres, Aghios Eleftherios, Ano Patisia, Kypriadou, Menidi, Prompona, Aghios Panteleimonas, Pangrati, Goudi and Ilisia.

text:
Omonoia, Omonoia Square, (Greek: Πλατεία Ομονοίας) is the oldest square in Athens. It is surrounded by hotels and fast food outlets, and contains a train station used by the Athens Metro and the Ilektrikos, named Omonoia station. The square is the focus for celebration of sporting victories, as seen after the country's winning of the Euro 2004 and the Eurobasket 2005 tournaments.
Metaxourgeio (Greek: Μεταξουργείο) is a neighborhood of Athens. The neighborhood is located north of the historical centre of Athens, between Kolonos to the east and Kerameikos to the west, and north of Gazi. Metaxourgeio is frequently described as a transition neighborhood. After a long period of abandonment in the late 20th century, the area is acquiring a reputation as an artistic and fashionable neighborhood following the opening of art galleries, museums, restaurants and cafés. [1] Local efforts to beautify and invigorate the neighborhood have reinforced a sense of community and artistic expression. Anonymous art pieces containing quotes and statements in both English and Ancient Greek have sprung up throughout the neighborhood, bearing statements such as "Art for art's sake" (Τέχνη τέχνης χάριν). Guerilla gardening has also helped to beautify the area.
Psiri and Gazi – The reviving Psiri (Greek: Ψυρρή) neighbourhood – also known as Athens's "meat packing district" – is dotted with renovated former mansions, artists' spaces, and small gallery areas. A number of its renovated buildings also host fashionable bars, making it a hotspot for the city in the last decade, while live music restaurants known as "rebetadika", after rebetiko, a unique form of music that blossomed in Syros and Athens from the 1920s until the 1960s, are to be found. Rebetiko is admired by many, and as a result rebetadika are often crammed with people of all ages who will sing, dance and drink till dawn.

text: The Gazi (Greek: Γκάζι) area, one of the latest in full redevelopment, is located around a historic gas factory, now converted into the Technopolis cultural multiplex, and also includes artists' areas, small clubs, bars and restaurants, as well as Athens's "Gay village". The metro's expansion to the western suburbs of the city has brought easier access to the area since spring 2007, as the blue line now stops at Gazi (Kerameikos station).

text:
Syntagma, Syntagma Square, (Greek: Σύνταγμα/Constitution Square), is the capital's central and largest square, lying adjacent to the Greek Parliament (the former Royal Palace) and the city's most notable hotels. Ermou Street, an approximately one-kilometre-long (0.62-mile) pedestrian road connecting Syntagma Square to Monastiraki, is a consumer paradise for both Athenians and tourists. Complete with fashion shops and shopping centres promoting most international brands, it now finds itself in the top five most expensive shopping streets in Europe, and the tenth most expensive retail street in the world.[60] Nearby, the renovated Army Fund building in Panepistimiou Street includes the "Attica" department store and several upmarket designer stores.
Plaka, Monastiraki, and Thission – Plaka (Greek: Πλάκα), lying just beneath the Acropolis, is famous for its plentiful neoclassical architecture, making up one of the most scenic districts of the city. It remains a prime tourist destination with tavernas, live performances and street salesmen. Nearby Monastiraki (Greek: Μοναστηράκι), for its part, is known for its string of small shops and markets, as well as its crowded flea market and tavernas specialising in souvlaki. Another district known for its student-crammed, stylish cafés is Theseum or Thission (Greek: Θησείο), lying just west of Monastiraki. Thission is home to the ancient Temple of Hephaestus, standing atop a small hill. This area also has a picturesque 11th-century Byzantine church, as well as a 15th-century Ottoman mosque.
Exarcheia (Greek: Εξάρχεια), located north of Kolonaki, is the location of the city's anarchist scene and as a student quarter with cafés, bars and bookshops. Exarcheia is home to the Athens Polytechnic and the National Archaeological Museum; it also contains important buildings of several 20th-century styles: Neoclassicism, Art Deco and Early Modernism (including Bauhaus influences).[citation needed]
Kolonaki (Greek: Κολωνάκι) is the area at the base of Lycabettus hill, full of boutiques catering to well-heeled customers by day, and bars and more fashionable restaurants by night, with galleries and museums. This is often regarded as one of the more prestigious areas of the capital.

text: Parks and zoos[edit]

text: Parnitha National Park is punctuated by well-marked paths, gorges, springs, torrents and caves dotting the protected area. Hiking and mountain-biking in all four mountains are popular outdoor activities for residents of the city. The National Garden of Athens was completed in 1840 and is a green refuge of 15.5 hectares in the centre of the Greek capital. It is to be found between the Parliament and Zappeion buildings, the latter of which maintains its own garden of seven hectares.

text: Parts of the city centre have been redeveloped under a masterplan called the Unification of Archeological Sites of Athens, which has also gathered funding from the EU to help enhance the project.[61][62] The landmark Dionysiou Areopagitou Street has been pedestrianised, forming a scenic route. The route starts from the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, continues under the southern slopes of the Acropolis near Plaka, and finishes just beyond the Temple of Hephaestus in Thiseio. The route in its entirety provides visitors with views of the Parthenon and the Agora (the meeting point of ancient Athenians), away from the busy city centre.

text: The hills of Athens also provide green space. Lycabettus, Philopappos hill and the area around it, including Pnyx and Ardettos hill, are planted with pines and other trees, with the character of a small forest rather than typical metropolitan parkland. Also to be found is the Pedion tou Areos (Field of Mars) of 27.7 hectares, near the National Archaeological Museum.

text: Athens' largest zoo is the Attica Zoological Park, a 20-hectare (49-acre) private zoo located in the suburb of Spata. The zoo is home to around 2000 animals representing 400 species, and is open 365 days a year. Smaller zoos exist within public gardens or parks, such as the zoo within the National Garden of Athens.

text: Surrounding areas[edit]

text: The large City Centre of the Greek capital falls directly within the municipality of Athens, which is the largest in population size in Greece. Piraeus[63] also forms a significant city centre on its own, within the Athens Urban Area and being the second largest in population size within it, with Peristeri and Kallithea following.

text: Urban and suburban municipalities[edit]

text: The Athens Metropolitan Area consists of 58[20] densely populated municipalities, sprawling around the municipality of Athens (the city centre) in virtually all directions. For the Athenians, all the urban municipalities surrounding the city centre are called suburbs. According to their geographic location in relation to the City of Athens, the suburbs are divided into four zones; the northern suburbs (including Agios Stefanos, Dionysos, Ekali, Nea Erythraia, Kifissia, Maroussi, Pefki, Lykovrysi, Metamorfosi, Nea Ionia, Nea Filadelfeia, Irakleio, Vrilissia, Melissia, Penteli, Chalandri, Agia Paraskevi, Galatsi, Psychiko and Filothei); the southern suburbs (including Alimos, Nea Smyrni, Moschato, Kallithea, Agios Dimitrios, Palaio Faliro, Elliniko, Glyfada, Argyroupoli, Ilioupoli, Voula and Vouliagmeni); the eastern suburbs (including Zografou, Dafni, Vyronas, Kaisariani, Cholargos and Papagou); and the western suburbs (including Peristeri, Ilion, Egaleo, Koridallos, Agia Varvara, Chaidari, Petroupoli, Agioi Anargyroi and Kamatero).

text: The Athens city coastline, extending from the major commercial port of Piraeus to the southernmost suburb of Varkiza for some 25 km (20 mi),[64] is also connected to the city centre by a tram.

text: In the northern suburb of Maroussi, the upgraded main Olympic Complex (known by its Greek acronym OAKA) dominates the skyline. The area has been redeveloped according to a design by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, with steel arches, landscaped gardens, fountains, futuristic glass, and a landmark new blue glass roof which was added to the main stadium. A second Olympic complex, next to the sea at the beach of Palaio Faliro, also features modern stadia, shops and an elevated esplanade. Work is underway to transform the grounds of the old Athens Airport – named Elliniko – in the southern suburbs, into one of the largest landscaped parks in Europe, to be named the Hellenikon Metropolitan Park.[65]

text: Many of the southern suburbs (such as Alimos, Palaio Faliro, Elliniko, Voula, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza) known as the Athens Riviera, host a number of sandy beaches, most of which are operated by the Greek National Tourism Organisation and require an entrance fee. Casinos operate on both Mount Parnitha, some 25 km (16 mi)[66] from downtown Athens (accessible by car or cable car), and the nearby town of Loutraki (accessible by car via the Athens – Corinth National Highway, or the suburban rail service Proastiakos).

text: Athens Urban Area[edit]

text: The Athens Urban Area today consists of 40 municipalities, 35 of which make up what is referred to as the Greater Athens municipalities, located within 4 regional units (North Athens, West Athens, Central Athens, South Athens); and a further 5, which make up the Greater Piraeus municipalities, located within the regional unit of Piraeus as mentioned above. The densely built up urban area of the Greek capital sprawls across 412 km2 (159 sq mi)[19] throughout the Attica Basin and has a total population of 3,074,160 (in 2011).

text: The Athens municipality forms the core and center of Greater Athens, which consists of the Athens municipality and 34 more municipalities, divided in four regional units (Central, North, South and West Athens), accounting for 2,641,511 people (in 2011)[2] within an area of 361 km2 (139 sq mi).[19] Until 2010, these four regional units made up the abolished Athens Prefecture. The municipality of Piraeus, the historic Athenian port, with its 4 suburban municipalities make up the regional unit of Piraeus, which in turn forms Greater Piraeus.

text: Greater Athens and Greater Piraeus combined make up the continuous built up Athens Urban Area (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Αθηνών), also called the Urban Area of the Capital (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Πρωτεύουσας) or simply Athens (the most common use of the term), spanning over 412 km2 (159 sq mi),[67] with a population of 3,090,508 people as of 2011. The Athens Urban Area is considered to form the city of Athens as a whole, despite its administrative divisions, which is the largest in Greece and one of the most populated urban areas in Europe.

text:
Municipalities of Greater Athens

Central Athens:
1. City of Athens
2. Dafni-Ymittos
3. Ilioupoli
4. Vyronas
5. Kaisariani
6. Zografou
7. Galatsi
8. Filadelfeia-Chalkidona

West Athens:

29. Egaleo

30. Agia Varvara

31. Chaidari

32. Peristeri

33. Petroupoli

34. Ilion

35. Agioi Anargyroi-Kamatero

North Athens:

9. Nea Ionia

10. Irakleio

11. Metamorfosi

12. Lykovrysi-Pefki

13. Kifissia

14. Penteli

15. Marousi

16. Vrilissia

17. Agia Paraskevi

18. Papagou-Cholargos

19. Chalandri

20. Filothei-Psychiko

South Athens:
21. Glyfada
22. Elliniko-Argyroupoli
23. Alimos
24. Agios Dimitrios
25. Nea Smyrni
26. Palaio Faliro
27. Kallithea
28. Moschato-Tavros

Athens Urban Area

Regional units:

Central Athens:
*     Athens municipality
*     Other municipalities

     North Athens

     South Athens

     West Athens

     Piraeus

text: Athens Metropolitan Area[edit]

text: The Athens Metropolitan Area spans 2,928.717 km2 (1,131 sq mi) within the Attica region and includes a total of 58 municipalities, which are organized in 7 regional units (those outlined above, along with East Attica and West Attica), having reached a population of 3,737,550 based on the preliminary results of the 2011 census. Athens and Piraeus municipalities serve as the two metropolitan centres of the Athens Metropolitan Area.[68] There are also some inter-municipal centres serving specific areas. For example, Kifissia and Glyfada serve as inter-municipal centres for northern and southern suburbs respectively.

text: Demographics[edit]

text: Population in modern times[edit]

text: The municipality of Athens has an official population of 664,046 people.[2] The four regional units that make up what is referred to as Greater Athens have a combined population of 2,640,701. They together with the regional unit of Piraeus (Greater Piraeus) make up the dense Athens Urban Area which reaches a total population of 3,090,508 inhabitants (in 2011).[20] As Eurostat the FUA of Athens had in 2013 3,828,434 inhabitants, being apparently decreasing compared with the pre-economic crisis date of 2009 (4,164,175)[21]

text: The municipality (City) of Athens is the most populous in Greece, with a population of 664,046 people (in 2011)[2] and an area of 38.96 km2 (15.04 sq mi),[18] forming the core of the Athens Urban Area within the Attica Basin. The current mayor of Athens is Giorgos Kaminis. The municipality is divided into seven municipal districts which are mainly used for administrative purposes.

text: As of the 2011 census, the population for each of the seven municipal districts of Athens is as follows:[69]

text:
1st: 75,810
2nd: 103,004
3rd: 46,508
4th: 85,629
5th: 98,665
6th: 130,582
7th: 123,848

text: For the Athenians the most popular way of dividing the city proper is through its neighbourhoods such as Pagkrati, Ambelokipi, Exarcheia, Patissia, Ilissia, Petralona, Koukaki and Kypseli, each with its own distinct history and characteristics.

text: Population of the Athens Metropolitan Area[edit]

text: The Athens Metropolitan Area, with an area of 2,928.717 km2 (1,131 sq mi) and inhabited by 3,753,783 people in 2011,[2] consists of the Athens Urban Area with the addition of the towns and villages of East and West Attica, which surround the dense urban area of the Greek capital. It actually sprawls over the whole peninsula of Attica, which is the best part of the region of Attica, excluding the islands.

text:
Classification of regional units within Greater Athens, Athens Urban Area and Athens Metropolitan Area

Regional unit
Population (2011)

Central Athens
1,029,520
Greater Athens
2,641,511
Athens Urban Area
3,090,508
Athens Metropolitan Area
3,753,783

North Athens
592,490

South Athens
529,826

West Athens
489,675

Piraeus
448,997
Greater Piraeus
448,997

East Attica
502,348

West Attica
160,927

text: Population in ancient times[edit]

text: Mycenean Athens in 1600–1100 BCE could have reached the size of Tiryns; that would put the population at the range of 10,000 – 15,000.[70] During the Greek Dark Ages the population of Athens was around 4,000 people. In 700 BC the population grew to 10,000. In 500 BCE the area probably contained 200,000 people. During the classical period the city's population is estimated from 150,000 – 350,000 and up to 610,000 according to Thucydides. When Demetrius of Phalerum conducted a population census in 317 BCE the population was 21,000 free citizens, plus 10,000 resident aliens and 400,000 slaves. This suggests a total population of 431,000.[71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79] This figure is highly suspect because of the lopsided number of slaves and does not include free women and children and resident foreigners: an estimated based on Thucydides is: 40,000 male citizens, 100,000 family members, 70,000 metics (resident foreigners) and 150,000-400,000 slaves. However the numbers would include Attica and not just Athens the city, Urban History of Athens, 2008.

text: The ancient site of Athens is centred on the rocky hill of the acropolis. In ancient times the port of Piraeus was a separate city, but it has now been absorbed into the Athens Urban Area. The rapid expansion of the city, which continues to this day, was initiated in the 1950s and 1960s, because of Greece's transition from an agricultural to an industrial nation.[80] The expansion is now particularly toward the East and North East (a tendency greatly related to the new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and the Attiki Odos, the freeway that cuts across Attica). By this process Athens has engulfed many former suburbs and villages in Attica, and continues to do so. The table below shows the historical population of Athens in recent times.

text:
Year
City population
Urban population
Metro population

1833
4,000[81]
–
–

1870
44,500[81]
–
–

1896
123,000[81]
–
–

1921 (Pre-Population exchange)
473,000[32]
–
–

1921 (Post-Population exchange)
718,000[81]
–
–

1971
867,023
-
2,540,241
[82]
–
–

1981
885,737
–
3,369,443

1991
772,072
3,444,358
3,523,407
[83]

2001
745,514[84]
3,165,823[84]
3,761,810[84]

2011
664,046
3,090,508
3,753,783[20]

text: Government and politics[edit]

text: Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834, following Nafplion, which was the provisional capital from 1829. The municipality (City) of Athens is also the capital of the Attica region. The term Athens can refer either to the municipality of Athens, to Greater Athens, or to the entire Athens Urban Area.

text: International relations and influence[edit]

text: Twin towns – sister cities[edit]

text: Athens is twinned with:[85]

text:
Beijing, China (2005)[85][86]
 Bethlehem, Palestine (1986)[85]
 Los Angeles, United States (1984)[85][87]
 Nicosia, Cyprus (1988)[85][88]
 Ammochostos, Cyprus (2005)[85]

text: Partnerships[edit]

text:
Belgrade, Serbia (1966)[89]
 Paris, France (2000)[90]
 Ljubljana, Slovenia[91]
 Naples, Italy[92]
 Yerevan, Armenia (1993) [93]

text: Other locations named after Athens[edit]

text:
Athens, Alabama (pop. 24,234)
Athens, Arkansas[94]
Athens, California
West Athens, California (pop. 9,101)
Athens, Georgia (pop. 114,983)
Athens, Illinois (pop. 1,726)
New Athens, Illinois (pop. 2,620)
New Athens Township, St. Clair County, Illinois (pop. 2,620)
Athens, Indiana
Athens, Kentucky
Athens, Louisiana (pop. 262)
Athens Township, Jewell County, Kansas (pop. 74)
Athens, Maine (pop. 847)
Athens, Michigan (pop. 1,111)
Athens Township, Michigan (pop. 2,571)
Athens, Minnesota
Athens Township, Minnesota (pop. 2,322)

Athens, Mississippi
Athens (town), New York (pop. 3,991)
Athens (village), New York (pop. 1,695)
Athens, Ohio (pop. 21,909)
Athens County, Ohio (pop. 62,223)
Athens Township, Athens County, Ohio (pop. 27,714)
Athens Township, Harrison County, Ohio (pop. 520)
New Athens, Ohio (pop. 342)
Athena, Oregon (pop. 1,270)
Athens, Pennsylvania (pop. 3,415)
Athens Township, Bradford County, Pennsylvania (pop. 5,058)
Athens Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania (pop. 775)
Athens, Tennessee (pop. 13,220)
Athens, Texas (pop. 11,297)
Athens, Vermont (pop. 340)
Athens, West Virginia (pop. 1,102)
Athens, Wisconsin (pop. 1,095)

text:
Canada

Athens Township, Ontario (pop. 3,086)

 Costa Rica

Atenas (pop. 7,716)
Atenas (canton) (pop. 23,743)

 Germany

Athenstedt, Saxony-Anhalt (pop. 431)

 Honduras

Atenas De San Cristóbal, Atlántida[95]

 Italy

Atena Lucana, Province of Salerno, Campania (pop. 2,344)
Atina, Province of Frosinone, Lazio (pop. 4,480)

 Poland

Ateny, Podlaskie Voivodeship (pop. 40)

 Ukraine

Afini (Zoria – Зоря), Donetsk (pop. 200)

text: History[edit]

text: The oldest known human presence in Athens is the Cave of Schist, which has been dated to between the 11th and 7th millennia BCE.[96] Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least 7000 years.[97][32] By 1400 BCE the settlement had become an important centre of the Mycenaean civilization and the Acropolis was the site of a major Mycenaean fortress, whose remains can be recognised from sections of the characteristic Cyclopean walls.[98] Unlike other Mycenaean centers, such as Mycenae and Pylos, it is not known whether Athens suffered destruction in about 1200 BCE, an event often attributed to a Dorian invasion, and the Athenians always maintained that they were "pure" Ionians with no Dorian element. However, Athens, like many other Bronze Age settlements, went into economic decline for around 150 years afterwards.

text: Iron Age burials, in the Kerameikos and other locations, are often richly provided for and demonstrate that from 900 BCE onwards Athens was one of the leading centres of trade and prosperity in the region.[99] The leading position of Athens may well have resulted from its central location in the Greek world, its secure stronghold on the Acropolis and its access to the sea, which gave it a natural advantage over inland rivals such as Thebes and Sparta.

text: By the 6th century BCE, widespread social unrest led to the reforms of Solon. These would pave the way for the eventual introduction of democracy by Cleisthenes in 508 BCE. Athens had by this time become a significant naval power with a large fleet, and helped the rebellion of the Ionian cities against Persian rule. In the ensuing Greco-Persian Wars Athens, together with Sparta, led the coalition of Greek states that would eventually repel the Persians, defeating them decisively at Marathon in 490 BCE, and crucially at Salamis in 480 BCE. However, this did not prevent Athens from being captured and sacked twice by the Persians within one year, after a heroic resistance at Thermopylae by Spartans and other Greeks led by King Leonidas,[100] after both Boeotia and Attica fell to the Persians.

text: The decades that followed became known as the Golden Age of Athenian democracy, during which time Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece, with its cultural achievements laying the foundations for Western civilization. The playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides flourished in Athens during this time, as did the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, the physician Hippocrates, and the philosopher Socrates. Guided by Pericles, who promoted the arts and fostered democracy, Athens embarked on an ambitious building program that saw the construction of the Acropolis of Athens (including the Parthenon), as well as empire-building via the Delian League. Originally intended as an association of Greek city-states to continue the fight against the Persians, the league soon turned into a vehicle for Athens's own imperial ambitions. The resulting tensions brought about the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE), in which Athens was defeated by its rival Sparta.

text: By the mid-4th century BCE, the northern Greek kingdom of Macedon was becoming dominant in Athenian affairs. In 338 BCE the armies of Philip II defeated an alliance of some of the Greek city-states including Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea, effectively ending Athenian independence. Later, under Rome, Athens was given the status of a free city because of its widely admired schools. The Roman emperor Hadrian, in the 2nd century CE, constructed a library, a gymnasium, an aqueduct which is still in use, several temples and sanctuaries, a bridge and financed the completion of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

text: By the end of Late Antiquity, the city experienced decline followed by recovery in the second half of the Middle Byzantine Period, in the 9th to 10th centuries CE, and was relatively prosperous during the Crusades, benefiting from Italian trade. After the Fourth Crusade the Duchy of Athens was established. In 1458 it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and entered a long period of decline.

text: Following the Greek War of Independence and the establishment of the Greek Kingdom, Athens was chosen as the capital of the newly independent Greek state in 1834, largely because of historical and sentimental reasons. At the time it was a town of modest size built around the foot of the Acropolis. The first King of Greece, Otto of Bavaria, commissioned the architects Stamatios Kleanthis and Eduard Schaubert to design a modern city plan fit for the capital of a state.

text: The first modern city plan consisted of a triangle defined by the Acropolis, the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos and the new palace of the Bavarian king (now housing the Greek Parliament), so as to highlight the continuity between modern and ancient Athens. Neoclassicism, the international style of this epoch, was the architectural style through which Bavarian, French and Greek architects such as Hansen, Klenze, Boulanger or Kaftantzoglou designed the first important public buildings of the new capital. In 1896, Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games. During the 1920s a number of Greek refugees, expelled from Asia Minor after the Greco-Turkish War, swelled Athens's population; nevertheless it was most particularly following World War II, and from the 1950s and 1960s, that the population of the city exploded, and Athens experienced a gradual expansion.

text: In the 1980s it became evident that smog from factories and an ever-increasing fleet of automobiles, as well as a lack of adequate free space due to congestion, had evolved into the city's most important challenge. A series of anti-pollution measures taken by the city's authorities in the 1990s, combined with a substantial improvement of the city's infrastructure (including the Attiki Odos motorway, the expansion of the Athens Metro, and the new Athens International Airport), considerably alleviated pollution and transformed Athens into a much more functional city. In 2004 Athens hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics.

text: Culture[edit]

text: Archaeological hub[edit]

text: The city is a world centre of archaeological research. Along with national institutions, such as the Athens University and the Archaeological Society, there are multiple archaeological Museums including the National Archaeological Museum, the Cycladic Museum, the Epigraphic Museum, the Byzantine & Christian Museum, as well as museums at the ancient Agora, Acropolis, Kerameikos, and the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum. The city is also home to the Demokritos laboratory for Archaeometry, alongside regional and national archaeological authorities that form part of the Greek Department of Culture.

text: Athens hosts 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes which promote and facilitate research by scholars from their home countries. As a result, Athens has more than a dozen archaeological libraries and three specialized archaeological laboratories, and is the venue of several hundred specialized lectures, conferences and seminars, as well as dozens of archaeological exhibitions, each year. At any given time, hundreds of international scholars and researchers in all disciplines of archaeology are to be found in the city.

text: Architecture[edit]

text: Athens incorporates architectural styles ranging from Greco-Roman and Neoclassical to modern times. They are often to be found in the same areas, as Athens is not marked by a uniformity of architectural style.

text: For the greatest part of the 19th century Neoclassicism dominated Athens, as well as some deviations from it such as Eclecticism, especially in the early 20th century. Thus, the Old Royal Palace was the first important public building to be built, between 1836 and 1843. Later in the mid and late 19th century, Theophil Freiherr von Hansen and Ernst Ziller took part in the construction of many neoclassical buildings such as the Athens Academy and the Zappeion Hall. Ziller also designed many private mansions in the centre of Athens which gradually became public, usually through donations, such as Schliemann's Iliou Melathron.

text: Beginning in the 1920s, Modern architecture including Bauhaus and Art Deco began to exert an influence on almost all Greek architects, and buildings both public and private were constructed in accordance with these styles. Localities with a great number of such buildings include Kolonaki, and some areas of the centre of the city; neighbourhoods developed in this period include Kypseli.[101]

text: In the 1950s and 1960s during the extension and development of Athens, other modern movements such as the International style played an important role. The centre of Athens was largely rebuilt, leading to the demolition of a number of neoclassical buildings. The architects of this era employed materials such as glass, marble and aluminium, and many blended modern and classical elements.[102] After World War II, internationally known architects to have designed and built in the city included Walter Gropius, with his design for the US Embassy, and, among others, Eero Saarinen, in his postwar design for the east terminal of the Ellinikon Airport.

text: Urban sculpture[edit]

text: All over the city can be found several statues or busts. Apart from the neoclassicals by Leonidas Drosis at the Academy of Athens (Plato, Socrates, Apollo, Athena), other notable include the statue of Theseus by Georgios Fytalis at Thiseion, of philhellenes like Lord Byron, George Canning and William Gladstone, the equestrian statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis by Lazaros Sochos in front of the Old Parliament, statues of Ioannis Kapodistrias, Rigas Feraios and Adamantios Korais at the University, of Evangelos Zappas and Konstantinos Zappas at Zappeion, of Ioannis Varvakis at the National Garden, the "woodbreaker" by Dimitrios Filippotis, the equestrian statue of Alexandros Papagos at Papagou district and various busts of fighters of Greek independence at the Pedion tou Areos. An important landmark is also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma.

text: Museums[edit]

text: Athens' most important museums include:

text:
the National Archaeological Museum, the largest archaeological museum in the country, and one of the most important internationally, as it contains a vast collection of antiquities; its artifacts cover a period of more than 5,000 years, from late Neolithic Age to Roman Greece;
the Benaki Museum with its several branches for each of its collections including ancient, Byzantine, Ottoman-era, and Chinese art and beyond;
the Byzantine and Christian Museum, one of the most important museums of Byzantine art;
the Numismatic Museum, housing a major collection of ancient and modern coins;
the Museum of Cycladic Art, home to an extensive collection of Cycladic art, including its famous figurines of white marble;
the New Acropolis Museum, opened in 2009, and replacing the old museum on the Acropolis. The new museum has proved considerably popular; almost one million people visited during the summer period June–October 2009 alone. A number of smaller and privately owned museums focused on Greek culture and arts are also to be found.
the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, a museum which displays artifacts from the burial site of Kerameikos. Much of the pottery and other artifacts relate to Athenian attitudes towards death and the afterlife, throughout many ages.
the Jewish Museum of Greece, a museum which describes the history and culture of the Greek Jewish community.

text: Tourism[edit]

text: Athens has been a destination for travellers since antiquity. Over the past decade, the city's infrastructure and social amenities have improved, in part because of its successful bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. The Greek Government, aided by the EU, has funded major infrastructure projects such as the state-of-the-art Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport,[103] the expansion of the Athens Metro system,[61] and the new Attiki Odos Motorway.[61]

text: Athens was voted as the third best European city to visit in 2015 by European Best Destination. More than 240,000 people voted.

text: Entertainment and performing arts[edit]

text: Athens is home to 148 theatrical stages, more than any other city in the world, including the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus, home to the Athens Festival, which runs from May to October each year.[104][105] In addition to a large number of multiplexes, Athens plays host to open air garden cinemas. The city also supports music venues, including the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Moussikis), which attracts world class artists.[106] The Athens Planetarium,[107] located in Andrea Syngrou Avenue, is one of the largest and best equipped digital planetaria in the world.[108][109] The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, inaugurated in 2016, will house the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera.[110]

text: Music[edit]

text: The most successful songs during the period 1870–1930 were the so-called Athenian serenades (Αθηναϊκές καντάδες), based on the Heptanesean kantádhes (καντάδες 'serenades'; sing.: καντάδα) and the songs performed on stage (επιθεωρησιακά τραγούδια 'theatrical revue songs') in revues, musical comedies, operettas and nocturnes that were dominating Athens' theatre scene.

text: Notable composers of operettas or nocturnes were Kostas Giannidis, Dionysios Lavrangas, Nikos Hatziapostolou, while Theophrastos Sakellaridis' The Godson remains probably the most popular operetta. Despite the fact that the Athenian songs were not autonomous artistic creations (in contrast with the serenades) and despite their original connection with mainly dramatic forms of Art, they eventually became hits as independent songs. Notable actors of Greek operettas, who made also a series of melodies and songs popular at that time, include Orestis Makris, Kalouta sisters, Vasilis Avlonitis, Afroditi Laoutari, Eleni Papadaki, Marika Nezer, Marika Krevata and others. After 1930, wavering among American and European musical influences as well as the Greek musical tradition. Greek composers begin to write music using the tunes of the tango, waltz, swing, foxtrot, some times combined with melodies in the style of Athenian serenades' repertory. Nikos Gounaris was probably the most renowned composer and singer of the time.

text: In 1923, after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, many ethnic Greeks from Asia Minor fled to Athens as a result of the Greco-Turkish War. They settled in poor neighborhoods and brought with them Rebetiko music, making it popular also in Greece, which became later the base for the Laïko music. Other forms of song popular today in Greece are elafrolaika, entechno, dimotika, and skyladika.[111] Greece's most notable, and internationally famous, composers of Greek song, mainly of the entechno form, are Manos Hadjidakis and Mikis Theodorakis. Both composers have achieved fame abroad for their composition of film scores.[111]

text: Sports[edit]

text: Overview[edit]

text: Athens has a long tradition in sports and sporting events, serving as home to the most important clubs in Greek sport and housing a large number of sports facilities. The city has also been host to sports events of international importance.

text: Athens has hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice, in 1896 and 2004. The 2004 Summer Olympics required the development of the Athens Olympic Stadium, which has since gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, and one of its most interesting modern monuments.[112] The biggest stadium in the country, it hosted two finals of the UEFA Champions League, in 1994 and 2007. Athens' other major stadium, located in the Piraeus area, is the Karaiskakis Stadium, a sports and entertainment complex, host of the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final.

text: Athens has hosted the Euroleague final three times, the first in 1985 and second in 1993, both at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, most known as SEF, a large indoor arena,[113] and the third time in 2007 at the Olympic Indoor Hall. Events in other sports such as athletics, volleyball, water polo etc., have been hosted in the capital's venues.

text: Athens is home to three European multi-sport clubs: Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens. In football, Olympiacos have dominated the domestic competitions, Panathinaikos made it to the 1971 European Cup Final, while AEK Athens is the other member of the big three. These clubs also have basketball teams; Panathinaikos and Olympiacos are among the top powers in European basketball, having won the Euroleague six times and three respectively, whilst AEK Athens was the first Greek team to win a European trophy in any team sport.

text: Other notable clubs within Athens are Athinaikos, Panionios, Atromitos, Apollon, Panellinios, Ethnikos Piraeus, Maroussi BCE and Peristeri B.C.. Athenian clubs have also had domestic and international success in other sports.

text: The Athens area encompasses a variety of terrain, notably hills and mountains rising around the city, and the capital is the only major city in Europe to be bisected by a mountain range. Four mountain ranges extend into city boundaries and thousands of miles of trails criss-cross the city and neighbouring areas, providing exercise and wilderness access on foot and bike.

text: Beyond Athens and across the prefecture of Attica, outdoor activities include skiing, rock climbing, hang gliding and windsurfing. Numerous outdoor clubs serve these sports, including the Athens Chapter of the Sierra Club, which leads over 4,000 outings annually in the area.

text: Sports clubs[edit]

text:
Notable sport clubs based inside the boundaries of Athens Municipality

Club
Founded
Sports
District
Achievements

Panellinios G.S.
1891
Basketball, Volleyball, Handball, Track and Field and others
Kypseli
Panhellenic titles in Basketball, Volleyball, Handball, many honours in Track and Field

Apollon Smyrni
1891
(originally in Smyrni)
Football, Basketball, Volleyball and others
Rizoupoli
Earlier long-time presence in A Ethniki

Ethnikos G.S. Athens
1893
Track and Field, Wrestling, Shooting and others
Zappeion
Many honours in Athletics and Wrestling

Panathinaikos
1908
(originally as Football Club of Athens)
Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Water Polo, Track and Field and others
Ampelokipoi
One of the most successful Greek clubs, many titles in several sports

Ilisiakos
1927
Football, Basketball
Ilisia
Earlier presence in A1 Ethniki basketball

Asteras Exarchion
1928 (originally as Achilleus Neapoleos)
Football, Basketball
Exarcheia
Earlier presence in A1 Ethniki women basketball

Ampelokipoi B.C.
1929 (originally as Hephaestus Athens)
Basketball
Ampelokipoi
Earlier presence in A1 Ethniki basketball

Thriamvos Athens
1930 (originally as Doxa Athens)
Football, Basketball
Neos Kosmos
Panhellenic title in women Basketball

Sporting B.C.
1936
Basketball
Patisia
Many Panhellenic titles in women Basketball

Pagrati B.C.
1938
Basketball
Pagrati
Earlier presence in A1 Ethniki

text: Beside the above clubs, inside the boundaries of Athens municipality there are some more clubs with presence in national divisions or notable action for short periods. Some of them are PAO Rouf (Rouf) with earlier presence in Gamma Ethniki, Petralona F.C.(el) (Petralona), football club founded in 1963, with earlier presence in Beta Ethniki, Attikos F.C.(el) (Kolonos), football club founded in 1919 with short presence in Gamma Ethniki, Athinais Kypselis(el) (Kypseli), football club founded in 1938 with short presence in Gamma Ethniki, Gyziakos (Gyzi), basketball club founded in 1937 with short presence in Beta Ethniki basketball and Aetos B.C.(el) (Agios Panteleimonas), basketball club founded in 1992 with earlier presence in A2 Ethniki Basketball. Another important Athenian sport club is the Athens Tennis Club founded in 1895 with important offer for the Greek tennis.[114]

text: Olympic Games[edit]

text: 1896 Summer Olympics[edit]

text: 1896 brought forth the revival of the modern Olympic Games, by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. Thanks to his efforts, Athens was awarded the first modern Olympic Games. In 1896, the city had a population of 123,000[81] and the event helped boost the city's international profile. Of the venues used for these Olympics, the Kallimarmaro Stadium, and Zappeion were most crucial. The Kallimarmaro is a replica of the ancient Athenian stadiums, and the only major stadium (in its capacity of 60,000) to be made entirely of white marble from Mount Penteli, the same material used for construction of the Parthenon.

text: 1906 Summer Olympics[edit]

text: The 1906 Summer Olympics, or the 1906 Intercalated games, were held in Athens. The intercalated competitions were intermediate games to the internationally organized Olympics, and were meant to be organized in Greece every four years, between the main Olympics. This idea later lost support from the IOC and these games were discontinued.

text: 2004 Summer Olympics[edit]

text: Athens was awarded the 2004 Summer Olympics on 5 September 1997 in Lausanne, Switzerland, after having lost a previous bid to host the 1996 Summer Olympics, to Atlanta, United States.[22] It was to be the second time Athens would host the games, following the inaugural event of 1896. After an unsuccessful bid in 1990, the 1997 bid was radically improved, including an appeal to Greece's Olympic history. In the last round of voting, Athens defeated Rome with 66 votes to 41.[22] Prior to this round, the cities of Buenos Aires, Stockholm and Cape Town had been eliminated from competition, having received fewer votes.[22]

text: During the first three years of preparations, the International Olympic Committee had expressed concern over the speed of construction progress for some of the new Olympic venues. In 2000 the Organising Committee's president was replaced by Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who was the president of the original Bidding Committee in 1997. From that point forward, preparations continued at a highly accelerated, almost frenzied pace.

text: Although the heavy cost was criticized, estimated at $1.5 billion, Athens was transformed into a more functional city that enjoys modern technology both in transportation and in modern urban development.[115] Some of the finest sporting venues in the world were created in the city, all of which were fully ready for the games. The games welcomed over 10,000 athletes from all 202 countries.[115]

text: The 2004 Games were judged a success, as both security and organization worked well, and only a few visitors reported minor problems mainly concerning accommodation issues. The 2004 Olympic Games were described as Unforgettable, dream Games, by IOC President Jacques Rogge for their return to the birthplace of the Olympics, and for meeting the challenges of holding the Olympic Games.[115] The only observable problem was a somewhat sparse attendance of some early events. Eventually, however, a total of more than 3.5 million tickets were sold, which was higher than any other Olympics with the exception of Sydney (more than 5 million tickets were sold there in 2000).[116]

text: In 2008 it was reported that most of the Olympic venues had fallen into disrepair: according to those reports, 21 of the 22 facilities built for the games had either been left abandoned or are in a state of dereliction, with several squatter camps having sprung up around certain facilities, and a number of venues afflicted by vandalism, graffiti or strewn with rubbish.[117][118] These claims, however, are disputed and likely to be inaccurate, as most of the facilities used for the Athens Olympics are either in use or in the process of being converted for post-Olympics use. The Greek Government has created a corporation, Olympic Properties SA, which is overseeing the post-Olympics management, development and conversion of these facilities, some of which will be sold off (or have already been sold off) to the private sector,[119] while other facilities are still in use just as during the Olympics, or have been converted for commercial use or modified for other sports.[120] Concerts and theatrical shows, such as those by the troupe Cirque du Soleil, have recently been held in the complex.[111]

text: Special Olympics 2011[edit]

text: The 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games was in Athens. The opening ceremony of the games took place on 25 June 2011 at the Panathinaiko Stadium and the closing ceremony was held on 4 July 2011.

text: Over 7,500 athletes, from 185 countries, competed in a total of 22 sports.

text: Economy and infrastructure[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2012)

text: Athens is the financial capital of Greece, and multinational companies such as Ericsson, Siemens, Motorola and Coca-Cola have their regional research and development headquarters there.

text: Transport[edit]

text: Athens is serviced by a variety of transportation means, forming the largest mass transit system of Greece. The Athens Mass Transit System consists of a large bus fleet, a trolleybus fleet that mainly serves Athens's city center, the city's Metro, a commuter rail service[121] and a tram network, connecting the southern suburbs to the city centre.[122]

text: Bus transport[edit]

text: Ethel (Greek: ΕΘΕΛ) (Etaireia Thermikon Leoforeion), or Thermal Bus Company, is the main operator of buses in Athens. Its network consists of about 300 bus lines which span the Athens Metropolitan Area,[123] with an operating staff of 5,327, and a fleet of 1,839 buses.[124] Of those 1,839 buses 416 run on compressed natural gas,[124] making up the largest fleet of natural gas-powered buses in Europe.[125]

text: Besides being served by a fleet of natural-gas and diesel buses, the Athens Urban Area is also served by trolleybuses – or electric buses, as they are referred to in the name of the operating company. The network is operated by Electric Buses of the Athens and Piraeus Region, or ILPAP (Greek: ΗΛΠΑΠ) and consists of 22 lines with an operating staff of 1,137.[126] All of the 366 trolleybuses are equipped to enable them to run on diesel in case of power failure.[126]

text: International and regional bus links are provided by KTEL from two InterCity Bus Terminals, Kifissos Bus Terminal A and Liosion Bus Terminal B, both located in the north-western part of the city. Kifissos provides connections towards the Peloponnese and Attica, whereas Liosion is used for most northerly mainland destinations.

text: Athens Metro[edit]

text: The Athens Metro is more commonly known in Greece as the Attiko Metro (Greek: Αττικό Mετρό) and provides public transport throughout the Athens Urban Area. While its main purpose is transport, it also houses Greek artifacts found during construction of the system.[127] The Athens Metro has an operating staff of 387 and runs two of the three metro lines; namely the Red (line 2) and Blue (line 3) lines, which were constructed largely during the 1990s, with the initial sections opened in January 2000. All routes run entirely underground and a fleet of 42 trains consisting of 252 cars operate within the network,[128] with a daily occupancy of 550,000 passengers.[128]

text: The Red Line (line 2) runs from Anthoupoli station to Elliniko station and covers a distance of 17.5 km (10.9 mi).[128] The line connects the western suburbs of Athens with the southeast suburbs passing through the center of Athens. The line associated with Green (line 1) stations at Attiki and Omonoia Square station. Also the line connected with the Blue (line 3) at Syntagma Square station and connected with Tram at Syntagma Square, Sygrou-Fix and Agios Ioannis station.

text: The Blue Line (line 3) runs from the western suburbs, namely Agia Marina to the Egaleo station, through the central Monastiraki and Syntagma stations to Doukissis Plakentias avenue in the northeastern suburb of Halandri, covering a distance of 16 km (10 mi),[128] then ascending to ground level and reaching Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, using the Suburban Railway infrastructure and extending its length to 39 km (24 mi).[128] The spring 2007 extension from Monastiraki westwards, to Egaleo, connected some of the main night life hubs of the city, namely the ones of Gazi (Kerameikos station) with Psirri (Monastiraki station) and the city centre (Syntagma station). Extensions are under construction to the west southwest suburbs of Athens, reaching to the port and the center of Piraeus. The new stations will be Agia Barvara, Koridallos, Nikaia, Maniatika, Piraeus and Dimotiko Theatro station. The stations will be ready in 2017, connecting the biggest port of Greece Piraeus Port with the biggest airport of Greece the Athens International Airport.

text: Electric railway (ISAP)[edit]

text: Not run by the Athens Metro company, is the ISAP (Greek: ΗΣΑΠ), the Electric Railway Company line, which for many years served as Athens's primary urban rail transport. This is today the Green Line (line 1) of the Athens Metro network as shown on maps, and unlike the red and blue lines, ISAP has many above-ground sections on its route. This was the original metro line from Piraeus to Kifisia; serving 22 stations,[129] with a network length of 25.6 km (15.9 mi),[129] an operating staff of 730 and a fleet of 44 trains and 243 cars.[129] ISAP's occupancy rate is 600,000 passengers daily.[129]

text: The Green Line (line 1) now serves 24 stations, and forms the oldest line of the Athens metro network and for the most part runs at ground level,[130] connecting the port of Piraeus with the northern suburb of Kifissia. The line is set to be extended to Agios Stefanos, a suburb located 23 km (14 mi)[citation needed] to the north of Athens, reaching to 36 km (22 mi).[citation needed]

text: The Athens Metropolitan Railway system is managed by three companies; namely ISAP (line 1),[131] Attiko Metro (lines 2 & 3), while its commuter rail, the Proastiakós is considered as line 4.[citation needed]

text: Commuter/suburban rail (Proastiakos)[edit]

text: The Athens commuter rail service, referred to as the "Proastiakós", connects Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport to the city of Kiato, 106 km (66 mi)[132] west of Athens, via Larissa station, the city's central rail station and the port of Piraeus. The service is sometimes considered the fourth line of the Athens Metro. The length of Athens's commuter rail network extends to 120 km (75 mi),[132] and is expected to stretch to 281 km (175 mi) by 2010.[132] The Proastiakos will be extended to Xylokastro west of Athens and Chalkida.[132]

text: Tram[edit]

text: Athens Tram SA operates a fleet of 35 Sirio type vehicles[133] which serve 48 stations,[133] employ 345 people with an average daily occupancy of 65,000 passengers.[133] The tram network spans a total length of 27 km (17 mi) and covers ten Athenian suburbs.[133] The network runs from Syntagma Square to the southwestern suburb of Palaio Faliro, where the line splits in two branches; the first runs along the Athens coastline toward the southern suburb of Voula, while the other heads toward the Piraeus district of Neo Faliro. The network covers the majority of the Saronic coastline.[134] Further extensions are planned towards the major commercial port of Piraeus.[133] The expansion to Piraeus will include 12 new stations, increase the overall length of tram route by 5.4 km (3 mi), and increase the overall transportation network.[135]

text: Athens International Airport[edit]

text: Athens is served by the Athens International Airport (ATH), located near the town of Spata, in the eastern Messoghia plain, some 35 km (22 mi) east of Athens.[136] The airport, awarded the "European Airport of the Year 2004" Award,[137] is intended as an expandable hub for air travel in southeastern Europe and was constructed in 51 months, costing 2.2 billion euros. It employs a staff of 14,000.[137]

text: The airport is served by the Metro, the suburban rail, buses to Piraeus port, Athens' city centre and its suburbs, and also taxis. The airport accommodates 65 landings and take-offs per hour,[136] with its 24-passenger boarding bridges,[136] 144 check-in counters and broader 150,000 m2 (1,614,587 sq ft) main terminal;[136] and a commercial area of 7,000 m2 (75,347 sq ft) which includes cafés, duty-free shops,[137] and a small museum.

text: In 2014, the airport handled 15,196,369 passengers, an increase of 21.2% over the previous year of 2013.[138] Of those 15,196,369 passengers, 5,267,593 passed through the airport for domestic flights,[139] and 9,970,006 passengers travelled through for international flights.[139] Beyond the dimensions of its passenger capacity, ATH handled 205,294 total flights in 2007, or approximately 562 flights per day.[140]

text: Railways and ferry connections[edit]

text: Athens is the hub of the country's national railway system (OSE), connecting the capital with major cities across Greece and abroad (Istanbul, Sofia and Bucharest).The Port of Piraeus connects Athens to the numerous Greek islands of the Aegean Sea, with ferries departing, while also serving the cruise ships that arrive.

text: Motorways[edit]

text: Two main motorways of Greece begin in Athens, namely the A1/E75, which crosses through Athens's Urban Area from Piraeus, heading north towards Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki; and the A8/E94 heading west, towards Patras, which incorporated the GR-8A. Before their completion much of the road traffic used the GR-1 and the GR-8.

text: Athens' Metropolitan Area is served by the motorway network of the Attiki Odos toll-motorway (code: A6). Its main section extends from the western industrial suburb of Elefsina to Athens International Airport; while two beltways, namely the Aigaleo Beltway (A65) and the Hymettus Beltway (A64) serve parts of western and eastern Athens respectively. The span of the Attiki Odos in all its length is 65 km (40 mi),[141] making it the largest metropolitan motorway network in all of Greece.

text:
Motorways:

A1/E75 N (Lamia, Larissa, Thessaloniki)
A8 (GR-8A)/E94 W (Elefsina, Corinth, Patras)
A6 W (Elefsina) E (Airport)

National roads:

GR-1 Ν (Lamia, Larissa, Thessaloniki)
GR-8 W (Corinth, Patras)
GR-3 N (Elefsina, Lamia, Larissa)

text: Education[edit]

text: Located on Panepistimiou Street, the old campus of the University of Athens, the National Library, and the Athens Academy form the "Athens Trilogy" built in the mid-19th century. Most of the university's workings have been moved to a much larger, modern campus located in the eastern suburb of Zografou. The second higher education institution in the city is the Athens Polytechnic School, found in Patission Street. This was the location where on 17 November 1973, more than 13 students were killed and hundreds injured inside the university during the Athens Polytechnic uprising,[142] against the military junta that ruled the nation from 21 April 1967 until 23 July 1974.

text: Other universities that lie within Athens are the Athens University of Economics and Business, the Panteion University, the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Piraeus. There are overall eleven state-supported Institutions of Higher (or Tertiary) education located in the Metropolitan Area of Athens, these are by chronological order: Athens School of Fine Arts (1837), National Technical University of Athens (1837), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1837), Agricultural University of Athens (1920), Athens University of Economics and Business (1920), Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (1927), University of Piraeus (1938), Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus (1976), Technological Educational Institute of Athens (1983), Harokopio University (1990), School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (2002). There are also several other private colleges, as they called formally in Greece, as the establishment of private universities is prohibited by the constitution. Many of them are accredited by a foreign state or university such as the American College of Greece and the Athens Campus of the University of Indianapolis.[143]


document_title: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

question_text: who played lady guinevere in night at the museum 3

root

text: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1938 Egypt, a team of archaeologists discover the tomb of pharaoh Ahkmenrah, including a young Cecil Fredericks, finding the magical Tablet of Ahkmenrah. The locals warn the group that removing the tablet will end its magic.

tag: p

text: In present day New York City, Larry Daley remains the night guard of the American Museum of Natural History. He and the exhibits, brought to life each night by the tablet, help re-open the Hayden Planetarium. A new wax Neanderthal resembling Larry named Laaa is introduced, identifying Larry as his father. Ahkmenrah shows Larry that the tablet is corroding, which later causes the exhibits to act erratically, causing mayhem at the planetarium’s reopening. Afterwards, Larry catches his son Nick throwing a house party, who plans on taking a gap year to sort out his life.

text: Larry reunites with Cecil, now in retirement, who realises the end of the tablet’s magic will cause the exhibits to become lifeless. Cecil explains Ahkmenrah’s parents, Merenkahre and Shepseheret, may be able to restore the tablet’s power, but are located in the British Museum. Larry convinces the museum’s curator, Dr. McPhee, to let him ship Ahkmenrah to London to restore the tablet, convinced that McPhee knows its secrets. Larry and Nick travel to the British Museum, bypassing the night guard Tilly. To Larry’s surprise, Theodore Roosevelt, Sacagawea, Attila the Hun, Jedediah, Octavius, Dexter the capuchin monkey, and Laaa have come as well. Laaa is left to stand guard while the others search the museum, the tablet bringing its own exhibits to life.

text: They are joined by a wax Sir Lancelot who helps them fight off the aggressive museum exhibits like a Xiangliu statue and a Triceratops skeleton. Jedediah and Octavius fall through a ventilation shaft, but are rescued from an erupting Pompeii model by Dexter. The group find Ahkmenrah’s parents, learning the tablet’s power can be regenerated by moonlight, since it is empowered with the magic of Khonsu. Lancelot mistakes the tablet for the Holy Grail and steals it, leaving to find Camelot. Larry and Laaa are locked in the employee break room by Tilly but escape, Laaa remaining behind to distract Tilly, but they become attracted to each other.

text: Lancelot crashes a performance of the Camelot musical, starring Hugh Jackman and Alice Eve as King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, but Larry and the others chase him to the theatre roof, where the New York exhibits begin to die. Lancelot then sees that the quest was about them and gives the tablet back. The moonlight restores the tablet’s power, saving the exhibits. They decide that Ahkmenrah and the tablet should stay with his parents, even if it means the New York exhibits will no longer come to life. Back in New York, Larry spends some final moments with his friends before sunrise.

text: Three years later, Larry now works as a teacher, and a travelling British Museum exhibit comes to New York. Tilly becomes the new night guard, and gives the tablet to Dr. McPhee, showing him its power, and allowing the exhibits to awaken again. Outside, Larry watches them party inside.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Ben Stiller as Larry Daley, a security guard at the American Museum of Natural History.[4]

Stiller also plays Laaa, a Neanderthal who resembles Larry.

Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt, the wax statue of the 26th President of the United States.[4]
Owen Wilson as Jedediah, a cowboy diorama miniature.[4]
Steve Coogan as Octavius, a Roman soldier miniature.[4]
Ricky Gervais as Dr. McPhee, the director of the Museum of Natural History.[4]
Rachael Harris as Madeline Phelps, the chairwoman of the American Museum of Natural History.
Dan Stevens as Sir Lancelot, the wax statue of the legendary Knight of the Round Table.[5]
Rebel Wilson as Tilly, the night security guard at the British Museum.[4]
Skyler Gisondo as Nick Daley, the son of Larry Daley.[6] He was previously played by Jake Cherry in the first two films.
Rami Malek as Ahkmenrah, the mummy of an ancient pharaoh.[4]
Patrick Gallagher as Attila the Hun, the statue of the leader of the Huns.[4]
Mizuo Peck as Sacagawea, the polyurethane model of the Lemhi Shoshone woman who is Theodore Roosevelt's girlfriend.[4]
Ben Kingsley as Merenkahre, the mummy of an ancient pharaoh and Ahkmenrah's father.[7]
Dick Van Dyke as Cecil "C.J." Fredericks, a retired security guard from the first film.[8]

Percy Hynes White plays the younger Cecil "C.J." Fredericks

Mickey Rooney as Gus, a retired security guard from the first film.[8]
Bill Cobbs as Reginald, a retired security guard from the first film.[8]
Andrea Martin as Rose, an archivist at the Museum of Natural History.
Brennan Elliott as Robert Fredericks, C.J.'s father in the prologue.
Matt Frewer as Archibald Stanley, an archeologist who accompanies Robert and Cecil in the prologue.
Anjali Jay as Shepseheret, the mummy of a Great Royal Wife of Merenkahre and mother of Ahkmenrah.
Crystal the Monkey as Dexter, a Capuchin monkey.
Hugh Jackman as Himself (uncredited)
Alice Eve as Herself (uncredited)

tag: ul

text: Voices[edit]

text:
Robin Williams as Garuda Artifact.
Brad Garrett as Easter Island Head.
Regina Taufen as New York Reporter.

text: Production[edit]

text: On January 21, 2010, co-writer Thomas Lennon said to Access Hollywood, "I think it's a really outstanding idea to do Night at the Museum 3, in fact. I wonder if someone's not even already working on a script for that. I cannot confirm that for a fact, but I cannot deny it for a fact either... It might be in the works."[9] In an October 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stiller confirmed the sequel, however, he said that it was only in the "ideas stage".[10] In February 2013 it was announced that the film, directed by Shawn Levy, would be released on December 25, 2014.[11] On September 10, 2013, it was announced that shooting would start in February 2014.[12]

text: On November 8, 2013, actor Dan Stevens was cast as Lancelot.[5] On November 15, 2013, it was announced that Skyler Gisondo would be replacing Jake Cherry in the role of Nicky Daley.[6] On December 18, 2013, it was announced that Stiller, Robin Williams, and Ricky Gervais would be returning for the sequel.[13] On January 9, 2014, it was announced that Rebel Wilson would play a security guard in the British Museum.[4] On January 14, 2014, the film's release date was moved up from December 25, 2014, to December 19, 2014.[14] On January 23, 2014, it was announced Ben Kingsley would play an Egyptian Pharaoh at the British Museum.[15] Principal photography and production began on January 27, 2014.[16][17] On May 6, 2014, it was announced that the film would be titled Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.[18] In May 2014, principal photography ended.[19]

text: Music[edit]

text: Alan Silvestri returns to score the final installment of the trilogy.[20][21]

text:
Night At the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Film score by Alan Silvestri

Released
January 6, 2015 (2015-01-06)

Recorded
2014

Genre
Film score

Length
56:52

Label
Varese Sarabande

tag: table

text: Track listing[edit]

text: Varese Sarabande released a soundtrack album of the score on January 6, 2015.[22][23][24]

text: All tracks written by Alan Silvestri.

text:
Night At the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

No.
Title
Length

1.
"The Ahkmenrah Expedition"
3:34

2.
"Performance Prep"
2:02

3.
"LOL"
2:22

4.
"The Grand Re-Opening"
3:13

5.
"The End Will Come"
2:19

6.
"Sneak And Greet"
3:25

7.
"Sir Lancelot"
3:33

8.
"Where Are Jed And Octavius?"
2:50

9.
"Main Hall"
3:24

10.
"Xiangliu"
3:46

11.
"Male Bonding"
2:15

12.
"The Legend Of The Tablet"
3:11

13.
"The Escher Fight"
3:45

14.
"Camelot"
3:49

15.
"The Quest"
2:35

16.
"Seeing Your Boy Become A Man"
3:14

17.
"Laaa Love"
1:53

18.
"A Farewell Kiss"
2:40

19.
"Teddy's Goodbye"
3:02

Total length:
56:52

text: Release[edit]

text: The film premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 11, 2014.[25] It was then released on December 19, 2014 in the United States.[26]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb grossed $113.7 million in North America, and $249.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $363.2 million against a budget of $127 million.[2]

text: In North America, early analysts were predicting a potential $25–$28 million opening.[27][28] In North America, the film was released on December 19, 2014 across 3,785 theaters.[29] It opened Friday, December 19, 2014 and earned $5.6 million on its opening day, placing at number three at the box office.[30] The film underperformed expectations during its opening weekend, earning $17.1 million, which was relatively lower than the openings of the original film ($30.4 million) and its sequel ($54.1 million).[31] The film debuted at number two at the box office behind The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.[32] According to 20th Century Fox, the movie's audience was 51% male, with 54% of the audience under the age of 25. In CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gave the film an average grade of "B+", on an A+ to F scale.[32]

text: The film began its international rollout the same weekend as the North American premiere and earned $10.4 million from 27 markets in its opening weekend, debuting at #3 behind at the box office behind The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and Penguins of Madagascar.[33][34][35][36] The film expanded to an additional 40 markets in its second week and grossed $31.2 million.[37] It topped the box office outside North America in its fourth weekend with a total gross of $46.2 million, primarily because of China, where it opened at #1 with $26 million.[38] The other highest opening figures were from Mexico ($5.85 million), Brazil ($3.1 million), Malaysia ($3.07 million), the UK ($3 million), Australia ($2.8 million), Germany ($2.1 million) and Singapore ($2 million).[37][39][40]

text: For the weekend of January 16, 2015, the film grossed $17.8 million, which includes a $3.9 million debut in South Korea.[41]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 48% approval rating, based on 104 reviews, with an average score of 5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "While not without its moments, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is a less-than-inspired sendoff for the trilogy."[42] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 47 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[43] In CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[32]

text: Scott Foundas of Variety gave the film a positive review, praising the visual effects and calling the production values "topnotch", and admiring Guillermo Navarro's work. He added, "A most enjoyable capper to director Shawn Levy and producer Chris Columbus’ cheerfully silly and sneakily smart family-entertainment juggernaut... offers little in the way of secrets of surprises, but should add much holiday cheer to Fox’s box-office coffers."[44] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film three stars out of five and said, "The third part in what absolutely no one is calling the Night at the Museum 'trilogy' turns out to be a good-natured and entertainingly surreal panto fantasy."[45] Glenn Kenny awarded the film 2½ stars out of 4 praising the Indiana Jones themed-set while criticizing the performances of the cast and said, "As talent-packed as any Night at the Museum picture may be—in this third installment... —one doesn’t come to a movie of this sort expecting anybody’s best work. Or at least one certainly shouldn’t, because it won’t materialize."[46] Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice gave the film a positive review, saying "The third installment, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb may be the best, and even the generally wound-too-tight Ben Stiller - once again playing a bemused Museum of Natural History guard - is easy to tolerate."[47] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Where the previous films felt frenetic and forced, this outing feels breezier, more enjoyable and less contrived."[48] Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News gave the film three out of five stars, saying "There's a serenity to museum visits, especially if it's a place you know and love. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, amazingly, recaptures that feeling in big-studio franchise form."[49]

text: Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film two out of five stars, saying "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is a rather lackluster affair, a cash grab that tries to aim a little higher but confuses sappy shortcuts with real emotion."[50] Joe McGovern of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B, saying "It's kind of fun, unembarrassingly, and not least of all because the people who made it look like they had a good time doing so."[51] Tom Long of The Detroit News gave the film a B, saying "There are some key elements that make this Night at the Museum sequel work better than its predecessor."[52] Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger gave the film two out of four stars, saying "The exhibits in this Night at the Museum may still come to life nightly. But their latest movie stays stubbornly inert."[53] Tom Russo of The Boston Globe gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Seeing Ben Stiller, the late Robin Williams, and their magically roused gang together again, this time in London, is initially all about indulgent, nostalgic smiles rather than new wows. But then comes the movie’s exceptionally clever and fresh final act, which delivers genuine surprise along with many laughs."[54] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph gave the film three out of five stars, saying "The third Night at the Museum film starts strongly, with its heart in the past... It’s an exciting opening, and perhaps too exciting for the film’s own good. It’s hard not to be disappointed when the plot moves back to the present and settles into the time-honoured formula of digitised creatures running riot and famous people in fancy dress doing shtick."[55] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a negative review, saying "Despite relocating across the pond to the esteemed British Museum, the creaky Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb fails to capitalize on the comic potential provided by that change of venue."[56]

text: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave the film a C+, saying "Secret of the Tomb plays it as a source of corny jokes, pop-culture references, and father-son bonding moments. In other words, it’s exactly the kind of film that shouldn’t be expected to engage with its assorted bizarre subtexts — but what a movie it could be if it did."[57] Sara Stewart of the New York Post gave the film two out of four stars, saying "For piquing kids’ interest in history and nature, you could do worse than this goofy Ben Stiller franchise. But its third installment is more meh than manic, too reliant on wide shots of the ragtag Museum of Natural History cohorts striding down corridors. You get the feeling returning director Shawn Levy is ready to hang it up."[58] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one and a half stars out of five, saying "The dialogue is schmaltzy and often painfully unfunny. The special effects are often so 1980s-bad, one wonders if it was a deliberate choice, to make the creepy visuals of sculptures dancing and paintings moving less frightening to young viewers. Time and again, terrific actors sink in the equivalent of cinematic quicksand, helpless against the sucking sound of this movie."[59] Drew Hunt of Slant Magazine gave the film one out of four stars, saying "None of the entries in the Night at the Museum series could ever pass for high art, but a wealth of comedic talent gave the first two installments a madcap energy that somewhat forgave their childish premises. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, the third and supposedly final edition in the franchise, is nothing more than an uncomfortably transparent contractual obligation."[60]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Award
Category
Recipient(s)
Result
Ref(s)

Teen Choice Awards
Choice Movie: Comedy
Nominated
[61]

Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Ben Stiller
Nominated

Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite Movie Actor
Ben Stiller
Won
[62][63]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 10, 2015.[64] The film debuted in second place on the home media charts behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.[65]